Recorded Dreams: Inside Portia Zvavahera’s Hypnotic Visions
Using symbolism and animal imagery sourced from her own subconscious visions, Zvavahera’s paintings confront the hidden struggles that shape personal and collective experience.
The Essentials With Rita Hazan: High-Low Skincare, Anguilla and Working With Beyoncé
The celebrity colorist on her early career with Oribe, her annual vacation spot and the only at-home toning product she recommends.
Polymarket’s 27-Year-Old Founder Becomes the Youngest Self-Made Billionaire
Polymarket’s young founder went from selling his belongings to leading an $8 billion startup backed by Peter Thiel and Vitalik Buterin.
Art
See All
Contemporary Artists in the Baltics Fight Instability with Connection
With Russian MiG-31 fighters encroaching on Estonian airspace and drones penetrating Polish skies, political unrest is increasingly shaping the way artists survive and create.
‘Made in LA’ Captures the Creative Resilience of the Los Angeles Art Scene in a Charged Moment
“These artists are students of history,” curator Paulina Pobocha told Observer.
Art Basel Qatar Announces 87 Exhibitors Bringing Work for the Inaugural Edition
Artistic director Wael Shawky teased that the commissioned public projects will amplify regional voices, with their full scope to be revealed in the weeks ahead.
Taymour Grahne’s Trajectory Shows How a New Generation of Dealers Is Thinking Globally
The gallerist is emblematic of a cultural cohort that embraces flexibility.
Roshini Vadehra Charts India’s Growing Role in the Global Art Market
Observer caught up with the gallerist to discuss the country’s booming art market, GST cuts, new collectors and the country’s growing role on the global stage.
Lifestyle
See All
The Best Resorts for a Wellness Weekend in Mexico
Whether you’re wanting to sweat it out in a traditional temazcal or experience a cenote-side meditation and cacao ceremony, we’ve got you covered on where to enjoy a wellness weekend away in Mexico.
After 10 Years, Parisian Cafe Mokonuts Still Thrives on Spontaneity and Charm
Mokonuts marks 10 years with a debut cookbook and the same playful defiance that makes it an insider favorite.
From Tables to Touchpoints: Restaurants Are Taking a Page from Retail’s Tech Playbook
With a career spanning partnerships with some of the world’s top chefs and restaurant innovators, Britney Ziegler has spent more than a decade helping operators turn hospitality into high-performance business strategy. Ziegler explores why the industry’s fragmented technology stack is holding restaurants back, and how true ownership of guest data, not rented relationships, will define the next era of hospitality growth.
12 Pairs of Grown-Up Trousers for Your Fall Wardrobe
These are the best men’s tailored trousers for transitional weather, combining structure and comfort.
Celebration, Resilience and Creative Brilliance: Inside the Museum of the African Diaspora Afropolitan Ball
Last week, artists, patrons and cultural leaders toasted two decades of visionary storytelling through the African Diaspora.
Culture
See All
Screening at NYFF: Ronan Day-Lewis’s ‘Anemone’
His directorial debut is filled with powerful ideas, even if it doesn’t cohere enough to be consistently engaging.
Scaling Expertise, Preserving Purpose: The Business Case for Accessibility in the Arts
With three decades at the intersection of music, education and community leadership, Dr. Rob Derke has built a career championing access and inclusion in the arts. In this Expert Insights Q&A, Derke discusses how the Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School is redefining arts education for students who are blind and visually impaired, and why accessibility and excellence must evolve in tandem to shape the future of music learning.
Screening at BFI London Film Festival: Sophy Romvari’s ‘Blue Heron’
By the time the film’s credits roll, you may feel more spiritually connected to yourself and those you’ve lost.
The Best Books About Time Travel, From Classics to Modern Favorites
The genre explores some of our most intriguing questions as humans: what our future might look like, and how our history influences our present and future.
Elizabeth Marvel On Navigating a Dystopian Future in Tim Blake Nelson’s ‘And Then We Were No More’
Marvel stars as a lawyer navigating a justice system stripped of mercy, nuance and human judgment.
Business
See All
Delta Flies Higher on the Wings of Luxury Travel
The airline’s focus on high-end seats helped it thrive even amid economic uncertainty and a federal shutdown.
This DeepSeek Rival Founded By DeepMind Alum Raises $2B, Hits $8B Valuation
New York-based Reflection AI, backed by Nvidia and Sequoia, raised $2 billion to build transparent, open A.I. that rivals top global models.
Ferrari’s First EV Arrives, But Its Electric Drive Slows Down
The Elettrica marks Ferrari’s long-awaited EV debut, but its ambitions have shifted into lower gear.
Fraud Detection Fails: How Banks Break Trust—and How to Fix It
Roman Eloshvili, founder of the UK-based fintech company ComplyControl, examines how banks’ reliance on outdated fraud detection systems is eroding customer trust and exposing deep flaws in financial security. Eloshvili argues that true fraud prevention requires a shift from reactive detection to proactive, data-driven intelligence where compliance and customer confidence advance together.
Wall Street Leaders Split on Trump’s Push to Change Quarterly Earnings Rules
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon and Nasdaq’s Adena Friedman back Trump’s call to cut corporate reporting in half, while others warn of lost transparency.
Art Market
See All
Artificial Intelligence Is Quietly Rewriting the Rules of Art Valuation
Art advisors and insurers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to assess prices, manage risk and bring greater precision to valuations.
Christie’s Secures Another Major Consignment in Max Berry’s Encyclopedic Art Collection
“It’s time for me to use what I know to start bringing to market the things I love,” Berry told Observer in an exclusive interview ahead of the sale’s announcement.
Alessandra Di Castro On Antique Dealers as Cultural Stewards
“Before anything else, the role of the antiquarian is to create culture,” she tells Observer.
Picasso’s ‘Buste de femme’ Leads the Hong Kong Auctions at HK$196M With Robust Results Across Houses
Last week’s most notable results reveal quite a bit about the current state of the market in Asia and beyond ahead of the October and November sales in London and New York.
The Art of Preparedness: The Frontline of Fine Art Logistics During Hurricane Season
Joe Piotrowski, Miami Director of Gander & White and a 30-year veteran of fine art logistics, explores how Miami’s hurricane season has transformed preparedness into both a necessity and an art form. Piotrowski argues that safeguarding cultural treasures demands foresight, infrastructure and collaboration that set new standards for resilience in the art world.
Art Reviews
See All
In Hayv Kahraman’s ‘Ghost Fires,’ Grief Becomes a Living Ritual
Like myths and folktales, her densely symbolic works act as vessels of ancestral memory, turning her practice into a storytelling ritual that links individual pain to collective experience.
Artist Naotaka Hiro On Exploring the Unknown Self
His process turns the act of creation into performance, where the artist’s movements and repetitions become both the subject and the record of the work.
The Getty Center’s ‘Going Places: Travel in the Middle Ages’ Is a Visual Feast of Medieval Movement
“Accounts that are received from antiquity and repeated over and over again, then merge with eyewitness accounts and blend together in a mix of some fact informed by historical fiction, and elaborated for medieval imagination.”
One Fine Show: ‘Spirit & Splendor – El Greco, Velázquez, and the Hispanic Baroque’ at Blanton Museum of Art
This show brings together the work of two Spanish greats alongside that of Francisco de Zurbarán and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Latin American artists like Luis Juárez and Baltasar de Echave Ibía.
‘Prism of the Real’ at the National Art Center Tokyo Considers an Overlooked Fertile Period of Art in Japan
The exhibition is a crucial survey of an often overlooked chapter of Japanese contemporary art—one with a message for today’s increasingly divided world.
Luxury Travel
See All
Where to Experience the Best of Spooky Season in California
Even if creepy delights and bone-chilling frights aren’t your jam, you can still celebrate the season with fall-themed pop-ups, hayrides and corn mazes.
Things We Loved This Month: 48 Hours in New York
The through-line is utility.
Golden Age Icons: Inside the Most Historic Old Hollywood Hotels in Los Angeles
These are the L.A. hotels that defined Hollywood’s Golden Age.
The Riggs Hotel Washington: Presidential Luxury, Parental Reality
The Riggs Hotel transforms the former Bank of Presidents into a family-friendly luxury retreat.
A Complete History of the Waldorf Astoria New York
For more than 125 years, the Waldorf Astoria has hosted royalty, presidents and legends, all while shaping the very idea of New York glamour.
Nightlife & Dining
See All
The Best Sushi Spots for Delivery and Takeout in L.A.
In Los Angeles, several eateries have mastered the art of bringing restaurant-quality sushi home.
The Steaks Are High as Cote Las Vegas Turns Up the Volume
For Simon Kim, the reality of Cote Las Vegas has already surpassed his original vision.
Chef Mark Greenaway Showcases Scotland’s Bounty Without Conforming to Clichés
The Caledonian Edinburgh chef proves Scottish cuisine is more than haggis jokes and deep-fried punchlines.
Ralph Lauren Will Open the Polo Bar in London in 2028
One of New York City’s hardest reservations is heading across the pond.
Art, Ambition and Atmosphere: Inside Dallas Contemporary’s Annual Gala
On a recent balmy night, the city’s see-and-be-seen set gathered in the institution’s industrial-style kunsthalle for its hotly anticipated benefit auction and high-impact afterparty.
Style
See All
Jet Set: The Amazon Prime Day Travel Deals Worth Buying
From a cult-favorite Away carry-on to the softest leggings, these are the Prime Day finds worth shopping.
12 Flannel Shirts for Men That Make Fall Dressing Easy
City-ready plaids and quietly luxurious checks that easily run desk to dinner, without the camp cosplay.
The New Delta x Spanx Loungewear Collab Takes Comfort to New Heights
Airlines are getting in on the loungewear game.
The Essentials With Hotelier Mariella Avino: Vintage Umbrellas, MAC Lipstick and Amalfi Coast Magic
The co-owner of Ravello’s Palazzo Avino shares her travel staples, favorite local spots and what’s next for the Amalfi Coast’s Pink Palace.
Sole Survivors: The Fall Boots Upgrade Every Guy Needs
Whether you’re chasing polish or grit, these boots balance craftsmanship, comfort and credibility.
Theater
See All
Jeremy McCarter’s Audiodrama Puts Us Inside Hamlet’s Head
The experiment works best when we hear the titular character not foregrounded but embedded in the specificities of his place and time.
Review: ‘Masquerade’ Tries to Revive ‘Phantom of the Opera’ But Embalms It Instead
Diane Paulus is an old pro at taking theatrical IP and infusing wild, contemporary life into it. If only she’d done so here.
Review: Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter’s ‘Waiting for Godot’ Is Excellent
Fans of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure registered delight throughout the Hudson Theatre. Bogus? Not a jot.
Gabriella Reyes and Duke Kim Bridge Disciplines in a Bold New ‘West Side Story’ in L.A.
The musical’s social commentary lands with renewed force amid contemporary headlines.
Brilliant or Blank? ‘Art’ Frames Love-Hate Bromances on Broadway
Yasmina Reza’s 1998 comedy abounds in witty chuckles and elegant structure, but it remains a slight boulevard comedy: three self-obsessed Frenchmen bickering over a pricey painting.
Opera
See All
Is ‘The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay’ the Opera We Need or Just the One We Deserve?
Operas are shot through with tropes and highly stylized actions; comic books offer better source material than one might expect.
Anthony Roth Costanzo Brings Charles Ludlam’s 1983 Drag Fantasia to Little Island
Costanzo brings pathos and polish to ‘Galas,’ even as the production struggles to match the absurdity of its subject.
Fall Culture Preview: Comic Books, Sex Workers and Life in a Thai Restaurant
Maybe by demystifying “highbrow” forms, we can protect them from being co-opted by ideologues.
At SummerScape, a Timely ‘Julietta’ Satirizes the Nostalgic Obsessions of Fascism
Bohuslav Martinů’s masterpiece could hardly be more apt, both for 1938 and for our current world.
Czechs and Violins: Bard Tries to Rescue ‘Dalibor’
SummerScape continues its tradition of staging rarely performed works with the U.S. premiere of Bedřich Smetana’s opera.
Dance
See All
Barnett Cohen’s ‘anyyywayyy whatever’ Is a Bold Mosaic of Movement and Text
His show is a wakeup call to our apathetic culture as well as a profound reminder that we are not alone.
From ‘ink’ to ‘I AM,’ Choreographer Camille A. Brown Expands Her Vision
The piece reflects Brown’s personal journey as an artist, drawing inspiration from Lovecraft Country’s Hippolyta Freeman and the power of reclamation.
At the Park Avenue Armory, a Mondrian Becomes the Stage for Radical Expression
Performative and sly, Trajal Harrell’s multidisciplinary work “Monkey Off My Back or The Cat’s Meow” is a balm for our turbulent times.
In ‘The Butterfly Lovers,’ Hong Kong Ballet’s Radical Reimaginings Take Flight
Ballet’s living center is shifting eastward, with more and more of the most exciting arts and artists coming out of Asia.
The 2025/26 Harkness Mainstage Series Is Amplifying Women’s Artistry Across Genres
The program, which runs from September through May, is “as much a statement as it is an artistic offering,” co-executive director Alison Manning tells Observer.
Tech
See All
Sora Marks OpenAI’s Leap Into Social Media—and Into a Reality Crisis
OpenAI’s Sora app fuses A.I. video generation with social media, letting users remix, cameo and co-create in TikTok-style feeds.
The Missing Link in Crypto Adoption: Everyday Payment Rails
Innokenty Isers, founder and CEO of Paybis, explores why crypto adoption remains stalled despite strong regulatory support for stablecoins, arguing that the industry’s focus on speculative trading rather than everyday payments has locked platforms out of mainstream use. Isers contends that the future of crypto adoption hinges on creating reliable, payment-first systems that put businesses and consumers, not yield-seeking traders, at the center of the ecosystem.
The 22-Year-Old Founder of Viral A.I. Startup Friend Embraces the Backlash
Friend’s subway ads promoting A.I. companionship drew outrage, graffiti and attention—exactly as founder Avi Schiffmann planned.
Robert Opp On the UNDP’s Global Mission to Build Inclusive A.I.
In this Q&A, UNDP chief digital officer Robert Opp outlines why A.I. cannot be assumed to deliver benefits equally, how its risks amplify exclusion when data fails to reflect local realities and why building digital infrastructure and governance first is critical. Opp outlines how the UNDP is piloting people-first A.I. in agriculture, health and education across 170 countries, and why rigorous evaluation must guide future investments.
Machine Intuition: Can A.I. Out-Innovate Human Strategy?
Gonçalo Perdigão, a Portugal-based entrepreneur and consultant, explores how creative A.I. is moving beyond imitation to generate novel strategies and options that were previously invisible to humans. Perdigão argues that executives must combine machine-scale exploration with human judgment to make high-stakes strategic decisions. The future of corporate innovation depends not on replacing intuition, but on designing decision-making systems that amplify it.
Finance
See All
Sam Altman’s OpenAI Is Officially the World’s Most Valuable Startup at $500B
OpenAI is now the world’s most valuable startup at $500 billion, surpassing Elon Musk’s SpaceX following a major secondary share sale.
A.I. Is Changing What Venture Capitalists Invest In and How They Invest
Venture capitalists are retooling investment strategies around A.I. and using the tech to source deals.
How Institutional Investors Are Redefining Crypto Markets
Gracy Chen, CEO of global cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 platform, Bitget, explores how institutional investors are fundamentally reshaping crypto markets. The rise of spot Ether ETFs and scalable Ethereum Layer-2 solutions signals a structural shift in liquidity, risk and market dynamics. Chen argues that Ethereum’s technical roadmap, paired with regulated trading infrastructure, positions it as the default base layer for professional capital, and that investors and operators must adapt to these institutional pipes or risk being sidelined.
Big Tech Is Turning Blockchain Into a Corporate Toll Road
Arthur Azizov, founder and investor of B2 Ventures, examines the shifting landscape of fintech at a moment when decentralized systems, evolving regulation and new infrastructure are reshaping global finance. Azizov unpacks how the sector’s future hinges on both the speed of technological adoption and on building the trust, interoperability and resilience required for financial ecosystems to thrive in the digital economy.
Goldman Sachs’ Marco Argenti On Why Early-Career Workers Are Key to A.I. Management
Marco Argenti, Goldman Sachs’ CIO is shaping how one of Wall Street’s most powerful firms approaches generative and agentic A.I. Under his leadership, Goldman has rolled out the GS A.I. Platform and the firm-wide GS A.I. Assistant, giving employees secure access to LLMs at scale, while piloting advanced coding agents. From banker copilots to firm-wide adoption, Argenti’s highlights both the promise and the risks of deploying A.I. in one of the world’s most tightly regulated industries.
Media
See All
Disney’s Once-Unstoppable Franchises Are Showing Signs of Fatigue
Disney’s reliance on aging franchises like Star Wars and Marvel shows cracks as audiences demand fresher stories and more urgent big-screen hits.
Comcast Installs Co-CEO Leadership Amid NBCUniversal Spinoff and Industry Disruption
Comcast unveils a co-CEO structure with Michael Cavanagh and Brian Roberts as NBCUniversal prepares a major spinoff of cable networks.
Taylor Swift’s Engagement Highlights the Power of ‘Swiftonomics’
As Taylor Swift announces her engagement and new album, brands and businesses rush to capitalize on the cultural wave she creates.
The New Patronage: A.I., Algorithms and the Economics of Creativity
Gonçalo Perdigão, entrepreneur, consultant and author of Building Creative Machines, explores how generative A.I. is recoding the economics of creativity. Drawing on his cross-sector experience in strategy, innovation and digital markets, Perdigão argues that platforms, data contracts and regulatory frameworks are emerging as the arbiters of creative power in the age of A.I.
How a Warner Bros.-Paramount Merger Could Make or Break Hollywood
With the Ellisons circling, a Warner Bros.-Paramount merger could crown a new franchise king—if debt, egos and regulators don’t block it.
Power Lists
See All
100 Leaders Shaping the Future of Artificial Intelligence
They write the script that the rest of us follow.
The Top PR Firms in 2025
This year’s PR Power List celebrates the agencies bold enough to lead the charge and smart enough to reflect the world they’re shaping.
The Top Specialty PR Firms in 2025
In an era where perception is currency, specialty PR firms are the brokers of influence
Latest
All Latest
What the National Gallery’s Closure Says About the Politics of Culture in America
For anyone even faintly aware of global history, certain parallels are chilling.
Curator Karen Comer Lowe’s Five Artists to Watch
The American South is brimming with boundary-pushing talent, but these five wavemakers are reshaping the region’s visual landscape.
Teresita Fernández Maps the Infinite in ‘Liquid Horizon’ at Lehmann Maupin
Her latest sculptural fields are a meditation on humanity’s fragile place in the universe.
AMD Inks Huge Compute Power Deal With OpenAI, Mirroring Nvidia’s Move
Under the agreement, OpenAI gains the option to acquire 10 percent of AMD shares, whose price surged after the announcement of the deal.
OpenAI Overhauls Copyright Policy After Sora 2’s Pokémon Mania Backfires
After Sora 2’s viral A.I. videos featuring Nintendo characters, OpenAI adopts a new opt-in IP policy amid global copyright concerns.
Eight Exhibitions Not to Miss During Frieze Week London
As London prepares for another electrifying week of fairs, galleries across the city are showcasing a dynamic mix of historic rediscoveries and cutting-edge contemporary art.
Jeff Bezos Outlines Blue Origin’s Next Launches and Bold Vision for Space Living
At Italian Tech Week, the Amazon founder shared his bold predictions for humanity’s expansion into space.
Reevaluating Rose Hilton
A superb colorist, she moved modern British art into the next phase of abstraction.
In Zambia, a Remote Walking Safari Delivers Adventure Without Digital Distraction
After just 24 hours of Instagram and ‘Love Island’ withdrawal, I stopped reflexively reaching for my iPhone and tablet. I felt calmer every morning that I woke up to birdsong rather than a barrage of emails.
Where the ‘PayPal Mafia’ Is Today: Founders, Fortunes and Feuds
Two decades after selling PayPal, its founders remain some of the most powerful and polarizing figures in tech.
MacKenzie Scott Donates $50M to Nonprofit Boosting Native Student Scholarships
Native Forward receives a $50 million gift from MacKenzie Scott, one of the largest-ever donations to a Native nonprofit, aimed at boosting scholarships.
The $300 Billion A.I. Infrastructure Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight
Indradeep Ghosh, who leads Fujitsu Research of America’s work at the cutting edge of A.I. and quantum computing, warns that the A.I. boom is colliding with a $300 billion infrastructure crisis hiding in plain sight. Ghosh argues that solving this challenge means rethinking the technical backbone on which A.I. progress depends.
Shara Hughes’s Luminous Landscapes Open Portals into Life, Death and the Sublime
Hughes’s semi-abstract paintings are shaped by Romantic visions of nature that provoke awe and unease in equal measure.
Could Almaty’s Contemporary Art Museum Mark a New Era for Kazakhstan?
“This is not about ticking boxes with blue-chip names. Every work here is chosen for its relation to Kazakhstan,” founder Nurlan Smagulov told Observer.
Cohere’s Joelle Pineau On Why A.I. Isn’t a Black Box
In this Q&A, Cohere chief A.I. officer Joelle Pineau explains why the idea of A.I. as a “black box” is misleading, how open science can actually strengthen security in enterprise applications and why Cohere’s focus on privacy and traceability gives it an edge over rivals chasing AGI.
48 Hours of Art in Aruba: Murals and Murano Glass But No Museum… Yet
“If you look at the quality of the art being created here—the dynamism among artists each year—it’s inevitable that people will ask: how is it possible we don’t have an art museum?” curator Renwick Heronimo tells me.
EV Credit Rush Gave Tesla a Much-Needed Boost—But Challenges Loom
Tesla posts record deliveries as U.S. tax credits expire, but long-term risks persist.
7 Space Missions to Watch in October: Starship, Amazon Kuiper, Blue Origin’s Moon Lander
SpaceX, Blue Origin, JAXA, Amazon and China all plan major October launches, including ISS cargo, Tiangong missions, and Artemis milestones.