Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/845163
Respirare l'ombra, 1998, is made from cages of laurel leaves and a set of bronze lungs. Dominating the stairwell is a resin-and-steel sculpture, With Silver Feet, 2001, by late Spanish artist Juan Muñoz. It depicts two men seated in chairs, one with a bright yellow foot — the meaning of which is a puzzle. The Youngs focus on acquiring works by contemporary artists including Los Angeles provocateur Paul McCarthy and German-born sculptor Kiki Smith. Performative self-portraiture is also of interest, with a group of dozens of Polaroids taken by the late performance artist Chris Burden; an enigmatic self-portrait by L.A. artist Charles Ray of himself cocooned like a caterpillar to the limb of a tree; and Harry Shunk's 1960 photo of the artist Yves Klein jumping with abandon into a void. The Youngs also focus on mid-career artists and have recently begun to seek under-appreciated artists just starting their careers. In the dining room are a group of dark canvases by Ghanaian artist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, whom they first discovered at the 2014 Venice Biennale; it took another three years to track down a piece to acquire. Schwartzman introduced Sharon and Michael to young L.A. artist Noam Rappaport's geometric paintings, and one now hangs above their stairs. Sharon tries to make regular artist studio visits, and she recently returned from visiting Paul McCarthy's L.A. atelier; after hearing him talk about his work, she sees it in a fresh way. But much of the past year has been focused on the 2017 Nasher Prize, with a Renzo Piano-designed award presented to French sculptor Pierre Huyghe. She hopes the Nasher Prize will someday become the Pritzker Prize of sculpture. I n less deft hands, another interior designer might have looked at the Youngs' collection of contemporary art and followed suit, turning Perry's modernist jewel into a cold Bauhaus palace of chrome and leather. Bodron had other ideas. "I did not ever feel like this house would be about Knoll or Mies van der Rohe or Corbusier," says Bodron. "But I did want it to be about beautiful things." His cues instead derived from the decorative elements, such as the curved staircase and elegant powder room. The result is a downright glamorous house, thoughtfully furnished with pieces from the mid 20th century's most important designers. The kickoff was a daybed by John Saladino, custom made for the Youngs by Saladino's atelier in lavender silk velvet and mohair. Other exquisite pieces followed: a pair of petite Jean Royère slipper chairs from a gallery in France; a flirty William Haines swivel ottoman from the golden age of Hollywood; a pair of three-legged brass-and- marble side tables by Cedric Hartman, which Bodron describes as "the most beautiful nothing table you can find"; and a French bergère the Youngs already owned, recovered in dynamic and regal Jakob Schlaepfer couture fabric and likened by Bodron to a queen on acid. In the family room, which looks over the expansive backyard, Bodron was careful to select furniture that wouldn't block the view, such as In the entry, '60s-era terrazzo was uncovered. Serpentine steps, door, and floating staircase are magnolia wood and original to the house. The parquet floor is also original. Miroslaw Balka's Untitled, 2001. On wall, Paul McCarthy's White Line Painted on the Floor with my Face, 1972. 70