Collector Ariel Foxman's political power of art

THE NEW YORK TIMES
Show Us Your Walls
By John Ortved

Ariel Foxman in the living room of his Gramercy Park home, where he has on display two Robert Mapplethorpe photographs, “Mike Spencer,” left, and “Flower.”CreditAdrienne Grunwald for The New York Times

NEW YORK---On a recent afternoon Ariel Foxman was having a one-way conversation with his son, Cielo, as he lifted up the newborn “Lion King”-style and then brought him in for a kiss. The baby, just 7 weeks old, was soon asleep on his shoulder. It’s been a big year for Mr. Foxman, professionally as well as personally. In August, he was announced as the chief brand officer for Olivela, an online fashion site that uses part of its proceeds to support children’s health and education. The couple’s apartment, a corner unit in a large, modern building in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan, provides a sightly path through his past and present lives. In the living room, the eye travels from a small Tom Wesselmann nude hanging overhead to a photo book about Tupac Shakur and finally to two Robert Mapplethorpe photographs hovering over the couch. [More]