It appears that the peculiar and wonderful pairing that is Matthew Barney and Björk is looking to resettle in downtown Manhattan—but not without a fight. The artist behind the Cremaster films and the singer-actress, who together have a daughter and divide their time between Iceland and the former Noël Coward house near Palisades, New York, were recently outfoxed in their attempt to buy a penthouse at 136 Baxter Street, a former warehouse known as the Machinery Exchange. (Moby is said to have seriously considered the same apartment.) The 2,700-square-foot duplex—one of two, priced at $4.95 million—has a 40-foot-long living-and-dining room, three bedrooms, a working fireplace, and a 1,600-square-foot wraparound terrace. A source close to the building says the artists were nearly ready to make an offer when the apartment was snapped up by an unnamed buyer.

Related:

• Archive: “Real Estate”
• Articles by S.Jhoanna Robledo
• Table of Contents: November 19, 2007 issue of New York | Subscribe!