Joana Vasconcelos plants a 'garden of delights' in a Manhattan apartment

A 4m-tall wrought-iron teapot started it. Now Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos has installed a textile 'garden of delights' in the Manhattan apartment of Randi Charno Levine, former US ambassador to Portugal, inside a BIG-designed tower in West Chelsea.

Vasconcelos built her reputation on reimagining the everyday at monumental scale — famously turning tampons into a chandelier and metal pots into a pair of giant high-heeled shoes. 'You can only do a great project when you find the right place: a museum, a location or a client,' she once told Wallpaper*, the publication that first reported this story. For this commission, she found two of the three: the location and the client.

Who commissioned what, and where?

Levine, who served as US ambassador to Portugal, tapped New York designer Kelly Behun for the apartment. Her reasoning was precise. 'I had seen a number of projects by Kelly and her team and was struck by how they balanced restraint with real warmth; nothing felt forced, and nothing felt like it was there simply to impress,' Levine said. 'That sensibility, letting objects and art complement each other within a space rather than compete, was exactly what I was looking for.'

The home also houses an art collection gathered over decades, with works by Tschabalala Self, Jenny Holzer, Cecily Brown and Hank Willis Thomas. 'Much of my collection reflects my life in cultural diplomacy: pieces that came out of friendships with artists, or moments when a work resonated strongly and I knew that I wanted to live with it,' Levine said.

How did the Vasconcelos commission come about?

The seeds were planted in 2023. Vasconcelos took part in an exhibition Levine curated during her diplomatic posting in Portugal, pairing American and Portuguese artists. For that show, Vasconcelos lent a wrought-iron teapot — a monumental 4m-tall structure.

The artist then invited Levine to the A/W 2023 Dior show in Paris, where Vasconcelos created an immersive environment of amorphous, tentacular shapes clad in textiles, crochet and knitted surfaces. 'As guests, we sat among the various installations, becoming part of the artwork itself,' Levine said. 'How often do we, as art lovers, get to live, play and rest within an incredible art installation?'

What does the installation look like?

The apartment opens into a loggia with views across Manhattan to the Empire State Building, Hudson Yards and the Hudson River. Levine saw it as the site for the commission. The resulting piece, built on a 'garden of delights' theme, includes columns and abstracted sculptures shaped like bold, exaggerated palm trees that metamorphose into seating. The palette is quintessential Vasconcelos: layered textiles embellished with fringes, feathers, beads and ruffles. Upholstery from Behun's interiors connects the loggia to the rest of the apartment.

Behun said the piece anchors the entire home. 'There's an exuberance to Joana's piece that creates a strong focus within the space: it's quite literally the first thing you see when you enter the home,' Behun said. 'When it lights up at night, it's as though a small part of the city's storied skyline has been transported inside, albeit more colourfully. It so perfectly represents Randi, her passion for art and her unwavering support of artists.'

The full tour appears in Wallpaper's November 2026 Art Issue, on sale from 8 October — an early signal of how living commissions are blurring the line between domestic interiors and installation art.