menu_open Columnists

Observer

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Global Events Are Redesigning National Identity in Real Time

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup and LA28 Olympics approach amid political polarization and cultural fragmentation, Chris Braden, who has led strategic...

yesterday 1

Observer

Chris braden

The 2026 McLaren 750S Spider Is Thoroughly, Deliberately and Delightfully Impractical

The 750S's lack of sensible applications is the entire point of this track-beast-turned-road-car.

yesterday 0

Observer

John Scott Lewinski

Ilya Sutskever Sheds New Light on OpenAI’s Power Struggle in Musk-Altman Case

Testimony from OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever sheds new light on OpenAI’s 2023 leadership crisis amid Elon Musk’s...

yesterday 1

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

The Top Collections Leading the May Marquee Auctions

More and more, the real competition between major auction houses involves securing single-owner consignments before strategically structuring the...

yesterday 1

Observer

Elisa Carollo

16 Business Leaders to Join Trump on High-Stakes China Trip, With Notable Absences

The White House delegation includes leaders from tech, finance and manufacturing as Washington seeks closer economic talks with Beijing.

yesterday 1

Observer

Rachel Curry

The Legal and Ethical Minefield of A.I.-Driven Employee Surveillance

Zal.ai CEO Kayvon Touran and organizational leadership expert Ben Dattner examine the rapidly expanding use of A.I. in employee monitoring,...

yesterday 0

Observer

Kayvon Touran

The Best Fashion From the 2026 Cannes Film Festival Red Carpet

For 12 days on the Croisette, the world’s biggest stars turned the Cannes red carpet into a showcase for high fashion and old-school glamour.

yesterday 0

Observer

Morgan Halberg

Archie Rand On the Irreducibility of Painting in a Digital Age

He remains convinced of the unique, imaginative and generative power of painting, which he believes no new technology will ever replace.

yesterday 2

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Why Sports Venues Are Betting Big on Fine Art

This fall, Sarah Sze's 'Wave' will be installed in the Barclays Center atrium, followed by large-scale paintings by Rashid Johnson and Mark Bradford.

yesterday 0

Observer

Daniel Grant

Jet Set: The Early Summer Beach Getaway Essentials Worth Packing

From a striped cotton sweater and leather thong sandals to a linen scarf and poplin dress, here's what we're loving and coveting right now.

yesterday 2

Observer

Morgan Halberg

The Exacting Nuance of Richard Diebenkorn

A great admirer of Matisse and Cézanne, this artist seemed to reinvent both.

yesterday 1

Observer

Dian Parker

The Rex Reed I Knew (1938–2026)

Rex Reed, fearless film critic who elevated the celebrity interview, dies at 87.

yesterday 1

Observer

Merin Curotto

10 Ambitious Gallery Shows to See During Frieze New York

As the city embarks once again upon its springtime marathon of fairs and marquee auctions, galleries across Chelsea, Tribeca, the Lower East Side and...

previous day 3

Observer

Elisa Carollo

‘Run, Don’t Walk’: Jensen Huang’s Message to College Graduates on A.I.’s Future

At Carnegie Mellon, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang tells graduates to embrace A.I. despite job fears and highlights new opportunities.

previous day 2

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Koyo Kouoh’s Venice Biennale Looks to Ancient Wisdom to Mend a Fractured Present

Again and again, the works return to what is ancient, universal and enduring: symbols, cosmologies and archetypes that precede cultural, national and...

previous day 3

Observer

Elisa Carollo

At the 2026 NYCB Spring Gala, Fran Drescher, Hari Nef and Olivia Palermo Opined On the Power of Ballet

As always, the company's annual gala drew a glittering constellation of celebrities, philanthropists and arts advocates.

previous day 1

Observer

Nadja Sayej

The 12 Best Public Golf Courses Within Two Hours of New York City—No Membership Required

From Metro-North-accessible municipal courses to a Tillinghast original on the Delaware, here's where to play this spring without the country-club...

previous day 0

Observer

Paul Jebara

Exhibition as Experience: The Turn Toward Building Worlds, Not Walls

Art advisor Jennifer Findley of JFiN Collective considers how lighting, spatial choreography and archival material are increasingly defining what an...

previous day 0

Observer

Jennifer Findley

A.I. Adoption Is Surging. Data Governance Is Not Keeping Up.

Trilateral Research’s Amelia Williams examines the gap between enterprise A.I. adoption and the quality of the data powering those systems. As...

previous day 1

Observer

Amelia williams

Can Art Save Main Street? Some Small Towns Are Staking Their Futures On It

Billionaire Darla Moore, who grew up in Lake City before building a Wall Street fortune, has invested millions in transforming her hometown into a...

previous day 3

Observer

Daniel Grant

50 Years After the Judgment Of Paris, California Wine Understands Its Worth

The tasting that established California as a serious wine region still shapes how Napa—and the broader New World—understands itself today.

previous day 3

Observer

Caitlin White

Trust-Based Funding Works. So Why Are Artists Still Living in Precarity?

The Arts Foundation director Mary Jane Edwards makes the case that trust-based, unrestricted funding for artists is no longer an idealistic notion but...

09.05.2026 3

Observer

Mary jane edwards

ServiceNow’s Customer Chief Warns ‘Tokenmaxxing’ Is an A.I. Hype Cycle

Companies are spending heavily on A.I. tokens, but ServiceNow’s Chris Bedi says true ROI comes from efficiency gains, not raw usage metrics.

09.05.2026 5

Observer

Aaron Mok

Ryan Cohen’s ‘Sell on eBay to Buy eBay’ Stunt Puzzles Investors

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen grabs attention with an unsolicited bid to acquire eBay and then selling personal collectibles on eBay to fund the deal. But...

08.05.2026 10

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Author Alexa Yasemin Brahme’s Best Books to Read When You Don’t Know What the Hell You’re Doing

The author of the newly released novel, Good News, shares the fiction and nonfiction titles that carried her through her own uncertainty—and just...

08.05.2026 4

Observer

Alexa yasemin brahme

How the ‘Godmother of Silicon Valley’ Celebrates Mother’s Day at 85

Esther Wojcicki shares her Mother’s Day routine, family life and the parenting approach behind her daughters’ success.

08.05.2026 4

Observer

Sissi Cao

The Newport Heiress Who Never Woke Up

Claus von Bülow invested in a Broadway play about a man who murders his rich wife for her inheritance. At the time, nobody found this particularly...

08.05.2026 4

Observer

Jennifer Ashley Wright

The Venice Biennale’s Most Powerful Pavilions Tune into Shared Consciousness

Amid protests, geopolitical tensions and the contradictions of the Biennale’s own structure, the most compelling pavilions leaned into ancestral...

08.05.2026 4

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Quantum Computing Is Testing Bitcoin’s Most Important Assumption

While post-quantum security standards and technical solutions are rapidly advancing, Quantus’ Chris Smith argues that Bitcoin’s network still...

08.05.2026 4

Observer

Christopher Smith

The Best Car-Free Spring Hikes Near New York City

Forget the rental and the Saturday 7 a.m. Avis line. Public transport covers every hike worth doing this spring—and the Hudson Valley is having a...

08.05.2026 6

Observer

Paul Jebara

One Fine Show: “Haegue Yang, Star-Crossed Rendezvous” at LA MOCA

The exhibition pairs the artist's direct response to composer Isang Yun's biography with her work inspired by Sol LeWitt, placing two very different...

08.05.2026 6

Observer

Dan Duray

An Hour Outside of Melbourne, Mornington Peninsula is a Dream Wine Destination

This vibrant agricultural region plays a big role in Melbourne’s world-class culinary scene, and has developed into a charming wine country within...

08.05.2026 6

Observer

Caitlin White

How Omaha Feels Different Without Warren Buffett at Berkshire Weekend

The first Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting without Warren Buffett at the helm drew fewer attendees and signals a shift for Omaha. We spoke with...

07.05.2026 7

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Nengi Omuku Sees Value in Beauty During Times of Global Disruption

For the artist, seeking out beauty in times of crisis is not a contradiction but a necessary act—a way of acknowledging hardship while insisting on...

07.05.2026 8

Observer

Wana udobang

At Jeffrey Deitch and Matthew Marks, Charles Ray Is Still Full of Surprises

Two concurrent shows in Los Angeles are presenting work spanning nearly four decades of the artist's career.

07.05.2026 9

Observer

Jordan Riefe

Escape to Comporta: Where to Stay on Portugal’s Serene Coast

From dune-wrapped villas to rice-field retreats, Comporta offers a quieter way to do Euro summer.

07.05.2026 10

Observer

Lindsay Cohn

The Philippines Pavilion Turns the Country’s Maritime History into an Archive of Universal Longing

Artist Jon Cuyson’s installation reimagines the ocean not as distance or danger but as a sentient entity that connects communities and sustains...

07.05.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

At Teal, Sally Abé Makes Fine Dining Feel Less Precious

In Hackney, the chef’s first solo restaurant pairs modern British cooking with the warmth of a dinner party.

07.05.2026 10

Observer

Emily Zemler

Ex-OnlyFans Exec RJ Phillips Taps Controversy With Zoop’s Enhanced Games Deal

Zoop, led by RJ Phillips, partners with the Enhanced Games as part of a broader push for higher creator payouts and engagement. Phillips uses a...

06.05.2026 9

Observer

Rachel Curry

At the New Museum Spring Gala, the Art World Turned Out for Lisa Phillips

From John Waters' toast to Deborah Harry's closing set, the evening was as unconventional as the director it honored.

06.05.2026 10

Observer

Christa Terry

How Sweden Built One of Europe’s Most Stable Art Markets

"London remains complicated post-Brexit, and the Gulf states' appeal is tempered by concerns over human rights. People are eager to discover new...

06.05.2026 10

Observer

Naima Morelli

Early Nvidia Investor Mark Stevens Gives $200M to USC for A.I. Push

Early Nvidia investor Mark Stevens gives $200 million to USC to scale A.I. programs, hire experts and position the university as a tech leader.

06.05.2026 10

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Gildo Zegna on Leading an NYSE-Listed Family Business With Patience and Innovation

Despite being a publicly traded company in the U.S., Zegna measures its success in decades, not quarters. Gildo Zegna, the family business's...

06.05.2026 9

Observer

Sissi Cao

An Insider’s Guide to Los Angeles When the 2026 FIFA World Cup Comes to Town

With matches at SoFi Stadium and traffic to match, this is how to eat, drink and stay smart across the city.

06.05.2026 10

Observer

Allie Lebos

De Pont Director Maria Schnyder On Why Financial Independence Is a Museum’s Greatest Asset

The museum operates without structural government subsidy, offering a degree of freedom that Schnyder acknowledges is an increasingly rare asset in...

06.05.2026 10

Observer

Dan Duray

LAS Art Foundation Pushes Quantum Art Forward in a New Venice Commission

The organization's exhibitions are deliberately designed to help observers engage with complex topics like A.I. and quantum physics without prior...

06.05.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

7 Amtrak Trains That Make the Slow Way Worth It

The Acela gets the headlines, but these seven slow trains get the country.

06.05.2026 9

Observer

Paul Jebara

Inside the Hottest Met Gala Afterparties

New York City came alive with the kind of spontaneous, anything-goes energy that has made the Met Gala afterparty tradition legendary.

05.05.2026 10

Observer

Leigh Scheps

Dabin Ahn’s “Nocturne” and the Slow Meditative Work of Grief

Coming from a still-life tradition, the artist's earlier paintings depicted perfect, flawless objects. In his most recent work, that serene and...

05.05.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Pinterest CEO Bill Ready’s Early Youth Safety Push Is Paying Off as Scrutiny Rises

Bill Ready prioritized youth protections at Pinterest before regulators did, helping drive user growth and investor confidence.

05.05.2026 10

Observer

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly