December 23, 2023

HELLO, GOODBYE

When Robert Altman re-invented the noir detective movie with The Long Goodbye, he needed a leading man who could capture the 70s Zeitgeist—and found him in a floundering Elliot Gould …

FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT

The world’s greatest art forger has been imprisoned twice. Now he’s going straight, selling his own work for tens of thousands of dollars, and offering wealthy patrons backups to their collections …

BURNING MAN

How Serge Bromberg, the “Indiana Jones of lost film,” known for his obsessive restoration of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s masterpiece Inferno, ended up behind bars …

BELLHOPS AND BOMB DROPS

Throughout Ukraine, top-drawer hotels have proven to be practical and valuable oases on the front lines of the ongoing war. Jack Crosbie, a former wartime lodger at Kharkiv Palace, reports on the phenomenon …

POLAR MADCAP

Sir Hubert Wilkins, the last great explorer of the polar regions, had a barnstorming life of adventure—and a firm belief that beings from another planet were speaking to him …

TALIBROS IN ARMS

Self-styled danger tourist “Lord” Miles Routledge spent eight months held hostage by the Taliban. He’s not angry—he calls them his “best mates”—and he’s planning a return to Afghanistan …

BIBLIO-BUBBLE

The last few years have seen an influx of massive book contracts for young, edgy novelists. But are any of them actually making their publishers money?

BUT, WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

Telltale stories from La Grenouille … Can soft-core porn be feminist? … Ella Fitzgerald’s never-before-seen scrapbooks … Nina Campbell’s secrets to style … Steve McQueen’s documentary recalls the Nazis’ occupation of Amsterdam … Could Ischia’s thermal baths cure the coronavirus? … Mini Ferraris for a pretty penny!

Issue No. 232

The View from Here From Kabul’s Serena to Jerusalem’s King David, war hotels have long served as headquarters and havens for international journalists. In the war in Ukraine, the Kharkiv Palace is the new gathering place

By Jack Crosbie

Read On

By Hook or by Crook David Henty can mimic Picasso, Monet, Modigliani, Caravaggio, Basquiat, and more. The ex-convict may be the world’s greatest art forger, and he has the plaque to prove it

By Blanca Schofield

Read On

Burn After Watching How a flamboyant Frenchman who rose to fame for restoring lost film classics—and burning old film onstage to impress audiences—ended up on trial for manslaughter

By John von Sothen

Read On

Oh, What a Night!

With the New Year’s Eve countdown on, prepare for an unforgettable night with these festive finds, each worthy of celebration in its own right

Shop

Photo: Images Press/Getty Images (Cleveland and St. Jacques)

My Favorite Things The Parisian stylist, celebrated for her sui generis approach to sartorial storytelling, divulges her favorite finds, from vintage home accents and skin-care essentials to her camera of choice

By Camille Bidault-Waddington

Shop

Photo: Angèle Châtenet (Bidault-Waddington)

Eye of the Beholder Whether it’s real (Barbra), prosthetic (Bradley), or doctored (every third Instagram influencer), the nose is having a moment. Our beauty-and-wellness reporter sniffs around Hollywood

By Linda Wells

Read On

The Ultimate Baby Driver The Little Car Company makes scaled-down replicas of Ferraris and Bentleys that retail for six figures. But their target audience is larger than you’d think

By Jonathan Margolis

Read On

A Man Out of Time How Robert Altman and a down-on-his-luck Elliott Gould re-invented the detective movie

By Josh Karp and Marc Freeman

Read On

Don’t Judge a Book by Its Advance Publishers are handing out six-figure book deals to young, debut authors. How long can the bubble last if nearly all of them are losing money?

By Louis Cheslaw

Read On

Diet Noom “Not because you need it, darling. You’re perfect just the way you are.” That’s what you should say when giving someone a Noom…

Look Metropolitan Museum of Art On any given day in New York City, there is at least one exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of…

Donate Doctors Without Borders There is at least one person in your circle of friends and relatives who really does have everything…

Read AIR MAIL Not to be immodest, but AIR MAIL is a great choice for friends and relatives who long for a smart, funny, and sophisticated…

Spend Hallmark x Venmo You can give someone a digital gift of music or books, but let’s face it, there isn’t a child, nephew, or godchild that would not…

Plant Million Trees NYC It’s a little late to buy a Christmas tree, let alone send one to a friend. But you can come close by giving an online donation to…

Diet Noom “Not because you need it, darling. You’re perfect just the way you are.” That’s what you should say when giving someone a Noom…

Look Metropolitan Museum of Art On any given day in New York City, there is at least one exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of…

Donate Doctors Without Borders There is at least one person in your circle of friends and relatives who really does have everything…

Read AIR MAIL Not to be immodest, but AIR MAIL is a great choice for friends and relatives who long for a smart, funny, and sophisticated…

Spend Hallmark x Venmo You can give someone a digital gift of music or books, but let’s face it, there isn’t a child, nephew, or godchild that would not…

Plant Million Trees NYC It’s a little late to buy a Christmas tree, let alone send one to a friend. But you can come close by giving an online donation to…

From Tadpole to Frog Prince For decades, Charles Masson presided over La Grenouille, hosting everyone from Edward R. Murrow to David Rockefeller—not to mention a tricky Truman Capote

By Charles Masson

Read On

A Lasting Tango in Paris The homes of 20th-century artists Chana Orloff, Jean Cocteau, Jean Tinguely, Louis Carré, and Serge Gainsbourg, all open to the public, offer escapes into another time

By Patricia Zohn

Read On

Taliban Fanboys “Lord Miles” is a twice-captured, twice-rescued danger tourist seeking to monetize his cozy ties to the terrorist rulers of Afghanistan

By Lynne O'Donnell

Read On

The Iceman Cometh By land, air, and sea, Sir Hubert Wilkins explored the earth’s harshest polar regions—and the hidden depths of the human mind

By Reid Mitenbuler

Photo Illustration by Chop Choppish Shop

Read On

Better by Design Nina Campbell, the legendary British interior designer, shares her decorating tips, from the importance of lampshades to tricks for mixing patterns

By Jessica Doyle

Read On

Why Was the “Indiana Jones of Lost Movies” Accused of Manslaughter? On this week’s podcast, John von Sothen reports from Paris on a trial fit to be a film

Read On

Water Works Ischia’s thermal baths have been drawing wellness warriors for 3,000 years. But can they do anything for long COVID?

By Catherine Fairweather

Read On

The Amsterdam Diaries The 12 Years a Slave director, Steve McQueen, and his partner, Bianca Stigter, discuss the making of Occupied City, a new documentary about Nazi-era Amsterdam

By Nicolas Rapold

Read On

Good Help Is Hard to Find Joseph Losey and Harold Pinter’s cult masterpiece, The Servant, turns 60

By Sam Kashner

Read On

Black Emanuelle Matters A saucy sexploitation-movie series is being re-assessed as a groundbreaking feminist work in an exhaustive new boxed set

By Spike Carter

Read On

David Yaffe On

Material Wealth: Mining the Personal Archive of Allen Ginsberg

by Pat Thomas

Read On

James Riding On

Dickensland: The Curious History of Dickens’s London

by Lee Jackson

Read On

All That Jazz—and More A never-before-seen early scrapbook belonging to Ella Fitzgerald sheds fresh light on the jazz singer who transformed American music

By Judith Tick

Read On

Marguerite Humeau For her latest exhibition, the French artist has installed nearly 90 sculptures across Colorado’s San Luis Valley

By Elena Clavarino

Read On

Soviet Sojourn A new coffee-table book collects photographs of dachas, colorful cottages that have dotted the Russian countryside since the 18th century

6

Dachas in Kratovo, in the Moscow region, *top,* and in Kimry, in the Tver region.

Dachas in Kratovo, *top,* and in the Leningrad region.

Dachas in Vyazniki, in the Vladimir region, *top,* and in Voronezh, in the Voronezh region.

*Top,* a scene from the film *Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears; above,* a dacha in Kratovo.

Dachas in Severodvinsk, in the Moscow region, *top,* and Kratovo.

Christmas Eve at the Alberses The director of the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation recalls re-creating the Berlin holidays of Anni’s youth—complete with beluga caviar and rock lobster—Stateside

By Nicholas Fox Weber

Read On

Is Edited By

Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley

Creative Director

Angela Panichi

Deputy Editors

Ashley Baker Ash Carter Chris Garrett Nathan King Julia Vitale

Chief Technology Officer

John Tornow

Editor at Large

George Pendle

Books Editor

Jim Kelly

Arts Intel Report Editor

Laura Jacobs

Senior Editors

Elena Clavarino Jensen Davis

Photo Director

Ann Schneider

Copy Editor

Adam Nadler

Research & Legal Editor

Matt Kapp

Production Editor

H. Scott Jolley

Associate Editors

Carolina de Armas Lucy Horowitz Clara Molot Paulina Prosnitz Jack Sullivan

Art Director

Paloma Huerre

Senior Photo Editor

Emine Gözde Sevim

Designer

Zoé Gillette

International Editor

Isabelle Harvie-Watt

London Editor

Bridget Arsenault

Communications Director

Harrison Vail

Columnists

Cazzie David Lisa Henricksson Walter Isaacson
Pico Iyer Rachel Johnson John Lahr
Jonathan Margolis Linda Wells James Wolcott

Writers at Large

Lili Anolik Johanna Berkman Joseph Bullmore Vassi Chamberlain William D. Cohan Rich Cohen Michael Hainey Stuart Heritage George Kalogerakis Sam Kashner James Kirchick Alexander Lobrano Alexandra Marshall Daphne Merkin Sam Wasson

Contributing Artists

Monica Ahanonu Barry Blitt André Carrilho Paul Davis David Downton Andrea Ferolla Josh Gosfield Cathy Graham Eric Hanson Angelica Hicks Pip Johnson Hilary Knight Danielle Kosann Michael Lindsay-Hogg Ross MacDonald Joe McKendry James McMullan Donald Robertson Charles Dare Scheips Grant Shaffer Ed Sorel Ralph Steadman

Contributing Photographers

Jonathan Becker Justin Bishop Alex Board James Emmerman Marcos Fecchino Daniel Paik Art Streiber Sharon Suh Justin Weiner

Architectural Consultant

Basil Walter

Head of Audience Development

Rachel LeSage

Audience Growth Manager

Merritt Johnson

Cartoon Editor

Bob Mankoff

Music Supervisor

Randall Poster

Technology

Brooks Oakley Justin Rubaloff Sade Singleton

Intern

Gasper Tringale-White

OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER ARE

Bill Keenan and Emily Davis

Air Supply General Manager and Brand Partnerships

Anjali Lewis

Advertising Director

Michael Pescuma

European Sales Director

Selim Mataraci

Financial & Business Operations

Marc Leyer

Account Manager

Dillon Freeman

Chief Strategy Adviser

Adam Mendelsohn

AIR SUPPLY

Chief Merchant

Jennifer Noyes

Shop Editor

Zoe Ruffner

E-Commerce Manager

Isaac Metlitsky

E-commerce Associate

Lilly Schoenbaum

In Memoriam

Peter Bogdanovich Duncan Hannah Douglas McGrath Richard David Story André Leon Talley

The View from Here From Kabul’s Serena to Jerusalem’s King David, war hotels have long served as headquarters and havens for international journalists. In the war in Ukraine, the Kharkiv Palace is the new gathering place

By Hook or by Crook David Henty can mimic Picasso, Monet, Modigliani, Caravaggio, Basquiat, and more. The ex-convict may be the world’s greatest art forger, and he has the plaque to prove it

Burn After Watching How a flamboyant Frenchman who rose to fame for restoring lost film classics—and burning old film onstage to impress audiences—ended up on trial for manslaughter

With the New Year’s Eve countdown on, prepare for an unforgettable night with these festive finds, each worthy of celebration in its own right

My Favorite Things The Parisian stylist, celebrated for her sui generis approach to sartorial storytelling, divulges her favorite finds, from vintage home accents and skin-care essentials to her camera of choice

Eye of the Beholder Whether it’s real (Barbra), prosthetic (Bradley), or doctored (every third Instagram influencer), the nose is having a moment. Our beauty-and-wellness reporter sniffs around Hollywood

The Ultimate Baby Driver The Little Car Company makes scaled-down replicas of Ferraris and Bentleys that retail for six figures. But their target audience is larger than you’d think

A Man Out of Time How Robert Altman and a down-on-his-luck Elliott Gould re-invented the detective movie

Don’t Judge a Book by Its Advance Publishers are handing out six-figure book deals to young, debut authors. How long can the bubble last if nearly all of them are losing money?

From Tadpole to Frog Prince For decades, Charles Masson presided over La Grenouille, hosting everyone from Edward R. Murrow to David Rockefeller—not to mention a tricky Truman Capote

A Lasting Tango in Paris The homes of 20th-century artists Chana Orloff, Jean Cocteau, Jean Tinguely, Louis Carré, and Serge Gainsbourg, all open to the public, offer escapes into another time

Taliban Fanboys “Lord Miles” is a twice-captured, twice-rescued danger tourist seeking to monetize his cozy ties to the terrorist rulers of Afghanistan

The Iceman Cometh By land, air, and sea, Sir Hubert Wilkins explored the earth’s harshest polar regions—and the hidden depths of the human mind

Better by Design Nina Campbell, the legendary British interior designer, shares her decorating tips, from the importance of lampshades to tricks for mixing patterns

Why Was the “Indiana Jones of Lost Movies” Accused of Manslaughter? On this week’s podcast, John von Sothen reports from Paris on a trial fit to be a film

Water Works Ischia’s thermal baths have been drawing wellness warriors for 3,000 years. But can they do anything for long COVID?

The Amsterdam Diaries The 12 Years a Slave director, Steve McQueen, and his partner, Bianca Stigter, discuss the making of Occupied City, a new documentary about Nazi-era Amsterdam

Good Help Is Hard to Find Joseph Losey and Harold Pinter’s cult masterpiece, The Servant, turns 60

Black Emanuelle Matters A saucy sexploitation-movie series is being re-assessed as a groundbreaking feminist work in an exhaustive new boxed set

All That Jazz—and More A never-before-seen early scrapbook belonging to Ella Fitzgerald sheds fresh light on the jazz singer who transformed American music

Marguerite Humeau For her latest exhibition, the French artist has installed nearly 90 sculptures across Colorado’s San Luis Valley

Soviet Sojourn A new coffee-table book collects photographs of dachas, colorful cottages that have dotted the Russian countryside since the 18th century

Christmas Eve at the Alberses The director of the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation recalls re-creating the Berlin holidays of Anni’s youth—complete with beluga caviar and rock lobster—Stateside

Is Edited By

Creative Director

Deputy Editors

Chief Technology Officer

Editor at Large

Books Editor

Arts Intel Report Editor

Senior Editors

Photo Director

Copy Editor

Research & Legal Editor

Production Editor

Associate Editors

Art Director

Senior Photo Editor

Designer

International Editor

London Editor

Communications Director

Columnists

Writers at Large

Contributing Artists

Contributing Photographers

Architectural Consultant

Social Media Manager

Head of Audience Development

Audience Growth Manager

Cartoon Editor

Music Supervisor

Technology

Intern

OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER ARE

Air Supply General Manager and Brand Partnerships

Advertising Director

European Sales Director

Financial & Business Operations

Account Manager

Chief Strategy Adviser

Chief Merchant

Shop Editor

E-Commerce Manager

E-commerce Associate

In Memoriam