What Do Next-Gen Collectors Want From the Art World?
Avant Arte’s “A Changing of the Guard” report and Georgina Adam’s new book make the case that younger audiences are not consuming culture only to own, display or accumulate; they are buying entry into a community built around a set of values and a shared sense of belonging.
Essential Queer Reading for Pride Month and Beyond
These eight titles prove that L.G.B.T.Q.+ stories are as varied, vital and necessary as ever.
The Essentials With Carley Fortune: “Off Campus,” Tofino and All Things Barry’s Bay
The bestselling novelist shares the settings, shows, skincare and travel staples she returns to, from Barry’s Bay nostalgia to Tofino’s foggy coastline.
Business
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Meet the American Billionaires Reshaping Global Soccer
American fandom may still lag behind football and basketball, but U.S. capital has become impossible to ignore in global soccer. Stan Kroenke, Todd Boehly, John Henry and other U.S. billionaires are building soccer empires from England to Miami.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe Bets on R2 As an A.I.-First EV for the Masses
Rivian unveils its long-awaited R2 SUV. CEO RJ Scaringe is betting on A.I.-powered autonomy and lower pricing to attract mainstream EV buyers in a cooling U.S. market.
The 2026 World Cup May Be the Last Great Sports TV Bargain
Fox’s discounted World Cup rights are a windfall now, but they also reveal how expensive the next era of live sports will be.
Mira Murati Unveils Her Startup’s A.I. Model in First Interview Since OpenAI
Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab has raised $2 billion, hired top A.I. talent and is preparing to release its first model. The former OpenAI executive is betting that frontier A.I.’s next leap will come from systems that interact continuously with people, not around them.
Anthropic Philosopher Amanda Askell Says Claude May Replace Her Job One Day
Amanda Askell, Anthropic’s resident philosopher who’s working to shape Claude’s “personality,” says advanced A.I. could eventually take over even deeply human jobs like her own.
Art
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Sébastien Léon’s Material Exploration
“I’m interested in imagining a different physical world, almost a parallel set of conditions where matter follows a slightly altered logic,” the artist told Observer.
How Pamela Harriman Became the Most Powerful Socialite in American Politics
History dismissed Pamela Harriman as a courtesan with good timing. But the woman who debriefed Winston Churchill over cards, rebuilt the Democratic Party and out-diplomatted everyone since Ben Franklin understood something her critics never did.
Séamus Kealy On Returning to Ireland, Artist-Centered Institutions and What the RHA Could Become
The Royal Hibernian Academy’s new director studied under Jeff Wall, directed the Salzburger Kunstverein for nine years and never stopped painting.
Marteau & Co Is Bringing the Art World Model to Independent Watch Auctions
Can a platform built around maker rights and deliberate curation shift how collectors and the timepiece market think about what creators are owed?
The Crisis of the Museum Is the Crisis of the White Cube
The white cube created an environment of concentration and contemplation that reinforced the idea of art as an autonomous sphere separated from everyday life, but what was once its greatest strength has become its greatest weakness.
Lifestyle
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No Car, No Problem: The Best Summer Train Trips From L.A.
The Pacific Surfliner train makes a proper summer escape surprisingly easy, with coastal views, walkable stops and no need to negotiate traffic on the way home.
The Sizzle and the Steak: Edoardo Baldi Builds on His Family Legacy in Los Angeles
The chef’s latest restaurant expands the Baldi universe with Tuscan steaks, tomato-forward pastas and a menu built for L.A.’s particular appetites.
Where Style Meets Substance: The Ultimate L.A. Brunch Guide
Several Los Angeles restaurants that put their own spin on this brunch, offering an elegant and innovative menu that avoids the boring and overdone dishes.
The 2026 Lincoln Navigator Black Label Might Just Be America’s Most Indulgent SUV
The automaker has amped up the aesthetic, infotainment, safety and comfort catalog to set this top-line SUV up against the equally sprawling Cadillac Escalade or the GMC Yukon Denali.
Summer Shoes for Men Who’ve Moved Past the Tired White Sneaker
From suede loafers and woven mules to espadrilles and low-profile racers, these are the warm-weather shoes with enough texture, ease and personality to make white sneakers feel like a cop-out.
Interviews
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Christie’s Rachel Koffsky On How the Handbag Became the Art Market’s Most Elegant Entry Point
Driven by Hermès devotees, archival Chanel aficionados and a renewed appetite for early-2000s fashion, the handbag market has become one of the auction world’s most reliable pipelines for new collectors.
At Giovanna Caruso Fendi’s FOROF, Rome’s Past Finds New Context in the Contemporary
In the remains of the Basilica Ulpia near Trajan’s Column, the city’s imperial past meets its cultural present.
The Aldrich’s First Decennial Takes Stock of Contemporary Art in Connecticut
With its inaugural 10-year survey, the Ridgefield institution is making the case that the most interesting art in America can sometimes be found off the beaten path.
When Great Collections Come to Market, Dane Jensen Makes Sure Nothing Is Left on the Table
The founder and director of La Finca Collection Strategies believes that the next great art-market opportunity lies in knowing how, when and where to sell.
Su Xiaobai’s Meditative Material Practice Is the Focus of One of the Biennale’s Most Commanding Shows
The artist’s magmatic lacquer works slow the viewer down by inviting them to investigate, appreciate and understand the temporal process each work embodies.
Power Lists
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Observer New Media Power List: Call for Submissions
Nominations are open for Observer’s 2026 New Media Power List
The 50 Most Powerful PR Firms of 2026
This year’s honorees are emblematic of a notable shift in public relations from responsive publicity to proactive leadership in the moments that matter most.
Wall-to-Wall Cultural Capital: Inside Observer’s Art Power Index Party
Under the dim lights of the Lower East Side’s Maison Nur, art world luminaries gathered to celebrate Observer’s Art Power Index—and each other. From the impassioned speeches to the sharp tailoring and Damien Hirst over the bar, the evening embodied our legacy of chronicling power with style.
2025 Nightlife & Dining Power Index
Humanity is still the most vital ingredient in hospitality, and that isn’t changing anytime soon.
Observer’s 2025 Art Power Index: The Art Market’s Most Influential People
Their acquisitions, affinities and approbations move the needle on valuation and redefine how art is made, shown and sold.
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London Art Dealers Take the City’s Temperature
This year’s London Gallery Weekend reaffirmed the centrality of London’s art scene, even as it exposed a persistent lack of coordination between the city’s commercial and institutional sectors.
How the World’s Great Artist Foundations Stay Solvent
The Mapplethorpe Foundation earns a quarter of a million dollars annually from merchandising and licensing, and another $200,000-$250,000 per year in exhibition fees, as museums borrowing prints from the foundation pay $1,000 per image.
Ahead of Basel, London Gallery Weekend Put a Defiant, Energized City Scene on Display
Recent closures and market contractions couldn’t dull a weekend that stretched from Cork Street to the East End
In the Korean Pavilion, Nation-Building Is an Open and Ongoing Process
Titled “Liberation Space,” Goen Choi and Hyeree Ro’s shared Venice Biennale presentation considers nationhood as a continuous act of deconstruction, repair and reorientation.
Jet Set: The Best Father’s Day Gifts for Dads Who Love to Travel
From 007-worthy sunglasses and the most noteworthy new polycarbonate suitcase to a pristine leather passport case and the ultimate summer weekender, these are the best Father’s Day gifts for the dad who loves to travel.
Director Cristian Mungiu Says ‘Fjord’ Is About the Limits of Freedom, Not Clashing Cultures
In a rare feat, the Romanian filmmaker has now won Cannes’ top prize twice.
Inside the Hottest Tony Award Afterparties of 2026
Broadway’s biggest winners—and their famous friends—celebrated long after the final bow.
At Napa’s Barrel Auction, Wine Country’s Own Get the First Pour for a Cause
The annual barrel auction offers a rare taste of Napa before the bottle, with winemakers pouring unfinished lots and proceeds going back into the community.
Sprüth Magers Celebrates a Decade in Los Angeles With the Artists Who Helped Define a City
“10 Years in L.A.!” makes the case that Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers built something historic on Wilshire Boulevard.
In Philadelphia, a New Art Fair Removes Scale From the Equation
Elsewhere’s inaugural iteration was the embodiment of Philadelphia’s vivacious spirit and scrappy determination.
The New Front Line of A.I. Governance Is Procurement
Trilateral Research’s Amelia Williams examines a growing blind spot in enterprise A.I. adoption: procurement. As organizations rush to deploy powerful A.I. systems, procurement teams often make governance, compliance and data protection decisions without adequately managing risk.
The Approachable Tasting Menu Takes Fine Dining Off Its Pedestal
As diners grow more selective about time, money and energy, chefs are rethinking the tasting menu as something more personal than performative.