Often referred to as "the stripe guy" by American art critics who homed in on his artworks using striped awning canvas or contrasting maxi stripes, in more recent years, Mr. Buren's work has become increasingly architectural and, indeed, monumental.
Mysterious and secretive, they dangle the possibility of enormous paydays and a work environment populated by intense math geniuses who dwell in giant Connecticut mansions or Upper East Side townhouses studded with artworks by Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst.