Meet the Collector: Thomas S. Kaplan On Auctioning His First Rembrandt
After decades building one of the world’s most important private collections of Rembrandt and Dutch Golden Age works, the billionaire is letting go of a rare and exceptional work on paper to further fund the conservation effort closest to his heart.
Jeff Bezos Backs Nuclear Power With $3.5M Grant From Earth Fund
The Bezos Earth Fund is funding a new effort to standardize nuclear reactor builds as electricity demand surges.
At London’s Caractère, Emily Roux Carries Her Family Legacy Forward
At her Notting Hill restaurant, Roux balances inheritance and independence, shaping Caractère on her own terms.
Business
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As Streaming Grows Up, Familiar Shows Dominate Viewing, Data Shows
Nielsen’s yearly rankings reveal how streaming has shifted from breakout culture to dependable, repeat viewing anchored by familiar IP.
How Google’s A.I. Overviews Are Rewriting the Rules of Digital Commerce
Phillip Thune, CEO of Adthena, examines how Google’s A.I. Overviews are transforming the search landscape, from where ads appear to how consumers form intent. Thune argues that generative search represents a structural shift in digital commerce that compresses the funnel, challenges measurement and forces brands to rethink how visibility, authority and performance are earned in an A.I.-mediated world.
The Nordic Blueprint for Building A.I. Infrastructure at Scale
Anders Fryxell, chief sales officer at atNorth, examines how the Nordic region has emerged as a global leader in A.I.-ready digital infrastructure, at a moment when hyperscalers and enterprises alike are struggling to secure power, connectivity and sustainable capacity. Fryxell argues that the Nordics’ long-term investments in renewable energy, grid resilience and circular economy practices offer a practical blueprint for scaling A.I. without sacrificing reliability or climate goals.
Team USA Athletes to Get First-Ever Pensions Under $100M Ross Stevens Gift
Team USA’s Milan Cortina roster will be the first to receive retirement benefits, thanks to a $100 million donation funding the Stevens Awards.
Two Forces That Could Push Gold Past $10,000 This Year
Central bank buying, a weakening dollar, and global uncertainty are fueling fresh optimism around gold.
Art
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Rethinking Residencies: Wael Shawky’s Vision for Doha’s Fire Station
“The belief underpinning the program is that artistic knowledge does not circulate only vertically, from master to student, but horizontally—through sustained discussion, shared inquiry and continuous exchange between participants, and between students and the curators, philosophers, artists and architects who regularly enter the space,” he tells Observer.
Art Genève Courts Galleries With a Different Market Logic
This fair unfolds at a deliberately measured scale, offering galleries and collectors a setting defined by conversation and connection.
One Fine Show: “The Lost World, The Art of Minnie Evans” at the High
In Atlanta, the artist’s hallucinatory compositions challenge the boundaries of so-called folk art with their depth and technical complexity.
A Perugino Masterpiece Lands in New York for Sotheby’s Old Masters Week
On loan from the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria in Perugia, the artist’s ‘Man of Sorrows’ (1495) will be on view through February 4 before heading to the Morgan Library, where it will be shown in dialogue with a Giovanni Bellini ‘Pietà.’
U.S. Galleries and Art Spaces Shut Their Doors to Protest ICE
The commercial art world has rarely, if ever, acted in unison when politics has collided with money and power.
Lifestyle
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The Most Noteworthy Cocktail Bars in Dallas, From Speakeasies to Rooftops
A guide to the bars pushing Dallas’ cocktail scene beyond margaritas and Ranch Water.
Inside the Whitney’s 2026 Art Party: Turning Up the Heat for New York’s Next Gen Patrons
“It felt as if everyone in attendance was in competition with the works of art for the boldest look of the night,” Gabrielle Richardson told Observer.
How to Travel the 2026 Winter Olympics Like an Italian Insider
Milano Cortina spans five destinations across Lombardy and Veneto, each with its own hotels, restaurants, and reasons to linger well past the closing ceremony.
Inside the Next Wave of Members’ Clubs in the U.S., Where Exclusivity Gets Very Specific
Eight new members-only clubs reveal how exclusivity is being reengineered in 2026.
Eugene Remm Puts Food First as Catch Hospitality Rapidly Expands
With new openings and major renovations underway, Remm is refocusing Catch Hospitality around the kitchen.
Interviews
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Mark Dion and the Politics of Knowledge
“Material objects communicate in a way that’s fundamentally different from everything else,” the artist says. “They tell you so much—not just about the maker, but about the materials, the period, the conditions of their making.”
In “Eruption,” Lindsay Jarvis and Max Werner Make a Case for Collaboration
Their multigenerational exhibition rethinks Neo-Expressionism while quietly proposing a model of art dealing that’s rooted in shared risk and reward.
The Park Avenue Armory’s Deborah Warner On Sidestepping Genre and Embracing Collision
In the Armory’s unique blend of performance spaces, she sees opportunities to embrace friction and fluidity between forms.
Lucile Gauvain On Foregrounding the Modern With the Medieval
Her practice leverages age-old tropes to confront contemporary emotional and political realities.
How ESTE ARTE Founder Laura Bardier Built an Art Market from Scratch
“I wanted to treat the context as an active framework, not as a backdrop—to think about what actually works within our environment,” she tells Observer.
Power Lists
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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.
Observer’s 2025 Art Power Index: The Art Market’s Most Influential People
Their acquisitions, affinities and approbations move the needle on valuation and redefine how art is made, shown and sold.
100 Leaders Shaping the Future of Artificial Intelligence
They write the script that the rest of us follow.
The Top PR Firms in 2025
This year’s PR Power List celebrates the agencies bold enough to lead the charge and smart enough to reflect the world they’re shaping.
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Market Strength Beyond the Fair Floor Defined Singapore Art Week 2026
Singapore’s art scene has grown, in part, by aligning institutional acquisition with deeper regional and international engagement.
Palmer Luckey Launches ‘AI Grand Prix’ to Recruit Top Defense Tech Engineers
The defense tech company is using a global autonomous drone race to find top engineering talent.
Microsoft’s Maia Chip Targets A.I. Inference as Big Tech Rethinks Training
Maia 200 shows how Big Tech is prioritizing inference—running models at scale—over training new ones.
Raquel Urtasun Raises $1B to Expand Waabi Into Robotaxis
Autonomous trucking startup Waabi raised $1 billion from investors and Uber as it prepares to enter the competitive robotaxi market.
At Davos 2026, the New A.I. Race Is About Execution
Dr. Kathryn Wifvat, a leading applied A.I. strategist advising governments, enterprises and sovereign investors, and Mark Minevich, a globally recognized Chief A.I. Officer and World Economic Forum contributor, analyze how Davos 2026 marked a turning point in the global A.I. conversation. They argue that A.I. has entered its infrastructure phase, where competitive advantage depends on execution, governance, workforce transformation and technological sovereignty. The new A.I. race, they explain, will be decided by those who can operationalize intelligence at scale under mounting geopolitical and societal constraints.
25-Year-Old TikTok Star Khaby Lame Sells His Media Company for Nearly $1B
TikTok’s most-followed creator sells his media company for $975 million, including rights to an A.I. digital twin and global brand operations.
Screening at Sundance: David Greaves’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Harlem’
After more than 50 years, the documentary filmmaker’s son brings his father’s greatest feat to stunning completion
Challenger at 40: How a Tragedy Reshaped Spaceflight’s Culture and Ethics
Four decades after Challenger, the disaster’s lessons continue to guide how humanity explores space responsibly.
Former Citi CEO Sandy Weill Gives $120M to UC Davis Vet School That Cared for His Dog
Former Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill donates $120 million to UC Davis’ veterinary school, inspired by the care of his late dog, Angel.
Olympic Mode, Activated: The Best Winter Games Inspired Menswear
The ceremony sweaters, trail sneakers and alpine-ready puffers that let you channel the Winter Olympics from the spectator seats.
Dario Amodei Warns of A.I.’s Direst Risks—and How Anthropic Is Stopping Them
In a 20,000-word essay, Anthropic’s CEO urges regulation and new defenses against A.I.-enabled bioweapons.
Tesla Investors Are Eager to Hear Elon Musk Talk About Everything But EVs
As Tesla reports quarterly earnings, investors are focused less on cars and more on Musk’s robots and rockets.
