Power Names Available at Pulse
Galerie Stefan Ropke of Cologne and Madrid had three impressive Anselm Kiefer works, only one of which was on reserve. The 91 cm. x 105 cm. Laokoon could be had for $145,000; the 59 cm. by 83 cm. Astralschlange, mixed-media on a photograph, was $90,000 … The Finesilver Gallery of Houston and San Antonio had a 2004 Leonardo Drew work, Number 98, a signature large-scale work in rusty metal with hundreds of small, mixed-media filled containers, for $95,000 … Aliceday of Brussels had 13 drawings still available by Whitney Biennial artist Daniel Johnston; the gallery sold about 15 of the works for $1,400 each.

A Power Couple's Collection
Among the many private collectors opening their doors this week was art consultant Mark Fletcher and Sotheby’s head of contemporary art Tobias Meyer, who reside in the Time Warner Center building. The apartment opens strong, with a large dollar sign made of light bulbs by Tim Noble and Sue Webster, followed by two crisp photographs by Matthew Barney. In the front sitting room, a John Currin portrait of a woman framed in ornate gold, and a large Warhol print of a handgun, sit on top of a large assume vivid astro focus mural. Here you see the dramatic views with floor to ceiling windows that would only come from being on the 60-something floor, right above Central Park and Columbus Circle.

Besides the mural, the rest of the walls are plywood, above a black-and-white striped carpet. Fletcher explained that the decor was an experiment, a way to keep the structure simple while their collection evolved. The feel ends up being very organic, where you can see how one really lives harmoniously with one's art.

Continuing on the tour, the office featured a Ron Arad chair, a Richard Prince car hood and a sculpture by Urs Fischer of a Robert Gober-esque suspended arm holding onto a red balloon. The hallway has a large installation of works by Barry McGee, while the den/TV room sets up a series of works alongside an antique Chinese canopy daybed.

The master bathroom has portraits of the couple, one of Fletcher nude from the waist up, and the other of Meyer, stark and serious in a suit, and set above the bidet (while Lucas Samaras photos are above the toilet).

Finally, the master bedroom opens with a gorgeous little Lisa Yuskavage, before showing off a Hernan Bas near an Indian miniature, which is set on a raw steel bedside table. Maria Pergay wall lights featuring gold animal skulls inside metal cylinders sit above the bed, while a plaster and wood sculpture by Rachel Feinstein is at the foot.

Of course there was lots more to see, including bits and larger bits of more traditional Eastern and Western works that mingled with the contemporary art, which creates a strong and diverse mix perfectly suited for an art-world power couple.

Pulse Notes
The Torch Gallery had two highly erotic Terry Rodgers paintings of the beautiful and the barely clad lounging about, one of which was still available for $26,000 … Houston’s Inman Gallery was showing four photographs by Whitney Biennial artist Amy Blakemore. The gallery said the 47-year-old artist’s inclusion in the Whitney was causing more collectors to spend more time with her work.

Padua-based gallery Perugi Arte Contemporanea had one of the fair's coolest pieces, yet to be snatched-up by a saavy collector: a series of small figurative paintings by the now three-member Royal Art Lodge collective of Michael Dumontier, Marcel Dzama and Neil Farber. Sold as one piece, the work is priced at $25,000. Priska Juschka unveiled a brand new painting by Dannielle Tegeder, sent to the fair straight from the studio. The dark-hued painting, entitled Galaxy Construction is still available at $18,000.

And the Po-Mo Prize Goes to…
Vying for the prize of most obnoxious and ostentatious po-mo piece are: Adam McEwan's pink canvas with nothing but the words "Total War" (which, inexplicably, sold for $8,700 from Nicole Klagsburn), and, at Peter Kilchman, Jorge Macchi's photo of a beautiful field of sunflowers marred by a pair of large wooden quotation marks placed near the edges of the oh-so-self conscious composition. You don't get jaded junk like this over at the youthful Scope, where the kids are doing just fine, and don't have a trace of po-mo anxiety.