From Japan to Sarah Sze The advent and subsequent triumph of modernism did much to diminish the role of narrative in the visual arts, insisting, as it did, that the exigencies of craft should take precedence over anything smacking of literature. But modernism is an historical blip—a significant blip, mind you, but a blip all 
Visitors entering the lobby of the Rubin Museum of Art are welcomed with soothing Eastern music played by live performers nestled in the curved foot of an elegant spiral staircase—the building is itself a landmarked structure created by the noted French architectural designer Andrée Putman for Barney’s, its previous incarnation—that rises six levels through galleries 
If the filmmaking team Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor wrote out their thoughts on how contemporary pop has traduced fun, warped thrills and debased energy in the art form they love, it would be a great provocative piece of criticism—although few film publications would want such a principled view of the destructive entertainment that’s routinely 
Creativity is a facet of humanity that can be expressed in a multitude of venues. Some people make music, others make sculptures; Rebecca Schweiger, founder and director of The Art Studio NY, found her creative spark through painting and instilling the idea that everyone has an artist within themselves waiting to be found. The Art 
At 51, New York Times reporter Patricia Cohen has hit the ubiquitous halfway point for age. But instead of getting older quietly, Cohen decided to write a biography of middle age in her first book, In Our Prime: The Invention of Middle Age (Scribner). She starts at the beginning, roughly a century ago, when middle 
In the stultifying Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, British actor Tom Hardy briefly appeared in a romantic subplot as a heartbroken, repentant operative who laments all the impenetrable death and subterfuge simply because it cost him the woman he loved. For a few fleeting moments, Hardy’s alert eyes, sensual lips and magnetic ruddiness broke through film’s 
Cristina Alger took the “Write what you know” dictum to heart. Her book The Darlings (which has evoked comparisons to Dominick Dunne and Tom Wolfe—no shabby company for a debut novel) is set amid the world of the titular Upper East Side hedge fund family, just as the market crashes and reveals some questionable corporate 
Jamal Joseph attended a protest in Harlem the night Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Though the protest was mostly peaceful, looting and rioting broke out. Cops began clubbing and shooting at the protesters, making no differentiation between looters and those simply shouting phrases like “The King is dead.” The police chased Joseph, a 
Thalia Film Club keeps Manhattan residents in the know Manhattan is a town full of movie mavens; plenty of folks have an opinion on the best Buñuel or their fave Fellini. Looking to keep up with them? The Thalia Film Club might be just the thing. Situated in Symphony Space, the reputable venue for arts 
