Cultured magazine profiles artist Nicole Eisenman as part of its 2026 CULT100 honorees, featuring a short interview accompanied by photography by Lee Mary Manning. Eisenman discusses her daily life, creative influences, and art-world politics, mentioning her sofa, friends, and a hypothetical obituary headline. The piece highlights her role in the revival of figurative painting and her work in large-scale public sculpture.
Ebony L. Haynes, the influential curator behind 52 Walker—the downtown David Zwirner spinoff that helped transform Tribeca into New York's premier gallery district—has been promoted to global head of curatorial projects for the mega-gallery's entire network. In a candid Q&A, she discusses her insomnia, her early dream of being an A&R executive for a record label, and her commitment to ambitious, often impractical shows. She also names Koyo Kouoh's upcoming Venice Biennale as a highlight she's looking forward to.
The article profiles Katherine Brinson, a curator at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, known for organizing major exhibitions for artists like Alex Katz, Danh Vo, and most recently a mid-career survey of sculptor Carol Bove in the museum's iconic rotunda. In a Q&A format, Brinson discusses her curatorial philosophy, her deep connection to the Frank Lloyd Wright building, and her introverted nature, while revealing plans to make the Carol Bove show more welcoming with seating areas and daily tea service.
Alex Da Corte, known for his dreamlike installations such as the Big Bird piece on the Met's roof, is taking on a new role as curator. He is co-organizing the Whitney Museum's upcoming Roy Lichtenstein exhibition with Meg Onli, the largest Lichtenstein show in New York since 1993. In a Q&A for Cultured's 2026 CULT100 honorees, Da Corte discusses his influences, including poet Miyó Vestrini and filmmakers Len Lye and Todd Haynes, and reflects on his six-year preparation for the show.
Yana Peel, president of arts, culture, and heritage at Chanel, is profiled in Cultured's 2026 CULT100 honorees feature. The article, accompanied by a photograph by Jason Schmidt, highlights her leadership in elevating Chanel's commitment to the visual arts, including supporting China's first public contemporary art library, transforming Gabrielle Chanel's French Riviera home into a creative retreat, and launching the Next Prize for emerging artists. Peel answers a series of personal and professional questions, discussing her influences, career highlights such as building pavilions with architects Frida Escobedo, Francis Kéré, and Liu Jiakun during her tenure as CEO of the Serpentine, and her ongoing work with Christo's final project in London.
Philanthropist Sonya Yu made headlines in December by funding universal admission to MoMA PS1, making the Queens institution the largest free museum in New York. Based on the West Coast, she serves on the boards of SFMOMA and the Hammer Museum. In this interview, Yu discusses her influences, her views on the art industry, and her personal philosophy, touching on topics like stagnation, curiosity, and the importance of world-building over algorithm-chasing.
Ann Temkin, the chief curator of painting and sculpture at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), is featured in a Cultured magazine profile discussing her career and the museum's ambitious upcoming exhibition of Marcel Duchamp, which she and her colleagues have been preparing for five years. The article includes a Q&A where Temkin reflects on her biggest contribution to culture—connecting art and people—and cites John Cage's touring exhibition "Rolywholyover A Circus" as a surprising influence, noting how it demonstrated that a show can itself be a work of art.
Ruthie Rogers, the chef behind London's Michelin-starred River Cafe, has launched a digital podcast called "Ruthie's Table 4," where guests like Tina Fey, Austin Butler, and Paul McCartney discuss their lives through food. The conversations have been compiled into a new book, "Table 4 at The River Cafe." Rogers reflects on her career, her socially active upbringing, and the restaurant's role as a cultural hub where artists such as Cy Twombly, Ellsworth Kelly, and Damien Hirst have contributed menu illustrations.
Paul Grimstad, a Yale humanities professor known for his roles in films by Paul Thomas Anderson and Josh Safdie, is featured in Cultured's 2026 CULT100 honorees. The article presents a Q&A where Grimstad discusses his upcoming debut novel "Cold Fusion," his experimental music and film scoring, and his views on the art industry, including a desire for more wide-open experimentation and less careerism.
Hamza Walker, the renowned curator and director of the Los Angeles nonprofit art space the Brick, is featured as a 2026 CULT100 honoree. He was a key driver behind the ambitious exhibition “Monuments,” which places decommissioned Confederate monuments alongside contemporary art at a time when American cultural history is increasingly politicized. The article includes a brief Q&A with Walker, touching on his personal tastes, work philosophy, and reflections on his career.
Walter Hood, an award-winning landscape designer known for transforming overlooked urban spaces into vibrant gathering areas, has been selected for his most high-profile project yet: the new $335 million park at Lincoln Center Plaza in Manhattan. In a brief interview for Cultured's 2026 CULT100 honorees, Hood discusses misconceptions about his personality, his inspirations, and the challenges he faces as a creative professional.
Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin of Milan-based design studio Formafantasma have become fashion and art's go-to design duo. In the past year, they designed runways for Meryll Rogge's Marni debut, scenography for the new Fondation Cartier, and a radical take on the Shaker legacy for a show at the Vitra Design Museum. In an interview, they discuss their critical approach to design, the gap between design's progressive claims and its environmental and labor impacts, and their commitment to using design as a tool for inquiry rather than mere form-making.