Written by Madhu Puri on November 14, 2008 for The New York Times Style Magazine

A more sick than sweet attitude pervades Terence Koh’s body of work, which is exactly why his latest pieces, stark white canvases crafted from corn syrup and sugar, seem to belong to another artist. That is until Koh starts licking the paintings. “I just think it’s a really sweet moment in history,” says the optimistic Koh. Curated by his current bff Vito Schnabel, this is the first time Koh’s paintings have ever been shown in New York, and in Richard Avedon’s former studio no less. Flowers for Baudelaire (the title is an ode to the way the sugar hardens to form splotches reminiscent of flowers), is on view through January at 407 East 75th Street, thanks to the unlikely host, resident and owner of the space, Olivier Sarkozy. The half-brother to Monsieur French President himself, Mr. Sarkozy brought out the likes of Anna Wintour, Simon de Pury and even Maya Lin cooing for Koh.