Karl Lagerfeld’s private sketches head to auction.
Sotheby’s Paris will offer a rare glimpse into Karl Lagerfeld’s creative process this summer with the auction of more than 1,000 previously unseen personal sketches from his estate. The online sale runs from July 2–8, with an accompanying public exhibition. The drawings span decades, with works dating back to the 1970s. Many remained private during Lagerfeld’s lifetime, including working documents and satirical political illustrations never intended for public view. The sale extends beyond works on paper. Among the lots are his signature fingerless gloves and approximately 200 iPods, each one used to categorize specific audio genres and curate soundtracks for his runway shows. This marks the sixth and final estate sale Sotheby’s has organized from Lagerfeld’s personal holdings, following previous installments in Paris, Cologne, and Monaco.
A new Obama family portrait premieres with the Presidential Center in Chicago.
Nigerian visual artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby has painted the Obamas’ first official portrait together. The Obamas: Springing Forth (2026) was unveiled this week ahead of the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, where it will be permanently installed in the Hope and Change Lobby. Working from an original photograph she took herself, Akunyili Crosby layered the composition with her signature photo-transfer technique, embedding hundreds of personal and historical references throughout. Michelle Obama’s childhood home on Chicago’s South Side, the Martin Luther King Jr. bust from the Oval Office, charms gifted to Barack Obama by constituents, Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book, and the couple’s four Grammy Awards all appear alongside imagery drawn from the Civil Rights Movement and Chicago history.
Made With Pride: The West Hollywood Edition debuts an artist residency.
This month, the West Hollywood Edition launched Made With Pride, a first-of-its-kind artist residency program inviting five Los Angeles-based LGBTQ+ artists to treat the hotel as source material, absorbing its textures, atmospheres, and the energy of Sunset Boulevard after dark. The five residents bring distinct perspectives. Photographer Grant Legan, whose work has appeared in campaigns for Bulgari, turns the hotel’s sensory landscape into cinematic stills. Painter Zoe Walsh, a Yale MFA graduate, meditates on Los Angeles’ social spaces. Ceramic artist Mohamed Ouedrago channels joy and play, reconnecting with his inner child through the work. French mixed-media artist Amit Greenberg brings his signature pop-surrealist style, while textile artist Vita Kari explores themes of virality, diaspora, and communication. The resulting works will be exhibited on June 18.
Five new Grammy categories are coming in 2027.
The Recording Academy announced five new Grammy categories this week, set to take effect for the 69th ceremony on February 7, 2027, with nominations arriving this November. The additions, framed by CEO Harvey Mason Jr. as an effort to provide “more opportunities to celebrate different and new genres,” signal a meaningful shift in how music’s biggest night reflects the actual landscape of global music. The most talked-about addition is Best Asian Pop Music Performance, a category recognizing artistic excellence in K-pop, J-pop, C-pop, and beyond.
JR’s immersive cavern officially takes over the Pont Neuf.
French artist JR has transformed Pont Neuf into an immersive cavern now open to the public through June 28. Stretching 120 meters long, up to 18 meters high, and 20 meters wide, the structure envelops the entire bridge in a photographic cave complete with stalactites and a soundscape composed by Thomas Bangalter, the electronic musician and former Daft Punk member. It is not the first time Pont Neuf has been transformed by art. In 1985, Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the bridge entirely in fabric, drawing millions of visitors in what became one of the most iconic public art moments of the 20th century. JR’s Caverne carries that spirit forward.
Today’s attractive distractions:
Contemporary British artist Ant Hamlyn’s squished flowers are a love letter to Y2K.
Barbara Borghini’s Ilio Smeraldo just moved into menswear.
Snälltåget’s new train route connects Malmö and Oslo through Nordic wilderness.
Matthieu Blazy, Anthony Vaccarello, and more mark La Cambre’s 40th anniversary.
