After a Family Health Crisis, Bill Ackman Takes a Startup Approach to Brain Research
Bill Ackman is launching the Ackman Oxman Institute, a startup-style brain research organization, after his daughter survived a massive brain hemorrhage earlier this year.
Jimmy Chin On Finding Beauty in Landscapes That Kill
Few photographers have earned their vantage points the way Jimmy Chin has, with first ascents in the Himalaya and the first American ski descent of Everest. The same nerve won him an Academy Award for ‘Free Solo’ and earned him an Oscar nomination for ‘Nyad’. Along the way, Chin built one of photography’s largest audiences, with 3.4 million followers on Instagram alone, by bringing back images from places few people will ever reach.
Candace Bushnell: “You Just Have to Go Out Every Single Night”
When it comes to meeting someone, the Sex and the City columnist still believes in 1990s methods—specifically, meeting in real life.
New York
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The 10 New York City Restaurant Openings to Know This September
During one of the year’s most crowded months for restaurant openings, Cafe Charmant, Brasserie Boulud, Dante Elizabeth Street, Creola and Faux land in New York City.
We Loved a Serial Columnist: New York Toasts 30 Years of Candace Bushnell’s Original SATC
Thirty years after Sex and the City first ran, Candace Bushnell returned to Observer’s pages to explain why the column was never about sex at all.
Eugene Remm’s Cafe Charmant Brings a Worldlier Brasserie to the West Village
At Cafe Charmant, chef Jake Tyler Brodsky takes brasserie cuisine around the world.
Genesis Belanger’s Classically Inspired Public Art Is a Commentary on Modern-Day Unease
“Heads or Tails” transforms City Hall Park into a psychologically charged tableau where fractured bodies, scavenging birds and artificial trees reflect the instability of contemporary public life.
25 Years Later, 9/11’s Artifacts Still Call for a Different Level of Curatorial Care
Aaron Noble of the New York State Museum described a post-attack scene in which recovery crews and the institution’s staff developed a cooperative relationship, with workers setting aside materials that might be of interest to the museum, serving as de facto curators on the ground.
Art
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One Fine Show: “I SPY! Walter Wick’s Hidden Wonders” at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art
The show includes several three-dimensional models from which Wick’s photographs were made, showcasing the physical construction that went into images long mistaken for pure illustration.
Screening at TIFF: Arie and Chuko Esiri’s ‘Clarissa’
Novelistic and abstruse, the film—named for Woolf’s nostalgic middle-aged socialite, Clarissa Dalloway—unfolds with the very same stream-of-consciousness telling as the original text.
The Nasher’s New Survey Treats Protest as an American Tradition
Highlighting blue-chip practitioners like Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems, the Guerrilla Girls and Chuck Close alongside less flashy names like Marielle Plaisir, Robert Colescott and Sam Durant, “Turn the volume up!” asserts that every voice still matters, no matter how insignificant and powerless many currently feel.
Houston’s Insiders Say the City’s Cultural Scene Remains One of the Art World’s Best-Kept Secrets
“Houston is a city of transplants, and I think that constant influx makes the cultural fabric richer,” dealer Laura Burton told Observer.
A Decade In, London’s Somerset House Studios Is Still Refining Its Model of Artist Support
Director Marie McPartlin says the residency program was designed to give artists what many institutions won’t: years to work, a built-in culture of peer mentorship and permission to fail along the way.
Business
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Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden Navigates a Tough Turnaround After Yeezy Split
Adidas has put its Yeezy crisis behind it, but CEO Bjørn Gulden says the company’s next test is keeping its comeback on track in a tough sportswear market.
Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty Redefines Success with Purpose That Performs
At the Fast Company Innovation Festival, Selena Gomez and her beauty brand’s chief impact officer Elyse Cohen explain how Rare Beauty and the Rare Impact Fund drive mission-led growth.
The Fight Over Data Centers Is a Fight Over Who Owns the Compute
The A.I. boom has concentrated compute in enormous data centers, but Product Science’s Anastasia Matveeva argues that advances in distributed training can challenge the assumption that serious A.I. workloads must live in hyperscale campuses.
Inside Cohere’s $20 Billion Sovereignty Bet, With Co-Founder Nick Frosst
Earlier this summer, after Anthropic’s June shutdown, Cohere co-founder Nick Frosst talked to Observer about why sovereign A.I. matters. This week, Cohere signed a merger with Aleph Alpha that values the combined company at $20 billion.
Gloria Steinem Taught Us How to Walk Forward Without Her
Entrepreneur Stacey Boyd, who knew and collaborated with Gloria Steinem, reflects on the organizing principles behind Steinem’s extraordinary life and legacy. Boyd considers what Steinem’s leadership can teach business leaders and philanthropists about listening and building the infrastructure for movements to outlast any one person.
Travel
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How to Explore Cornwall, One Charming Coastal Pocket at a Time
Cornwall is at its best when the itinerary leaves room for harbor towns, coastal walks and the occasional pub detour.
Inside Claridge’s Century-Long Love Story With Fashion
For more than 100 years, designers, models, editors and socialites have turned Claridge’s into one of fashion’s most enduring London haunts.
Where to Stay During London Fashion Week, From Mayfair Classics to Soho Scene-Stealers
From Claridge’s and The Twenty Two to Broadwick Soho and At Sloane, these are the hotels that keep you close to the shows, the parties and the post-runway damage.
The Insider’s Guide to Venice, Beyond the Tourist Circuit
The restaurants, wine bars, workshops and cultural spaces that reveal a more local, less polished side of Venice.
Venice’s Most Enticing Luxury Hotels, From Gilded Palazzi to Lagoon Retreats
These standout hotels pair historic grandeur with smart design, waterfront access and some of the city’s most desirable addresses.
Nightlife & Dining
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In London, a New Wave of Greek Restaurants Goes Beyond the Taverna
Rather than simply chasing a trend, these chefs and restaurateurs are making a broader case for Greek cuisine through refined, regionally specific and occasionally experimental cooking.
La Sponda, From the Daniel’s Miami Team, Chases Pasta Perfection on Biscayne Bay
Thomas Angelo and Danny Ganem bring La Sponda to Biscayne Bay with regional Italian dishes, handmade pasta, wagyu and a deep wine list.
The Essentials With Chef Eyal Shani: Turtles, Tomatoes and Tuscany
The chef behind Malka and Miznon on his pet turtles, favorite sushi, indispensable olive oil and very specific approach to a good life.
The Restaurants, Bars and Clubs to See and Be Seen During London Fashion Week
The new openings, revived institutions and discreet members’ clubs that anchor the city’s unofficial Fashion Week itinerary.
Honey Deuce and the Making of a U.S. Open Tradition
Grey Goose’s Aleco Azqueta explores what separates a successful event sponsorship from a brand becoming part of an event’s rituals and cultural memory. Azqueta examines how the Honey Deuce’s distinctive identity, consistency and fan participation transformed a cocktail into a tradition.
Expert Insights
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Beyond the Front Row: What Fashion Month Reveals About Traceability
Fashion Month is increasingly putting the systems behind fashion on display. The Footwear Collective’s Dr. Yuly Fuentes-Medel examines how traceability, material transparency and collaboration across fragmented supply chains are becoming part of the industry’s broader story.
Meta’s Muse Wants to Become the Interface for Your Digital Life
Meta has the distribution to make its new personal A.I. agent Muse ubiquitous. The harder question, argues A.I. strategy and enterprise-wide adoption expert René Bohnsack, is whether consumers will trust it with access to their digital lives.
The Gold Sitting in American Jewelry Drawers Is an Untapped Asset
Jewelry is still treated primarily as a possession rather than a financial asset, despite the significant value of the gold sitting in American homes. Unvault’s Nidhi Singhvi argues that better information can give owners greater control over an asset that has long existed outside traditional systems of wealth measurement.
How Fashion Week Became an Economy of Attention
University of Nebraska Omaha’s Jane Liu, Ph.D. examines the economics of Fashion Week, unpacking how the runway has become an investment in attention, cultural relevance and future demand rather than simply a vehicle for selling clothes.
Hollywood’s Biggest Film Festival Bets, From Flops to $500M Hits
Studios spend millions chasing festival breakouts. These acquisitions show how unpredictable a path from standing ovation to profit can be.
Lifestyle
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The 2026 Toyota GR Supra MkV Final Edition Is a Perfect Eulogy on Wheels
In its last incarnation, the GR Supra is that most wonderful of cars: a vehicle that exists for no other reason than to celebrate the joys of driving.
The World’s Only White-Gold Cartier Cheich Heads to Auction in Hong Kong
Created as a special commission in 2010, the one-of-a-kind watch leads a sale with an extensive selection of rare Cartier designs.
How the U.S. Open Turned a Cocktail Into Cultural Shorthand
The Wall Street Hotel’s Valeria Gonzalez examines what the Honey Deuce’s rise at the U.S. Open reveals about the making of an event drink. Gonzalez explores how how hospitality can extend an event far beyond its official footprint.
Scott W Mason Sketches Fashion’s Biggest Moments
His client list reads like a roster of fashion royalty: Gucci, Dior, Rabanne and Louis Vuitton among them.
At New York Fashion Week, Fashion’s Next Status Symbol Is Proof
Quince’s Dakota Kate Isaacs unpacks how fashion’s traditional relationship between status, price and brand mythology is changing. Isaacs argues that fashion’s next status symbol will be proof: the ability to understand what a product is made of, how it was made, why it costs what it costs and whether the story around it can withstand scrutiny.
Interviews
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Toronto Biennial Curator Allison Glenn On Creating Connections and What Happens When Things Fall Apart
For the 2026 edition, 30 artists and collectives will explore the idea of rupture as a generative force, expanding the exhibition beyond Toronto via waterways, public spaces and cross-border collaborations.
This Gloucester Exhibition Looks at David Hockney Through the Eyes of a Friend
Curated by Bing McGilvray, “Hockney Reproduction(s)” at Manship Artists Residency explores the artist’s six-decade engagement with technology and graphic reproduction.
Seoul’s ParkSeoBo Museum Is More Than a Temple to Its Namesake
Director Sam Seung-ho says the institution will be a platform for younger, emerging artists rather than a static tribute to the late Dansaekhwa master.
How Gayane Umerova Is Shepherding Uzbekistan’s Cultural Transformation
As the country pours resources into museums, biennials, residencies and international cultural diplomacy, she is focused on ensuring that those investments translate into the development of a self-sustaining, globally visible cultural ecosystem.
Tom Sachs Recreated Chanel’s Paris Flagship Out of Plywood and Paint in Chinatown
Walking through the installation with Observer, the artist cited Duchamp, Sol LeWitt and On Kawara as touchstones, while insisting his attachment to the physical act of making keeps him from veering too far into conceptualism.
Features
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What’s Next for British Art?
British art is having a moment, but British Art Fair co-founder and director Gay Hutson cautions that before we celebrate too loudly, it’s worth considering whether we are looking for art’s next stars in the right places.
Toronto’s Fall Cultural Calendar Foregrounds Ruin, Rebirth and Rupture
Fall programming across the city spans not only TIFF and a biennial but also Melissa Auf der Maur’s unfiltered ’90s tour photography, a scaled-down survey of Impressionist masterworks and a sound installation built from 600 brass bells.
Chanel CEO Leena Nair on Keeping Luxury Human in the A.I. Era
Chanel CEO Leena Nair says human connection, craftsmanship and people-first leadership will matter more as A.I. reshapes luxury.
Where to Eat and Drink in Toronto During TIFF
The culinary scene in The 6ix has never been better, especially around the downtown core, where most of the film festival’s screenings take place.
Lululemon and Canada Goose Have an American Gen Z Problem
Lululemon and Canada Goose face falling U.S. sales, tougher rivals and younger shoppers increasingly resistant to status brands. The brands that dressed millennials in leggings and parkas now have to persuade Gen Z that familiarity can still feel aspirational.
Power Lists
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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
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The University of Toronto’s Alumni Are Everywhere in the A.I. Boom
Geoffrey Hinton’s research ecosystem helped turn the University of Toronto into a breeding ground for the founders and technologies driving today’s A.I. race.
Collector Dick Hedreen Has Sold Artworks Before, But This Time It’s to Fund His Legacy
Proceeds from upcoming auctions at Sotheby’s, expected to exceed $90 million, will fund a new museum at Seattle University to house his major 350-work gift.
The de Young’s New Egypt Show Draws From Two of the Past Century’s Biggest Discoveries
Most of the 130 objects on view in “Treasures of the Pharaohs” are on loan from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, selected by former director Tarek al-Awadi before the show’s earlier debut in Rome.
In Arles, Photography and Art Ease the Transition from Summer into Fall
While Arles tends to be buzziest in July and August, the autumn season is a quieter, crowd-free time to explore a town packing a great artistic punch.
Google DeepMind’s 3 Founders Are Now Shaping A.I. From Very Different Posts
Hassabis Once united by DeepMind’s AGI mission, Demis Hassabis, Mustafa Suleyman and Shane Legg are now pursuing distinctly different futures for A.I.
MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives Is Experientially Compelling But Curatorially Thin
The museum struggles to present a coherent narrative of human culture, but its architecture succeeds in offering a new kind of public space in a megacity like Tokyo.
Screening at Venice: May el-Toukhy’s ‘Woman Unknown’
The only film by a solo woman director in this year’s Venice competition, it shoulders the burden of representing a feminine point of view, whether it wants to or not.
Director Florian Zeller Says Casting a Real Couple Brought ‘Bunker’ Closer to Truth
One of the sexiest married couples in acting brought cinematic catnip to the Venice Film Festival: a movie about marital discord.
Screening at Venice: Halkawt Mustafa’s ‘No Paradise If You Are Killed By a Woman’
It’s one of the most immaculately designed war films you’re likely to see this year, with an enveloping use of environment and atmosphere. But when it comes to filling that space with dynamic drama, sadly, it misses its mark.
Sales at Tokyo Gendai Reflect an Evolving Market Surprisingly Resistant to Trend-Chasing
A new generation of Japanese collectors, often guided by curiosity rather than long-term investment thinking, is beginning to reshape who buys and why.
Screening at Venice: Nicolas Pariser’s ‘One Minute to Midnight’
Its self-reflexivity reveals a riveting feminist tome about the winds of cultural change and the difficulty of de-centering yourself from your own story.
Winston Weinberg’s Harvey Courts Customers With a Growing Sports Sponsorship Push
Harvey’s U.S. Open sponsorship is part of a broader sports push designed to court executives, corporate lawyers and prospective clients.
