Twenty Years After Opening, Mauro Colagreco’s Mirazur and Menton Have Grown Together
As Mirazur marks two decades, Colagreco reflects on the local growers, regenerative gardens and town identity that shaped both the restaurant and Menton’s rise as a culinary destination.
Observerâs Guide to the Must-See Paris Art Week Shows
As Art Basel Paris brings the international art world to the French capital, the city’s expanding cultural ecosystem has mounted an impressive lineup of exhibitions. From Barbara Kruger’s intervention at the Bourse de Commerce and Ibrahim Mahama’s takeover of Fondation Cartier to new presentations of work by Kennedy Yanko, Lee Krasner and Kerry James Marshall, these are the shows worth making time for.
The Business of Keeping a French ChÃĒteau Alive, Beyond the Fantasy
Behind the romance of chÃĒteau ownership lies a constant negotiation between preservation, regulation, modernization and the money required to keep the estate going.
New York
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Shaggy, Taylor Dayne and Deborah Cox Lit Up the 28th Angel Ball for Cancer Research
Denise Richâs annual philanthropic gala combined sequined glamour and epic performances with deeply personal stories of illness and hope. A live auction and paddle raise helped bring the nightâs total to $3 million.
Emily Mae Smith Paints Worlds on the Edge of Transformation
The artist’s latest work weaves Symbolist allegory, fairy-tale imagery and art-historical archetypes into a meditation on interiority, labor and renewal. Its autumnal light suggests both decline and the promise of what might come next.
Alfredo Jaar On America, the Concentration of Power and the Art of Staying Awake
Nearly four decades after ‘A Logo for America’ first appeared in Times Square, the artist reflects on how its meaning has shifted with history and why he continues to interrogate political narratives, technological advancement and the complex systems shaping our world.
How Bars Are Building Cocktail Menus Around Art Collections
Art is moving beyond the walls and into the drinks list, as bartenders use collections and artist archives as a framework for entire menus.
The Best Restaurants Opening in New York City This October
New spots from celebrity chefs and fresh eateries serving wood-fired cuisine abound this month.
Art
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One Fine Show: âCarsten HÃķller, Twoâ at Beijing’s UCCA Center for Contemporary Art
Curated by Philip Tinari with Jiashu Zou, the exhibition splits the Great Hall into two routes, one color and one monochrome. The works in each test attention, patience and perception, subtly prompting visitors to question the nature of their own experiences.
Between Blue-Chip Sculpture and Homespun Art, Grand Rapids Is Finding Its Voice
For 17 days each fall, ArtPrize fills the city’s shops, churches and squares with more than a thousand artworks and invites hundreds of thousands of visitors to vote for their favorites. Executive director Tyler Loftis wants to build more enduring cultural infrastructure without losing the grassroots spirit that makes the competition so popular.
How a Paris Art Collective Turned Squatting into a Sustainable Model of Artistic Production
“In the end, it isnât necessarily about money or success. Sometimes itâs just space, tools, some free materials and a few friends to talk things through with. I think thatâs one of the most important things weâre trying to preserve with this project,” Le Wonder founder Nelson Persico tells Observer.
One Fine Show: “Haas Brothers, Uncanny Valley” at the Blanton Museum of Art
This survey spanning 15 years of output lands in Austin at a moment when design-minded Millennials may be the collectors the art world most needs to court. Named for Masahiro Moriâs theory of humanoid robots, it disarms viewers with softness and humor before revealing the hidden complexity in the brothers’ work.
Curator Catherine Nichols’s Lyon Biennale Turns the Cityâs Trading Past Into a Poetic Framework
She borrows from Robert Filliou and Walter Benjamin to present the work of 119 artists around themes of consumption, industry and exchange. The overall concept feels nebulous, but the art, especially at Les Grandes Locos, delivers.
Business
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Jane Fraser Has Spent Years Rebuilding Citi. Hereâs What Earnings Reveal
Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser has spent years simplifying a global bank. Does stronger revenue translate into sustainable returns across its five businesses?
Teslaâs Earnings Are Mixed, but Elon Musk Is Pushing Beyond Cars
Examining Elon Muskâs push beyond Teslaâs vehicle business, from the flying Roadster spectacle to the spending and control questions behind a possible SpaceX merger.
Miami Luxury Mogul Nadim Ashi is Building a Yacht Fleet with Four Seasons
Fort Partners founder Nadim Ashi has assembled hotel, investment and shipbuilding partners for Four Seasons Yachts, with expansion bringing continuing financing and service demands.
Will the A.I. Assistant Wars Produce a SuperApp?
The race to build an A.I. assistant for everything is accelerating, but consumer habits and the challenges of real-world execution could make a single superapp unlikely. The next opportunity, argues Premise Venturesâ Mercedes Bent, may lie in specialized agents that can reliably complete tasks and work together.
The A.I. Risk Nobody Audits: What Googleâs Bug Report Flood Reveals
A.I. is making it easier than ever to produce market research and business recommendations. Knitâs Aneesh Dhawan explains why companies need stronger oversight to ensure that the evidence guiding product launches, market entry and investment decisions remains sound.
Travel
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Philippe Starck Is Shaping a New Retreat Around Village Life in the Portuguese Countryside
A few minutes from his own home in Melides, Starck is helping shape ASerra, where villas, a hotel and a timber village are planned across 210 acres of woodland.
What It Takes for a Paris Hotel to Earn France’s Elite Palace Distinction
The Palace distinction goes beyond thread counts and Michelin stars, rewarding Paris hotels that pair history and design with unusually personal service.
A Closer Look at Nice, Beyond the Promenade and Riviera Beach Clubs
Once the summer crowds thin, Nice invites a longer stay, with grand hotels, lively markets, Niçois restaurants and cultural treasures tucked into the hills above the Mediterranean.
An Insiderâs Guide to Johannesburg: Where to Stay, Eat, Drink and Explore
Too many travelers rush through Joburg on their way to safari. Here’s why South Africa’s largest city deserves a place on your itinerary.
72 Hours of Art in Cincinnati
BLINK and the FotoFocus Biennial transform the city every other October, but its museums, murals and theaters reward a visit in any season. Here’s where to stay, what to eat and the sights not to miss.
Nightlife & Dining
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Paris Makes Room for Plant-Based Eating, the French Way
Paris is embracing plant-based food, without abandoning butter, steak frites or its devotion to the pleasure of eating.
L.A.âs Top October Restaurant Openings, From Pasta Bars to Smash Burgers
Bar Fortuna brings handmade pasta to Santa Monica, Gilbert PÃĐrez Bar finally opens in Sherman Oaks and Birdie Gâs returns, while L.A.âs smash burger boom keeps expanding.
Julia Fox and Nora Fried Threw a Carnival in Elizabeth Street Garden
Fox, who said the event was harder to pull off than the movie she shot in August, spent the night signing copies of âDown the Drainâ and talking about the women whose stories brought her to tears.
At Storm Kingâs 2026 Gala, Sculpture Met Sky
The open-air museumâs 2026 gala honored Alicja Kwade and Cathy and Peter Halstead, whose Montana art center owes much to the Hudson Valley institutionâs example. Funds raised will support its collection, exhibitions and education programs.
The London Restaurants With the Most Impressive Art Collections
From Sketch and Toklas to Mount St. Restaurant and The Cocochine, these London dining rooms pair serious cooking with works by Warhol, Picasso, Hirst, Tillmans and more.
Expert Insights
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The Next Retail Frontier Is Culture, Not Just Commerce
Attention is easy to borrow and harder to keep. As discovery moves beyond traditional retail and advertising, SHADOWâs Liza Suloti unpacks why consistency, cultural relevance and a recognizable point of view are essential to turning fleeting attention into lasting trust.
Why Concerned Photography Is More Important Than Ever
In a world where simply producing images has become effortless, International Center of Photography CEO Bob Jeffrey argues that human authorship, with its choices and responsibilities, is what gives a picture its value.
As Google and OpenAI Race to Automate Work, Trust Is the Next A.I. Battleground
As Big Tech pushes A.I. deeper into everyday business processes, Templafyâs Christian Lund unpacks why the companies that build the right infrastructureânot simply those with the smartest modelsâwill be best positioned to turn A.I.’s potential into reliable business outcomes.
Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton Call for A.I. Safeguards. Enterprise Buyers Can Help Enforce Them.
From the collapse of Barings to the rise of cyber insurance, businesses have learned that controls matter only when they are independently verified and enforced. McMillanAIâs Jeff McMillan argues that major enterprises can use their purchasing power to establish enforceable A.I. safety standards through contracts, insurance and independent verification.
Luxury’s Answer to the A.I. Trust Gap? The Archive
Getty Imagesâ Bob Ahern examines why authentic photographic archives are becoming more valuable to luxury brands as A.I.-generated imagery makes the past easier to imitate. Ahern argues that archival photography preserves evidence of real cultural moments that brands can use to build trust and give their histories renewed relevance.
Lifestyle
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Rawdon Glover Admits Jaguar Lost the Narrative With the Type 00, But Sees the Payoff in the Type 01
After a controversial rebrand that overshadowed the 2024 concept launch, the managing director says engineering, not advertising, will define the future of the British marque. The production version of the electric grand tourer arrived in New York earlier this month, with 1,015 horsepower, 1,007 lb-ft of torque and up to 400 miles of rangeâall backed by 90 years of history.
The French Watchmakers Every Collector Should Know
Some design in Paris and build in Switzerland, others assemble internationally sourced components at home and still others develop their own mechanisms in complex cross-border arrangements. Our guide to French makers, from Breguet to Depancel, maps the many forms the countryâs horological brilliance takes.
The Watch Collectors Building a New Kind of Fair
Music executive Lex Borrero and Screw Down Crown editor Faheem Khan are designing festivals where newcomers can meet master makers and strangers can find their way into the conversations worth having. Their success will depend on whether intimacy can survive at scale.
The Western Mountain Towns That Rival New England for Fall Foliage
The West’s answer to New England foliage comes with aspens, alpine lakes, cowboy towns and mountain resorts built for a long weekend.
The Berkshires Beyond the Foliage, Where Gilded Age Grandeur Meets Country Charm
Beyond the autumn colors, discover the Berkshires through the Clarkâs art collection, Edith Whartonâs former home, centuries-old workshops and restaurants rooted in the surrounding countryside.
Interviews
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Large Opens on Ãle Seguin With a Focus on French Art in All Its Forms
Backed by developer and collector Laurent Dumas and led by former La Maison Rouge director Paula Aisemberg, the new center occupies a striking RCR Arquitectes building on a former Renault factory site. Its debut exhibition, curated by Cecilia Alemani, traces humanityâs bond with the machine.
Inside Karim Crippaâs Vision for an Even More Parisian Art Basel Paris
The fairâs new director, who helped shape its identity from the start, describes each day of its fifth edition as a chapter designed to keep visitors returning. This year, 211 galleries share the Grand Palais with an expanded historical section and a public program that spills across the city.
Oscar Sunderland and Chloe Stewart Would Rather Collaborate With Their Artists Than Represent Them
They see traditional representation agreements as constricting, preferring to work with other galleries and art professionals to support artists through their first sales. Their approach, Sunderland tells Observer, is part of a generational shift toward pooled resources and shared networks.
For Sarah Zapata, Weaving Is a Radical Act
At Sargentâs Daughters, the artist transforms yarn, thread and architectural forms into an immersive landscape rooted in embodied knowledge and community. “Textiles are human,” she tells Observer. “It’s about people who preceded us and who made it. It’s about us being together.”
Khalif Tahir Thompson Reflects On Life in Brooklyn and His Living Collages at Victoria Miro
In âSend in the Clowns,â the artist moves beyond the domestic archive to reconstruct Brooklyn through the lens of his family archives and the accumulated visual noise of everyday life. Collaged paper and Fauvist color give each scene a cinematic charge.
Features
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Amid Protests and an Early Closure Announcement, Art Basel Paris Finds Buyers for Its Safest Bets
The fair announced that it will conclude its 2026 edition on Friday evening in response to protests planned in the French capital for Saturday. Yet despite the unrest in the streets, a Modigliani priced above $100 million and eight-figure sales set an optimistic tone at the Grand Palais and VIP collectors came ready to buy.
Paris Internationale, Asia Now and Post-Fair Open the City’s Art Week on a Confident Note
Paris Art Week opened with momentum as galleries proceeded with scheduled events despite unrest in the streets. On Monday, several satellite fairs offered a first look at how collectors are spending.
In Paris, Sothebyâs Is Betting on Intimacy to Win Over Private Buyers
Chez Sothebyâs installs roughly $150 million worth of artwork by Picasso, Matisse, Warhol, Richter and others in a salon-style setting with its own restaurant and bar. Six pieces found buyers before the venture even opened.
Beyond Frieze, London’s Hotel Art Fairs Are Finding Momentum
Minor Attractions has moved to the Newman in Fitzrovia, while newcomer London Invitational takes over suites in the Chancery Rosewood. Both trade the scale of the megafair for intimate, site-responsive presentations and more accessible prices.
Yan Duâs YDP Brings a New Model of Art Patronage to London
The project space is both a platform for artists and an ongoing experiment in more flexible, creative models of philanthropy. Du sees herself as part of the younger generation of collectors redefining what cultural support can look like.
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 Observerâs 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 Indexâand 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 isnât changing anytime soon.
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A.I. Agent Architect Harrison Chase Wants Companies to Own Their Intelligence
Harrison Chase wants enterprises to control their A.I. agents. LangChain’s latest software releases aim to make that easier.
World Bank Reformer Ajay Banga’s $112 Billion Push for Jobs
The World Bank mobilized $112 billion in private capital in fiscal 2026. Ajay Banga is seeking new ways to turn that money into jobs.
Chipmaking Titan C.C. Wei Eyes Texas as TSMC’s A.I. Demand Surges
TSMC’s profits climbed nearly 69 percent as C.C. Wei considered expanding beyond Arizona. Talks involving Musk’s Terafab remain preliminary.
What Can the ’90s Tell Us About Today? Tate Britain Isnât Sure
âThe 90s: Art and Fashionâ traces Britainâs shift from glossy glamour to raw, irreverent self-expression through works by Wolfgang Tillmans, Tracey Emin, Stella McCartney, Ozwald Boateng and many others. Curator Edward Enninfulâs selection is, in places, thrilling, but the exhibition’s overall impact is undercut by a curiously limited view of the era.
Novelist Natalie KikiÄâs Favorite Haunted Reads
Vampires, body horror and supernatural secrets populate KikiÄâs recommendations, but beneath the scares lie stories of grief, rage, repression and the search for belonging.
Mozilla CEO Anthony Enzor-DeMeo Wants to Challenge Chromeâand Rely Less on Google
Anthony Enzor-DeMeo wants Firefox Enterprise to challenge Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Mozilla’s new subscription service could also help the company diversify the search revenue that has long supported its browser business.
Carlos Slim Domit Backed Checo PÃĐrez. Now Rafael CÃĒmara Has a Haas Seat
Carlos Slim Domit helped Checo PÃĐrez reach Formula 1 and built EscuderÃa Telmex into a powerful motorsport program. Now, with Rafael CÃĒmara set to join Haas in 2027, the AmÃĐrica MÃģvil chairman has another driver poised to reach the F1 grid.
Aryeh Bourkoff’s LionTree Has a Stake in Hollywood’s Merger Era
LionTree founder Aryeh Bourkoff has helped negotiate some of Hollywood’s biggest deals. With an investment fund participating in Skydance’s $47 billion equity financing, his firm’s role in the consolidation era goes well beyond advising.
London’s October Auction Results Suggest the Market Is Playing It Safe
Christieâs ÂĢ107.5 million Peter Simon sale and a ÂĢ31.6 million Kandinsky led a week in which buyers concentrated on established, institutionally backed names. Even blue-chip lots faltered where demand was thin.
Hillary Super and a $50 Million Bra: Can Victoriaâs Secret Win Women Back?
The Angels have been back since 2024, but Victoriaâs Secret CEO Hillary Super is finding new ways to make them relevant. With a $50 million Fantasy Bra, a nationwide casting competition and improving sales, the lingerie giant is working to reclaim its cultural cachet without abandoning its renewed emphasis on inclusivity.
Londonâs Newest Museum Elevates Sir Philip Sassoon Above Lessons from World War II History
When the museum opened this June, Trent Park’s legacy was heralded as being on par with Bletchley Park, the country estate that housed British codebreakers and today honors the lasting legacy of Alan Turing, but here allegiances are divided. The story of the forgotten translators manning the cramped basement listening stations remains down there, while the ground floor is primarily concerned with restoring Sassoon’s former standing among the 20th-century aristocracy.
One Fine Show: “Ana Mendieta” at Tate Modern in London
Sent from Havana to live in the United States at 12, Mendieta abandoned painting in graduate school for performance, film and a land-based practice inspired in part by her personal history. This sweeping survey brings that transformation into focus.
