Masterpieces of the Leiden Collection at the Louvre
A small but exquisite exhibition of 17th-century Dutch paintings.
Icons of Modern Art: The Shchukin Collection
The exhibition Icons of Modern Art: The Shchukin Collection at the Fondation Luis Vuitton was worth a trip to Paris.
The Body in Movement. Dance and the Museum
The Louvre has invited choreographer and former artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet Benjamin Millepied to curate an exhibition on the representation of the body in movement drawing on the Louvre's extensive collection.
Further Reading
Steven Weinberg on the trouble with quantum mechanics. Two essays about Arrival. Why whales leap into the air. How life turns asymmetric. Neuroscience needs behavior. How life (and death) spring from disorder. Cartoon drawings by Gerhard Richter. Nature makes chance, humans make luck. And more.
Peter Lindbergh. A Different Vision On Fashion Photography
If you have opened a fashion magazine in the past twenty or thirty years you will be familiar with the work of Peter Lindbergh. Some of his photos of 90s supermodels have become icons. Indeed, some of these models have become icons in part because of his work.
The Best Albums of 2016
My favourite albums of the year.
The Best Books of 2016
Some of the best books I read this year including recently published books as well as classics, in a number of categories: best fiction, best science, best book about Claude Lévi-Strauss, best economics and more.
Further Reading
Why Javier Marias hates theatre. Slavoj Zizek doesn't like theatre performances either. How Google used AI to transform Google Translate. An interview with Jürgen Habermas. Freeman Dyson on working with the greatest physicists of the 20th century. Andrew Wiles on doing maths. And more.
Further Reading
Feynman diagrams. The woman who sued McDonald's because the coffee she spilled on herself was too hot. Advice from burglars. Interview with Tom Ford. Did Primo Levi really kill himself? Revenue is up, but audiences are down in New York City’s dance industry. The afterlife of a ballerina. And more.
Holy Motors
"Holy Motors" is one of the best films I’ve seen in recent years and one that demands to be seen again. It is a visual feast and a love letter to cinema.
Highlights from the Spring 2017 Ready-to-Wear Collections
A rather disappointing season as far as I'm concerned, but the spring 2017 RTW collection by Yohji Yamamoto was great.
Further Reading
Adam Curtis’ new film HyperNormalisation. Interview with Sir Andrew Wiles. Ten famous psychology findings that it’s been difficult to replicate. The work of Madeline Gins. Slavoj Žižek on why we shouldn’t pity or romanticize refugees. You probably don’t need dental X-rays every year. And more.