Rashid Johnson photographed Jay-Z for the cover of GQ's new special global issue, which features an extensive interview with the rapper and mogul. Johnson, a contemporary art star known for exploring Black male identity, was chosen for his artistic alignment with Jay-Z's career-long challenge of simplistic notions of Blackness in American culture.
Es Devlin, the renowned set designer behind iconic pop culture moments for Beyoncé, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, and Miley Cyrus, is shifting focus from large-scale commercial spectacles to more personal artistic projects. A new monograph and retrospective at the Cooper Hewitt, titled "An Atlas of Es Devlin," catalogues her three-decade career, while her latest installation "Surfacing," commissioned by BMW and unveiled at Art Basel 2024, marks a turn toward fine art. Devlin, now 50, describes this phase as a liberating new chapter where she feels "nothing to lose."
This article profiles six visionary women shaping the art world in 2025, beginning with British designer Es Devlin, known for her immersive stagecraft and large-scale installations. It highlights her recent role as global artistic lead of the Women’s Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, where she created a participatory sound installation. The piece also features Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, founder of ART X Lagos, West Africa's leading international art fair, which celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2025. Peterside-Schwebig is a cultural entrepreneur and collector who has expanded the fair into initiatives like ART X Live!, the Access ART X Prize, and a school program for underprivileged children.
Max Hollein, director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, discusses the institution's upcoming major projects in an interview with a chair of the Met's Vanguard Council. These include the groundbreaking of the new Tang Wing for Modern and Contemporary Art, designed by Frida Escobedo, a major Raphael exhibition, and the Met Gala co-chaired by Beyoncé. Hollein reflects on the launch of the Vanguard Council, a next-generation patron group, and the museum's efforts to engage younger audiences.
Berlin-based artist Sofia Defino Leiby is currently transitioning her practice between her Alt-Treptow studio and a residency at Defet House in Nürnberg. Her multidisciplinary approach integrates painting, collage, and performance, drawing heavily from a 'running narrative' of personal notes, found ephemera, and high-end materials like Schmincke paints. The work often features visceral, layered compositions that utilize everything from vintage packaging to Swiss Aura-Soma bottle imagery.