Ooh-la-la.

WITH HOMOEROTICISM OFTEN DRIPPING from their brush strokes, French artists Pierre et Gilles are masters of titillation: Think melancholy French sailor and handsome stranger clinched in a steamy embrace. Now the prolific twosome have taken their idyllic universe transcontinental with their first U.S. retrospective, headlining San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts through May 6. "When Dan [Cameron of New York's New Museum of Contemporary Art] suggested we show our work in the U.S., we liked the idea," says Pierre (Commoy) via fax from Paris, where he and Gilles (Blanchard) will launch an exhibit of their more recent work this summer. "We trust him; he knows our work well and always fought for it." Critical acclaim and commercial success aside, Pierre et Gilles remain charmingly humble about their one-of-a-kind, hand-painted masterpieces. "Our work is part of our life," says Pierre. "It's a big family photo album."