An installation view of Mathilde Denize’s “Sound of Figures” at Perrotin New York. Photographer : Guillaume Ziccarelli. ©Mathilde Denize / ADAGP, Paris & ARS, New York 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin. French artist Mathilde Denize moves seamlessly between multiple mediums—from painting to sculpture and installation—to explore the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, or “a total … Read more
Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Gorge. Courtesy AppleTV+ The best kind of story starts with a compelling “What if…?” The premise behind The Gorge, courtesy of screenwriter Zach Dean, is exceptionally promising. A massive, fog-covered crevice, located in an unknown country, is protected by two watchtowers, one manned by the Russians and one … Read more
From left: Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sarah Catherine Hook and Sam Nivola in The White Lotus Season 3. Photograph by Fabio Lovino/HBO No matter the season, there are a few things fans can be sure of when it comes to The White Lotus: a gorgeous location, an unknown corpse, and a giant ensemble … Read more
Hélène de Beauvoir at work. Hélène de Beauvoir, © APP, Ute Achhammer, courtesy Amar Gallery Before we see any of the work at London’s Amar Gallery, we’re already burdened by that most famous of surnames. Born in 1910, Hélène de Beauvoir became an artist of modest renown. Her poetic, often challenging, but always enticing paintings … Read more
Lucy Liu in Steven Soderbergh and David Koepp’s “hokey, hackneyed and resounding bore” called Presence. Photo by Peter Andrews/Courtesy of The Spectral Spirit Company In 1988, I saw a terrific psychological thriller called Apartment Zero that was so fresh, surprising, sexy, suspenseful and original that it has haunted me for decades. It was in a class by … Read more
Cole’s photographs, primarily taken during the 1960s and early 1970s, capture the harsh realities of apartheid in South Africa and the experiences of Black Americans in the United States. Ernest Cole, House of Bondage © Ernest Cole/Magnum Photos An exhibition in Paris is showcasing original photos from the conscientious, perspicacious South African photographer Ernest Cole, … Read more
The company of Urinetown. Joan Marcus When it opened on Broadway nine days after the September 11 attacks, Urinetown was my new favorite musical. It had emerged downtown from the New York International Fringe Festival (in which I had participated), aggressively mocking song-and-dance tropes to deliver a bleakly satirical message about society and the environment … Read more
An installation view of “Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami” at Gagosian in Grosvenor Hill, London. Courtesy the artist and Gagosian The star of Takashi Murakami’s new London show is Rakuchū-Rakugai-zu Byōbu: Iwasa Matabei RIP. At over thirteen meters long and three meters high, the artwork’s source material is a 17th-century mural depiction of … Read more
An installation view of “Marguerite Humeau: *sk*/ey-” at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami. Photo: Oriol Tarridas Welcome to One Fine Show, where Observer highlights a recently opened exhibition at a museum not in New York City, a place we know and love that already receives plenty of attention. There are a number of obsessions … Read more
Celeste Dalla Porta, Daniele Rienzo and Dario Aita in Parthenope Gianni Fiorito/Courtesy of A24 Paolo Sorrentino has fixated on beauty and youth in past films, but never so overtly as in Parthenope. The Italian filmmaker embodies the male gaze in sprawling tale, which follows a charismatic woman (Celeste Dalla Porta) from her birth in 1950 … Read more