The Wintour Position
Twenty-one years of U.S. Open candids show remarkably few revisions.
Collector Emma Menell Is Rethinking How African Artists Are Supported Abroad
Her foundation’s approach is a direct response to what she saw and learned while running a commercial gallery.
In Venice, Hollywood Races to Adapt Books Before Publication
The Venice Film Festival is bringing publishers and producers together as demand grows for books with strong screen potential. From unpublished manuscripts to established IP, Venice’s rights market reveals what producers want and how early they are willing to buy.
Features
See All
The Most Exciting Red Carpet Fashion Moments at the 2026 Venice Film Festival
Venice’s biggest names are making the case for old-school red carpet glamour.
Can Seoul Art Week Sustain More Fairs? PAVILION and Design Miami Say Yes.
The city hardly lacks for fairs, but there is arguably still room for formats that are locally rooted and responsive to the people who engage with them.
The Accidents and Instincts That Brought Six Golden Lion Winners Fame
These filmmaker biographies and memoirs span decades and continents, but return repeatedly to the same question: how does personal history shape what ends up on the screen?
Post-Chiarini, the Venice Film Festival Nearly Faded into Obscurity. One Man Revived It.
Carlo Lizzani rebuilt the festival’s reputation in part by rejecting the divide between experimental and commercial cinema, a radical move that helped it regain its international standing.
In Venice, ‘Ink’ Director Danny Boyle Defends Journalism—and Rupert Murdoch’s Complexity
The film is, according to the director, both a time capsule and a warning for the future.
Business
See All
When Supply Chains Shift, Water Risk Shifts With Them
Kilimo’s Jairo Trad analyzes the water blind spot in supply chain resilience, arguing that switching suppliers can solve an immediate disruption while shifting water exposure from one basin to another. Trad explores why companies need to move beyond measuring water risk to incorporating local water conditions into fast, operational sourcing decisions.
For John Ternus, Apple’s Next “A.I. Breakthrough” Should Be the Company Itself
Warp’s Ayush Sharma examines what John Ternus’s takeover of Apple means for the company’s A.I. strategy, arguing that its biggest AI breakthrough may need to happen inside the organization itself.
Why Clément Delangue Sold Hugging Face to Nvidia After Turning It Down
After years of resisting major outside investment, Hugging Face is joining Nvidia as open-source models gain momentum against proprietary rivals.
Why Elon Musk Is Giving Zelenskyy the Silent Treatment Over Ukraine’s Starlink Plea
Ukraine’s president is courting Elon Musk over Starlink access in Russia as questions persist over the SpaceX CEO’s ties to Vladimir Putin.
Gloria Steinem Never Wrote a Manifesto
In 2005, Gloria Steinem—71, aviators on, stabbing at poached eggs in a brunch-mobbed diner—explained why women get more radical as they get older, and what she’d tell her younger self.
Art
See All
Why Japan’s Art Market Is Growing Steadily Even as Other Markets Stall
A new generation of galleries, now roughly a fifth of the market, is drawing international attention even as domestic collectors remain the market’s foundation.
One Fine Show: “John Akomfrah, The Hour Of The Dog” at the Menil Collection
The work plays with authenticity to the point where one cannot tell what is old and new and, ultimately, stops caring.
Frieze Seoul, Kiaf and a Market Moving Past FOMO into Maturity
Opening day sales hinted at just how rapidly the Korean art market has consolidated, finding a new balance between nurturing its local ecosystem and asserting its place within the broader global conversation.
Taiwan’s Gallerists Are Rerouting Their Ambitions Away From the Mainland
Despite a broader art market correction and mounting regional geopolitical friction, Taiwanese galleries are steadily expanding their international footprints.
The Venice Biennale and Central Asia’s Rise in the Global Art World
The recent rise of the region in the international art world has been driven, in part, by a concentrated wave of institution-building, biennials, cultural diplomacy and private patronage, with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan leading the charge.
Lifestyle
See All
How Greekman’s Turned a Silver Lake Strip Mall Into a Serious Greek Wine Destination
After pivoting his business to a Greek restaurant during the pandemic, Jonah Freedman fell into a rabbit hole of Greek wine.
The Well-Dressed Man’s Venice Film Festival Packing Guide
Twelve pieces that easily handle water-taxi arrivals, photocalls, sudden downpours and black-tie premieres.
The 18 Best Luxury Hotels in Seoul, From Private Hanoks to Sky-High Suites
Whether you want old-world Korean atmosphere or a room above the clouds, these are Seoul’s most compelling luxury stays.
The 2026 Defender OCTA’s Premium Price Buys Off-Road Performance, Not Cabin Polish
The 2026 OCTA is the most performance-tuned, beefed-up, off-roading version of this classic nameplate.
The North American Beach Escapes That Shine in Fall Shoulder Season
These North American beach towns hit their stride after summer, when the crowds thin, the water stays warm and the pace finally slows down.
Interviews
See All
Betches CEO Aleen Dreksler on Staying Ahead of the Internet
From Instagram and podcasts to Netflix specials and women’s sports, Dreksler has spent 15 years making sure Betches evolves before its audience moves on.
Arthur de Villepin On Bridging Cultures with Villa Haw Par and a New Curatorial Project in Milan
The dealer is embracing a more fluid, artist-led model across geographies, eschewing expansion for its own sake.
Tone Hansen Takes the Helm at Stockholm’s Moderna Museet With a Newly Expanded Mandate
She arrives from MUNCH in Oslo, where she spent three years expanding the institution from a single-artist museum into one covering modernism and contemporary art.
How New York’s Korean Food Scene Came Into Its Own
From Danji and Jungsik to Atomix and Kjun, Korean chefs have reshaped how New Yorkers understand, eat and think about the cuisine.
The Essentials With Eva Chow: Seoul Forest Strolls, Korean Hair Spas and Olive Oil
The Khee Soju founder shares the quiet routines, beauty rituals and favorite places that shape her life in Seoul.
Power Lists
See All
Observer’s 2026 A.I. Power Index: Who Controls the Capital Flow in A.I
Power in artificial intelligence no longer moves through the channels everyone learned to watch.
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.
Latest
All Latest
As South Korea’s Creative Industries Converge, Fine Art Is Riding the Wave
“The global success of Korean entertainment created greater market confidence domestically. Korean artists and creators are now developing work for both Korean and international audiences from the beginning,” DRX CEO Can Yang tells Observer.
Where Burning Man Art Ends Up After the Burn
“If it’s not burned, leased or sold it needs to go somewhere,” says Rene Byck, of Paradise Ridge Winery.
John Ternus Takes Over Apple With His First Big Launch Days Away
John Ternus starts his first day as Apple CEO ahead of the iPhone 18 launch. The 51-year-old hardware veteran inherits Apple at a financial high point but faces questions about the company’s A.I. future.
Larry Fink’s $59 Billion Change of Heart
Nine years after Fink called bitcoin an index of money laundering, BlackRock’s bitcoin fund now takes three of every four new dollars entering the category.
The Chaebol Fortunes That Built South Korea’s Art World
The country’s cultural rise is often credited to ambitious government policy, but corporate dynasties have spent decades transforming private wealth into public-facing art infrastructure.
The Exhibitions Not to Miss During Seoul Art Week
With exhibitions of work by Koo Jeong A, Do Ho Suh, Sol LeWitt, KAWS and Park Seo-Bo, the city’s museums and galleries have unveiled an unusually ambitious slate of exhibitions for this year’s art week.
Seoul’s Paradise City Is an Unexpected Art Destination
The complex’s museum-worthy 3,000-piece collection reflects Paradise Group owner Phillip Chun’s decades-long passion for acquiring art.
The Smart Traveler’s Guide to Where to Stay, Eat and Explore in Seoul
A considered Seoul itinerary leaves room for palace gardens, tasting menus, late-night cocktails and the occasional change of plans.
Game, Set, Smash: The Pierre Hotel’s Tennis Fête Is Its Own New York Story
Rising stars Alexander Bublik and Anastasia Potapova went head-to-head at the hotel’s annual Smash Bash celebrating the U.S. Open.
The Most Important Signal From Jackson Hole May Not Be the Fed
Citizens’ Mark Valentino and Eric Merlis unpack the business implications of Jackson Hole, arguing that the most important signal for Main Street may be the persistence of economic uncertainty. Valentino and Merlis make the case for disciplined preparation, financial flexibility and planning for multiple economic outcomes rather than trying to predict the Fed’s next move.
What Makes an Art Film a Box Office Hit in 2026?
From horror and star power to timely concepts and spectacle, the strongest recent specialty-film performers paired artistic ambition with something more.
The Watches Worn by Tennis’s Most Decorated Players
From Rolex Daytonas to Richard Mille tourbillons, these are the timepieces most closely associated with the sport’s current and former stars.