Matthew Barney Moving to Fort Greene?

The New York Observer reports that Matthew Barney may have purchased a townhouse at 67 South Elliott Street in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. The two-family house was built in 1854 and sold for $1.99 million - apparently it is a "fixer upper" in need of renovation. The Observer could not confirm that the house was sold to the artist Matthew Barney (it could be a different person with the same name) but the same real estate lawyer representing this Matthew Barney coordinated Barney and Bjork's purchase of the $4 million Brooklyn Heights penthouse where they have lived since 2009. Bjork's name does not appear on the new deed, perhaps confirming rumors that the couple has split. If Bjork and Barney are, in fact, moving into the house on South Elliott, their neighbors on the block will include writer Jhumpa Lahiri and the offices of Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule film production company.

Matthew Barney and Bjork Break Up!

Icelandic magazine Séð og Heyrt reports that Matthew Barney and the musician Bjork, his long time romantic partner, have parted ways, according to newsoficeland.com. Barney and Bjork have a daughter, Isadora, born in 2002.

Potrait of Matthew Barney by Elizabeth Peyton

Gawker reports a rumor that Barney is now romantically linked to "sometimes-lesbian" painter Elizabeth Peyton. Barney and Peyton had a joint exhibtion, The Blood of Two,  at the Deste Foundation in Greece in 2009. The show included several portraits of Barney by Peyton. Peyton divorced her husband, artist Rirkrit Tiravanija, in 2004.

Elizabeth Peyton, via Zimbio

Gawker recently reported that Barney and Bjork purchased a 3,000 square foot penthouse apartment at 160 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights and were selling their West Village abode with an asking price of $1.7 million. The site now speculates, "Either they bought the Brooklyn house so that one of them could live their with their daughter, or they just wanted more room."

Matthew Barney and Bjork Caught on Cell Phone in NYC

Matthew Barney and Bjork Perform With Marina Abramović at MoMA

Cremaster Fanatic Al sent us a link to these photographs of Matthew Barney, Bjork, and their daughter Isadora sitting with artist Marina Abramović as part of her performance The Artist Is Present at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. In this performance, Abramović sits silently across from museum visitors. Isadora sat with her for three minutes, Bjork for four, and Matthew Barney for eight.

Follow up: New York Magazine reports that Marina Abramovic, "agreed to begin her performance early, specifically to accommodate Björk, Matthew Barney, and their young daughter."

All photos by Marco Anelli. © 2010 Marina Abramović

Matthew Barney & Bjork Moving to Brooklyn, Selling Manhattan & Upstate Homes

The Real Estalker blog reports that Matthew Barney and Bjork are selling their homes in Manhattan and Snedens Landing, NY and moving to Brooklyn Heights. Their new apartment will be a 3,000 sq. foot pre-war penthouse on Henry Street with wrap-around terrace, fireplace, four bedrooms, and four baths. It is listed at $4.25 million.

In case you'd like to purchase one of the star couple's former homes, the Manhattan apartment is a one-bedroom on W. Houston Street (listed at $1.7 million) and the Snedens Landing house is a six-bedroom located only 30 minutes up the Hudson River Valley from New York City (listed at 1.8 million or available for lease at $7,000 per month).

According to The Real Estalker, the Manhattan apartment features a bedroom painted black, an updated (but tiny) kitchen, and a 500 sq. foot terrace. The Snedens Landing home (in a community dubbed "Hollywood on the Hudson" due to the large number of actors living there) has views of the Hudson River, a stone Master Bedroom, two patios, and an artists studio.

Matthew Barney and Bjork on Their First Date

Cremaster Fanatic Jason sent us a link to this new video by Kelly and Misha - a re-enactment of Matthew Barney's first date with Bjork. Although this is obviously a fictionalized account, the biographical information is pretty accurate!

Matthew Barney and Bjork Split?

We've received several anxious emails from Cremaster fanatics because Matthew Barney's facebook page now says that he is "no longer in a relationship". Although Gawker claims this is actually Matthew Barney's page, we at Cremaster Fanatic are more dubious about the page's authenticity. However, at this time we can neither confirm nor deny the rumors.

Bjork and Matthew Barney Shopping for Manhattan Condo

New York real estate blog curbed.com reports that Matthew Barney and Bjork were recently outbid on a penthouse loft in Manhattan's new Machinery Exchange at the corner of Baxer and Hester Streets in Chinatown / Little Italy. According to the building's web site, the penthouse apartment was being offered for $4.5 million -- no word on the final sale price.

Bjork's Yacht Moored in Long Island City

Page 6 reports that Bjork's "huge black yacht" is currently moored in Long Island City, New York. Presumably, it's tied up somewhere near Barney's new LIC studio. Unfortunately, Page 6, "could not make out the yacht's name because it was 'scrawled in very choppy letters.'"

Photo by Lois Weiss, courtesy of Curbed.