It will come as no surprise that the L.A. home of gallery owner Nino Mier and Barbara Gladstone Gallery partner Caroline Luce is chock-full of art from both of their collections— along with natural light, and more art. Blessed with staggering views and set in the buzzy Los Feliz neighborhood, the homebody couple may be art world bigwigs, but their favorite hang-out partner is actually their adorable dog, Kipp.
“The house is a kind of French Normandy style, built by contractor Ben Brodsky in 1932, who brought Chinese cinema to Hollywood. It’s an interesting story. I sold my previous house to move here. I actually broke into it when they were painting it and it took my breath away. Nothing had to be done. It had been beautifully renovated,” explains Mier. This was two years ago, and Mier continues, “It was all gradual. I didn’t bring anything with me.”
Although little work was required to move in, Mier decided upon a few essential cosmetic touches. The light fixtures, for instance, were completely changed. “Every sconce, every ceiling light. Everything you see now was really purchased for this place. I started at the beginning.”
The only things that Mier brought to the new place was his art collection. The Oehlen painting in the main salon he acquired right when he moved in and continues, “ I founded my gallery Nino Mier Gallery about five years ago and also have a space in Cologne. I’m a collector as much as a gallerist. I really enjoy living with art that excites and inspires me.”
Between these two art insiders, there are over 300 works of art in the home. Luce joins in, “We are both around art all the time and we hung all the art together,” Luce explains. “We both also collect works on paper and have over 120 works hanging salon-style in the entrance,” adds Mier.
Before COVID, the couple had a young chef come and cook dinners once a month. “We can fit 12 around the table and we wanted a regular schedule to bring together different kinds of people, in a more casual setting,” Mier states. Luce adds with a laugh, “ Except for during Frieze Week last year. We ended up with a party of about 600!”
Luce and Mier spend a great deal of time at home, which is the top floor of a two-story house. There is a lot of room to spread out, and be together, but also, apart.
Perched high on a hill, the house’s views stretch all the way to downtown Los Angeles.
In conventional times, Luce would commute regularly between New York and Los Angeles. Mier mostly followed a similar pattern, but would also bundle in Brussels, where he has just opened a new five-story gallery in the district of Sablon. For now, however, they’re snug at home—and happy to be there with Kipp, their art, and each other.
