Oh, the art world! Like any insular set of people, it's always swirling with the best rumors. The mystery that arty people are currently exploring: has Matthew Barney left his hipster elf wife Björk for sometimes-lesbian painter Elizabeth Peyton?

When we first heard the tale, the first thing we thought of was, of course, real estate. Mr. and Mrs. Barney just purchased a house in Brooklyn Heights. However, they still haven't gotten rid of their West Houston Street apartment or their house in Snedens Landing, N.Y. Either they bought the Brooklyn house so that one of them could live their with their daughter, or they just wanted more room and can't get rid of either property in the shitty real estate market.

Maybe Barney's relationship with Peyton holds the key. The two worked together in June at the Diest Foundation for Contemporary Art on the Greek island of Hydra. Peyton, who is well known for painting and photographing her friends and lovers, displayed images of Barney during an exhibit last year. But how intimate are the two?

After divorcing her husband Rirkrit Tiravanija in 2004, Peyton lived with artist Tony Just for several years but early this year, an article in Frieze magazine states that curator Pati Hertling is her partner. In February a pair of lesbian aritsts tried to throw a "welcome back Elizabeth Peyton as gay party before being hit with what they said was a "cease-and-desist letter."

So, what do all these rumors mean for Björk and Barney? We don't know, but if you have any scoop, please fill us in.