The Rules of the Dame
Helen Mirren may have turned 80, but she’s still acting—and aging—gracefully. Just don’t call her feisty
Poetry in Motion
More than 100 of William Blake’s drawings, prints, and paintings go up in New Haven, showcasing the British poet’s visionary talent for blending art and language
A Very British Scandal—and Why It Could Cripple The Washington Post
On this week’s podcast, Nick Davies reveals new discoveries about the phone-hacking scandal that has rocked the U.K.—and why Jeff Bezos might soon find himself in an awkward position
Don’t Believe Everything You Read About Amelia Earhart
Silk slippers, a fake license, and the branding of an American icon
The Zone of Beauty
A stunning new documentary on Karl Lagerfeld reveals how the clothes made the man
Bowie in Aspic
From rejection letters to annotated Berlin menus, David Bowie saved it all. Now more than 90,000 artifacts are headed to the Victoria and Albert Museum, offering unprecedented insight into the Starman and his method
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
A new book traces the tumultuous history of man and wolf—and debunks the myth of the “alpha” once and for all
Marcantonio Brandolini d’Adda’s Guide to Venice
The Italian glassware designer shares his favorite spots in his hometown
Inspired by a Double Bagel
How the most one-sided defeat of Carlos Alcaraz’s life paved the way for his ascent to the top of the tennis world—and his moneymaking drop shot
The Echo of Art Deco
The architectural style was born 100 years ago. Its influence remains undiminished
The Man Behind the Alien Mask
Bolaji Badejo was a six-foot-10-inch Nigerian graphic-design student in London until a chance pub encounter made him Ridley Scott’s most elegant monster
R. F. Kuang
At 29 years old, the Chinese-American author of the best-selling novel Yellowface is getting ready to publish her sixth book—and complete her fourth degree
Force of Nature
An exhibition of still-life paintings by Rachel Ruysch goes up in Boston, honoring the Dutch artist whose fame in the 18th century rivaled that of Rembrandt
Picture This
A new coffee-table book collects Martyn Goddard’s photographs of Blondie, capturing the pop-punk band at their peak in the hot New York summer of 1978
Billionaires Behaving Badly: The Summer Edition
On this week’s podcast, William D. Cohan reports from Nantucket
Blame Canada
The Toronto International Film Festival has propelled the Hollywood hype machine for the past 50 years. Here are the newest causes for excitement
Deadly Pleasures to Read and Watch
A tartan noir for our times, and an excellent new British heist drama
Star Turn
After decades of character roles, Paul Guilfoyle, a CSI alumnus, plays the lead in a bittersweet film about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist
The Queen’s Gambit
Meyerbeer’s Ozymandian masterpiece Les Huguenots
The Designer Who Set Women Free
In contrast to Dior’s waist-cinching “New Look,” Claire McCardell’s “American Look” brought comfort to women’s fashion
