Where to buy … Alex Guofeng Cao: Legend

ChinaSquare Gallery
New York

Last year, photographer Alex Guofeng Cao spent $91,000 to buy a semi-nude print of fashion model and French First Lady Carla Bruni, who coyly covers her bottom half with her hands. He had a use for it in mind. A work in his new series pieces together hundreds of diminutive images of her husband, Nicolas Sarkozy, to make one big Bruni. Bruni vs. Sarkozy accompanies similar “portraits” of other famous couples—a Marilyn Monroe made from John F. Kennedys, an Angelina Jolie put together from Brad Pitts. Creating such composite portraits is trivially easy in the age of digital effects. But in his attempts to literally fuse famous lovers, Cao adds unexpected wit. 102 Allen St., (212) 255-8886. Prices: $3,500 for a 10-print set.