In a former industrial building in Chelsea, Tom Shivers donned a silver sequined mask to greet a visitor. Similar to the costumes he and his husband, the gallerist Neil Zukerman, wore regularly at the Carnival of Venice, the glittery mask acted as both a coronavirus precaution and a fitting introduction to the astonishing world the pair created in their 3,200-square-foot apartment.
It is a world that will soon be largely dismantled, with some works headed toward a museum of fantasy and surreal art. From 1992 to 2009, Zukerman, who died of cancer in August at age 81, was the owner of CFM Gallery on Greene Street in New York.