Tiffany & Co. brings back its astronomical clock just in time for America’s 250th anniversary.
To mark America’s 250th anniversary, Tiffany & Co. is unveiling a restored Astronomical Clock at The Landmark on Fifth Avenue, an object unseen by the public for over a century. Originally created for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the clock was acquired by Tiffany in 2025 and spent seven months in restoration at the brand’s watchmaking workshops in Geneva, returning it to working order while preserving its original construction. The timepiece is one of the most mechanically complex clocks ever produced in the American context. Among them: a display tracking the years since American independence, set to read “250th” in 2026, making the unveiling a precisely timed tribute to the nation’s semiquincentennial.
Jean-Marc Bustamante opens a new foundation inside a 12th-century church in Arles.
French artist Jean-Marc Bustamante will open Fonds Bustamante, a new independent cultural foundation, in Arles on July 9, housed in the newly renovated 12th-century Église Sainte-Croix. The inaugural exhibition, “En Miroirs,” runs through October 30, timed to coincide with the opening of the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival. The renovation was carried out by architect Charles Zana, whose design divides the building into two sections: La Nef, housing the main exhibition rooms, and Les Collatéraux, containing a research center and café. The façade features a Bustamante-designed frieze of enameled lava tiles in yellow, a tribute to Vincent van Gogh, who once lived in the city. Spanish artist Cristina Iglesias has created a monumental cast-aluminum and glass sculpture for the first floor, soaring over four meters high.
Abu Dhabi reveals Dar al Funoon, a Frank Gehry performing arts venue due in 2030.
Construction has started on Dar al Funoon Abu Dhabi, a performing arts venue designed by Frank Gehry at age 96. Expected to be completed in 2030, the sculptural landmark will be located on Saadiyat Island, joining Gehry’s Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, also currently under construction. The rippling, fabric-like structure will house a 2,000-seat performance hall, a 3,500-seat open-air amphitheatre, a 400-seat theatre, and a 250-seat jazz venue, hosting opera, ballet, theatre, and live performance. It will sit alongside Zayed National Museum by Foster + Partners, the Louvre Abu Dhabi by Jean Nouvel, and TeamLab Phenomena on Saadiyat Island’s growing cultural campus.
KYOTOGRAPHIE comes to London with Japan House’s first exhibition dedicated to photography.
Japan House London, the Kensington High Street institution dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding of Japanese culture, has opened its first exhibition dedicated entirely to photography. KYOTOGRAPHIE: Kawada Kikuji x Iwane Ai, directed by the KYOTOGRAPHIE team themselves, marking their first exhibition project in the United Kingdom, pairs the pioneering post-war photographer Kawada Kikuji with contemporary artist Iwane Ai, establishing a dialogue that stretches across more than half a century of practice.
Former Audemars Piguet CEO François-Henri Bennahmias unveils new luxury watch brand N3W5.
François-Henri Bennahmias, the former chief executive of Audemars Piguet, has unveiled details of a new Swiss watch brand called N3W5, an acronym for North, East, West, South, pronounced “News” set to launch at Dubai Watch Week in late 2027. Backed by a 30 million Swiss franc investment, the brand will introduce its first mechanical watches at prices starting at CHF 20,000, with production of several thousand pieces planned in its first year. A second collection is expected in 2028. The brand will draw on notable names from the Swiss industry, including celebrated enamelist Anita Porchet, for design, production, and craftsmanship.
Today’s attractive distractions:
Seoul-based artist Giumi You captures memory and stillness in a collection of atmospheric oil paintings.
Mulberry rejoins London Fashion Week as Christopher Kane prepares his first collection.
French mountain brand Salomon opens its largest New York City store in Flatiron.
Gus the T. Rex makes its auction debut at Sotheby’s.
