Mr Ambassador and Mr Smith

[xchrom]

http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/06/30/inenglish/1404129631_938515.html


Costos and his partner, pictured in the US embassy. / JAMES RAJOTTE

On June 15, Barack Obama telephoned Spain’s King Juan Carlos to bid him farewell and congratulate him on his reign. The US president was in California at the time, staying with his good friends James Costos and Michael Smith, respectively the US ambassador to Spain and his partner. Together from their official residence-cum-art gallery and meeting point in central Madrid, the former television industry executive and the interior decorator have brought a breath of fresh air to US diplomacy in Spain.

The reception area of the US ambassador's official residence in Madrid is dominated by four paintings: a six-meter-square work by Robert Rauschenberg; facing it is another large-format piece, by Roy Lichtenstein; off to the left is Screaming in Spanish, by another Pop Art doyen, Edward Ruscha; and opposite that is a delicate watercolor on rice paper by the reclusive Agnés Martin.

The choice of works is no coincidence, nor does it respond to some kind of decorative requirement. The paintings have been chosen very carefully, and should perhaps be seen as a kind of homage to cultural fusion; very much a declaration of intent by the two men who moved in here 10 months ago.

Costos is an atypical ambassador, not just because he is gay, vegetarian, and a vocal proponent of animal rights, but also because of his background: he is a former director of US cable channel HBO, responsible for global hits such as The Sopranos and Game of Thrones. Michael Smith, his partner of some 15 years, is an internationally renowned interior decorator.