Culture

Malika Favre’s “The Candidate”

Malika Favre’s “The Candidate” 10

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story For the cover of the October 7, 2024, issue, in which the editors endorse Kamala Harris for President, the artist Malika Favre portrays the Democratic candidate. “As soon as Harris—an empowered…

The Exhilarating Brilliance of Maggie Smith

The Exhilarating Brilliance of Maggie Smith 15

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story Dame Maggie Smith, who died on Friday, at the age of eighty-nine, was one of a generation of female British actors who carved out a long career on the stage, in…

How Funny Is Britain’s Labour Government?

How Funny Is Britain’s Labour Government? 17

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story When the British comedian Rosie Holt heard that Rishi Sunak, then the Prime Minister and head of the Conservative Party, would be holding a snap election in July, earlier than many…

Renée Cox’s Visions of the Future

Renée Cox’s Visions of the Future 19

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story In 2001, a friend of mine, the artist Daesha Devón Harris, attended the opening of a Renée Cox exhibition at the Robert Miller Gallery, in New York. At the time, Harris…

Two Cheers for Brutalism

Two Cheers for Brutalism 31

Nothing focuses the mind so well as a bare concrete wall. Credit: image via Shutterstock A few years ago, I attended a lecture in which a learned professor complained that American universities are obsessed with ugly buildings. To illustrate his…

Is There a Method to Donald Trump’s Madness?

Is There a Method to Donald Trump’s Madness? 38

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story “Weird.” It’s an eye-roll-inducing word, overused as it’s been these past two months. The term, which arguably won Governor Tim Walz the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ticket, was a…