News, reviews and analysis from WSJ, including books, movies, art, food, music, history, television and theater. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/ en-us Copyright © Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 17:03:12 GMT https://www.wsj.com/img/wsj_sm_logo.gif https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/ WP-WSJO-0000356816 The author of “A Brief History of Seven Killings” delivers a music-saturated novel set in Jamaica’s gay community at the close of the 20th century. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/fiction-the-disappearers-by-marlon-james-e8eee914?mod=rss_artsculture Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:18:00 GMT Sam Sacks Uncredited WP-WSJ-0003838949 For the high-powered set, being able to read a wine list—and order for the table—can still offer a leg up at work. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/food-cooking/how-being-a-wine-connoisseur-became-the-ultimate-business-flex-055cb2d8?mod=rss_artsculture Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Emily Saladino Jessica Craig-Martin/Trunk Archive WP-WSJO-0000340319 At the Morgan Library & Museum, a selection of art owned by the writer and critic offers a view of his personal taste and creative companions. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/friends-who-came-to-see-me-drawings-from-john-ashberys-collection-review-picturing-a-poets-circle-6c0f6d08?mod=rss_artsculture Mon, 24 Aug 2026 21:56:00 GMT Willard Spiegelman The Morgan Library & Museum WP-WSJO-0000357877 The pioneering Americana group, founded four decades ago, offers a genre-hopping record that reflects on life, youth and leader Gary Louris’s romantic story. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/sanctuary-park-by-the-jayhawks-review-still-fresh-at-40-710f1961?mod=rss_artsculture Mon, 24 Aug 2026 20:18:00 GMT Barry Mazor Steve Cohen WP-WSJO-0000355529 The Venezuelan-born Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, now jailed in France, was an unlikely pioneer of Palestinian radicalism and global terrorism. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/the-jackal-review-a-killer-in-a-beret-49119bfb?mod=rss_artsculture Mon, 24 Aug 2026 18:23:00 GMT Clifford Krauss Uncredited WP-WSJO-0000352320 The author of “Lost in Curiosity” on tales of lab mishaps, fieldwork adventures and personal sacrifices in the pursuit of good data. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/five-best-books-on-the-human-side-of-science-a9976754?mod=rss_artsculture Mon, 24 Aug 2026 15:31:00 GMT Roberta Kwok Uncredited WP-WSJO-0000353601 Music in the U.S. has flowed from political upheaval and produced social change, but not always in the ways we might expect. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/on-the-record-review-the-sound-of-america-52d190ce?mod=rss_artsculture Sun, 23 Aug 2026 14:47:00 GMT Uncredited WP-WSJO-0000357938 Ridley Scott returns with post-apocalyptic film ‘The Dog Stars,’ found-footage horror comes to Broadway with ‘Paranormal Activity,’ a posthumous release digs into Prince’s archives, and more. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/arts-calendar-happenings-for-the-week-of-august-23-airdigital-841eabc3?mod=rss_artsculture Sun, 23 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT Netflix WP-WSJO-0000344532 England’s Hever Castle & Gardens presents an exhibition following the winding, often ambiguous visual record of Henry VIII’s second wife—and the first to be beheaded. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/fine-art/capturing-a-queen-the-image-of-anne-boleyn-review-a-shifting-royal-portrait-42043de7?mod=rss_artsculture Sat, 22 Aug 2026 11:00:00 GMT Dominic Green Hever Castle & Gardens WP-WSJO-0000237024 Television programs, musical performances, special exhibitions and more mark America’s 250th birthday. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/fine-art/america-250-calendar-ways-to-celebrate-the-nation-across-the-nation-airdigital-df7ecb23?mod=rss_artsculture Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT Yale University WP-WSJO-0000356225 Published in 1977, this Colombian cult classic novel about a young woman in Cali who becomes obsessed with salsa is a thrilling portrait of a city’s musical obsession. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/liveforever-andres-caicedos-manifesto-of-wild-youth-575d6ebb?mod=rss_artsculture Fri, 21 Aug 2026 21:28:00 GMT Rosario Carranza Rengifo Andrés Caicedo Papers, Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection, University of Texas Libraries WP-WSJO-0000324923 The enduring wisdom of Adam Smith, slavery in ancient Rome, the rivers that shaped Europe and more. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/13-books-we-read-this-week-aa4230f4?mod=rss_artsculture Fri, 21 Aug 2026 19:33:00 GMT Uncredited WP-WSJO-0000355848 In his most influential work, the Scots thinker united a set of economic precepts into a vision of human flourishing. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/the-wealth-of-nations-at-250-adam-smiths-achievement-60949fb8?mod=rss_artsculture Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:38:00 GMT David Gothard WP-WSJO-0000355927 Slavery was widespread in ancient Rome and its dominions. The lives of servants and laborers can be difficult to reconstruct. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/not-built-in-a-day-review-enslaved-by-empire-a7b34f98?mod=rss_artsculture Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:34:00 GMT Zev Radovan/Alamy WP-WSJO-0000349808 Every culture and era finds different things offensive. A universal standard for immorality in art may be an impossibility. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/depraved-review-the-shock-of-the-new-and-the-very-very-old-734eccb4?mod=rss_artsculture Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:32:00 GMT The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum WP-WSJO-0000335299 Novels from Valeria Luiselli and Katy Simpson Smith explore the connections between human relationships and the deliberate constructions of art. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/beginning-middle-end-and-the-maltese-version-20eaa115?mod=rss_artsculture Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:21:00 GMT Heller McAlpin Uncredited WP-WSJ-0003835045 As he concludes his tenure at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis opens up about childhood trauma, artistic integrity and why music matters even without an audience. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/wynton-marsalis-jazz-at-lincoln-center-f1511da1?mod=rss_artsculture Mon, 24 Aug 2026 14:00:00 GMT Holly Peterson Gilberto Tadday/Jazz at Lincoln Center WP-WSJ-0003835615 The most passionate have tickets for multiple shows of his Madison Square Garden residency that starts this week. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/harry-styles-ticket-prices-88ab9556?mod=rss_artsculture Mon, 24 Aug 2026 09:30:00 GMT Elias Leight Anthony Pham/Shutterstock WP-WSJ-0003835485 From “Dear Mama” to “California Love,” a rundown of the rapper’s timeless songs. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/as-tupac-shakurs-murder-trial-continues-why-the-hip-hop-legends-music-endures-5aedfa71?mod=rss_artsculture Fri, 21 Aug 2026 20:34:00 GMT Elias Leight Alamy WP-WSJO-0000350690 The musician’s three new albums include two sets inspired by a legendary jazzman and a reinterpretation of the classical composer’s themes. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/jon-batistes-piano-series-vols-2-4-at-the-keyboard-with-monk-and-mozart-e6a1b4ff?mod=rss_artsculture Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:46:00 GMT Larry Blumenfeld Luca Rosetti WP-WSJO-0000355977 The latest album from John Ross’s musical project features his thoughtfully grounded songwriting and a sturdy rock sound. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/still-coming-down-by-wild-pink-review-finding-depth-in-the-details-dac4bbdd?mod=rss_artsculture Tue, 18 Aug 2026 20:36:00 GMT Mark Richardson Rafael Vasconcelos WP-WSJ-0003832513 In 2026, our paragons of masculinity are brooding, burly—and smooth as dolphins. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/television/michael-ian-black-hairless-men-fe59b683?mod=rss_artsculture Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:00:00 GMT Michael Ian Black Ben Symons/Peacock/Getty Images WP-WSJ-0003832645 The Sussexes leave behind a trail of Netflix documentaries, a Spotify podcast and jam. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/television/prince-harry-meghan-markle-media-projects-680b59aa?mod=rss_artsculture Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:30:00 GMT Esther Zuckerman Ronald Martinez/Getty Images WP-WSJO-0000357155 From recreating the timeline of events to bringing together survivors and their rescuers, these television specials— ‘102 Minutes Inside the Towers’ on the History Channel, ‘9/11: United We Stand—25 Years Later’ on ABC and ‘9/11 Reunited’ on National Geographic—honor the anniversary of September 11, 2001. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/television/25-years-after-9-11-three-specials-commemorating-the-tragic-day-a2e62140?mod=rss_artsculture Thu, 20 Aug 2026 20:33:00 GMT John Anderson National Geographic/Virginia Sherwood WP-WSJO-0000355406 Documentarian Rory Kennedy’s follow-up to her 2022 investigation into the 737 MAX tragedies argues that a profits-over-quality company culture was to blame. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/television/freefall-a-reckoning-for-boeing-review-the-cost-of-cutting-corners-on-netflix-ea5a8edf?mod=rss_artsculture Tue, 18 Aug 2026 20:48:00 GMT John Anderson AIRFLIX-Maxwell Archives WP-WSJO-0000355648 Jon Favreau, director of the live-action ‘Lion King,’ executive produces a documentary chronicling the life of big cat Kio from cubhood to becoming the leader of his pride. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/television/lion-review-a-feline-coming-of-age-on-national-geographic-6a0ab2b2?mod=rss_artsculture Tue, 18 Aug 2026 20:45:00 GMT John Anderson National Geographic/Rolf Steinmann WP-WSJO-0000357930 Pop art—which rose to fame thanks to creators like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein—and its relation to New York’s Guggenheim Museum are the focus of an exhibition that takes an overly expansive view of the genre. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/fine-art/guggenheim-pop-1960-to-now-review-overinflated-overview-airdigital-8ac523f1?mod=rss_artsculture Fri, 21 Aug 2026 21:24:00 GMT Brian P. Kelly David Heald WP-WSJ-0003825909 Police recovered artworks from the artist’s famed 1947 “Jazz” series, which were taken from a Brazilian library last year. Other pieces stolen in the heist remain missing. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/fine-art/henri-matisse-prints-stolen-found-sao-paulo-brazil-ae3a86b1?mod=rss_artsculture Tue, 18 Aug 2026 18:04:00 GMT Kelly Crow Secretaria da Segurança Pública do Estado de São Paulo WP-WSJO-0000354913 Franz Kafka gets a biopic, Prime Video serves up a Novak Djokovic documentary in time for the U.S. Open, Weezer releases a new album, and more. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/fine-art/arts-calendar-happenings-for-the-week-of-august-16-airdigital-334fbf27?mod=rss_artsculture Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT Prime WP-WSJO-0000349594 With objects spanning millennia and cultures, this exhibit explores the dynamic relationships among instruments, art and our physical selves. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/fine-art/musical-bodies-review-a-human-symphony-at-the-met-museum-a3e2a885?mod=rss_artsculture Sat, 15 Aug 2026 11:00:00 GMT Diane Cole The Met WP-WSJO-0000347536 With the completion of its central tower—more than 140 years after the project began—the Barcelona basilica’s spectacular combination of the architect’s unique style and the contributions of subsequent artists is clearer than ever. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/fine-art/gaudis-sagrada-familia-a-miracle-worth-waiting-for-57dc5610?mod=rss_artsculture Fri, 14 Aug 2026 20:36:00 GMT Julia M. Klein Davide Bonaldo/SOPA Images/ZUMA Press WP-WSJ-0003834858 The melt-in-your-mouth meat is now a fixture at fine-dining restaurants and in Costco freezers. Grill it before summer ends—or during tailgate season. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/food-cooking/how-wagyu-japans-prized-beef-took-over-america-20546680?mod=rss_artsculture Sat, 22 Aug 2026 14:00:00 GMT Adam Chandler Justin Metz for WSJ WP-WSJ-0003826030 A new generation of pastry chefs are stepping into the spotlight, with multicourse dessert experiences in New York, San Antonio and more. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/food-cooking/dessert-tasting-menus-e1aff9b7?mod=rss_artsculture Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:00:00 GMT Amber Gibson Dan Anh WP-WSJ-0003815121 Dillon Davis and Nichols Neff’s plan to try every world cuisine is no longer just a project. It’s a community for chefs and foodies alike. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/food-cooking/two-guys-are-eating-their-way-around-the-worldwithout-leaving-new-york-db644769?mod=rss_artsculture Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:30:00 GMT Greta Reich Mathylda Dulian Mathylda Dulian for WSJ WP-WSJ-0003819008 With your wines, spirits and beers, make room for cannabis drinks, zero-proof cocktails and new-age bubbles. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/food-cooking/new-bar-drinks-zero-proof-db9a48c0?mod=rss_artsculture Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:00:00 GMT Adam Chandler Elizabeth Arvelos Coetzee; Prop Styling by Julia Rose WP-WSJ-0003812060 A deluge of sour, briny snacks has infiltrated the market. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/food-cooking/pickle-flavor-snacks-drinks-541ae075?mod=rss_artsculture Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:33:00 GMT Olivia Hau Elizabeth Coetzee/WSJ WP-WSJO-0000356113 Despite the presence of such veteran actors as Robert Sean Leonard, this staging of Wendy Wasserstein’s dated, creaky 1997 play—about a female surgeon-general nominee embroiled in controversy—suffers from Jean Lichty’s stiff central performance. https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-american-daughter-review-a-far-fetched-fiasco-off-broadway-97552614?mod=rss_artsculture Thu, 20 Aug 2026 19:38:00 GMT Charles Isherwood Joan Marcus WP-WSJO-0000355630 The opera company’s summer season featured impressive stagings of Mozart’s ‘Così fan tutte’ and Gregory Spears’s ‘Fellow Travelers,’ as well as grating versions of ‘Oklahoma’ and ‘Madama Butterfly.’ https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/theater/2026-glimmerglass-festival-review-soaring-highs-brash-lows-2b90ac47?mod=rss_artsculture Mon, 17 Aug 2026 20:37:00 GMT Heidi Waleson Glimmerglass Festival 50 WP-WSJO-0000351594 The refreshingly traditional staging of the tragicomedy at the Delacorte Theater stars Raúl Esparza and Lily Rabe. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-winters-tale-review-a-hungry-bear-and-free-shakespeare-in-the-park-5b36a9da?mod=rss_artsculture Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:09:00 GMT Charles Isherwood Joan Marcus WP-WSJO-0000350539 The summer program features the American debut of Tobias Picker’s “Lili Elbe” alongside satisfying stagings of “Rodelinda,” “The Magic Flute,” “Eugene Onegin” and “Madama Butterfly.” https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/theater/santa-fe-opera-2026-season-review-potent-premieres-and-reliable-revivals-67d45a88?mod=rss_artsculture Mon, 10 Aug 2026 20:46:00 GMT Heidi Waleson Bronwen Sharp WP-WSJO-0000346522 John David Washington and Conrad Ricamora star in Andrew Stein’s thrilling and timely play about a Silicon Valley millionaire who sneakily tests his psychologically invasive new creation on his friends. https://www.wsj.com/articles/disruption-review-ai-guinea-pigs-in-an-off-broadway-play-f116c42d?mod=rss_artsculture Tue, 04 Aug 2026 21:01:00 GMT Charles Isherwood Emilio Madrid WP-WSJO-0000357215 This sharp, darkly comic film follows a Lithuanian couple that splits up just as Russia invades Ukraine. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/film/how-to-divorce-during-the-war-review-a-drama-of-dual-crises-c4cc5a1d?mod=rss_artsculture Thu, 20 Aug 2026 20:50:00 GMT Zachary Barnes Zeitgeist Films WP-WSJO-0000356813 The actor stars as a bodyguard out for revenge and on a cargo ship in this lackluster action thriller. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/film/mutiny-review-jason-stathams-die-hard-at-sea-98841d9b?mod=rss_artsculture Thu, 20 Aug 2026 20:40:00 GMT Kyle Smith Dan Smith/Lionsgate WP-WSJO-0000356400 Agnieszka Holland’s surreal film about the writer travels back and forth in time, incorporating scenes not only from Franz Kafka’s life but from the present. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/film/franz-review-a-kaleidoscopic-kafka-biopic-118c8404?mod=rss_artsculture Thu, 20 Aug 2026 19:57:00 GMT Kyle Smith Cohen Media Group WP-WSJO-0000355071 The artist’s immersive video installation has a disjointed narrative and lack of emotional connection that overshadow its attractive visuals. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/film/doug-aitken-lightscape-review-bright-vision-dim-execution-at-the-shed-airdigital-3c762567?mod=rss_artsculture Fri, 14 Aug 2026 21:18:00 GMT Brian P. Kelly The Shed WP-WSJO-0000352056 Matthew McConaughey stars as an Oklahoma honeymaker in a perplexing film that also features Kurt Russell and Angelina LookingGlass. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/film/the-rivals-of-amziah-king-review-theres-no-business-like-bee-business-0df3eaff?mod=rss_artsculture Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:42:00 GMT Kyle Smith Black Bear Pictures WP-WSJO-0000354032 A new exhibition space in the basement of the landmark tribute to the 16th president illuminates both the engineering feat of the building’s support and the site’s evolving historical meaning. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/history/the-lincoln-memorial-undercroft-a-monumental-foundation-79afd6bc?mod=rss_artsculture Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:45:00 GMT Harold Holzer Kelsey Graczyk WP-WSJO-0000327779 To celebrate the semiquincentennial this July 4, read a selection of essays from the Journal’s ‘Masterpiece’ column highlighting the artistry of monuments, paintings, books and more related to our country’s founding ideals. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/history/10-masterpieces-to-celebrate-the-nations-250th-birthday-2fcbaf4b?mod=rss_artsculture Fri, 03 Jul 2026 11:00:00 GMT Getty Images/iStockphoto WP-WSJO-0000323529 The New York Historical showcases the evolution of our nation’s hallmark idea of self-government in a thoughtful, if sometimes pessimistic, exhibition. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/history/democracy-matters-review-the-great-experiment-in-progress-de5a1837?mod=rss_artsculture Thu, 02 Jul 2026 21:48:00 GMT Julia M. Klein The New York Historical WP-WSJO-0000326168 With pictures of presidents, war, triumph and more, photographers have captured pivotal moments of our history and altered the country’s public consciousness. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/history/america-250-our-nation-through-the-camera-lens-fde6b54b?mod=rss_artsculture Wed, 01 Jul 2026 21:23:00 GMT Isaac Sligh Joe Rosenthal/Associated Press WP-WSJO-0000321615 From the Capitol to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, the structures that surround us have expressed and shaped the country’s ideals. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/history/america-250-the-nations-portrait-in-stone-and-steel-548e710d?mod=rss_artsculture Sat, 27 Jun 2026 11:00:00 GMT Michael J. Lewis Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg News