Following a layoff announcement, the Met Opera’s finances may also force a sale of its Chagalls.
Facing continued budget strain, the Metropolitan Opera has announced layoffs, executive pay cuts, and a pared-back season as it waits on a delayed $200 million funding deal with Saudi Arabia. Management has begun exploring new revenue sources, including leasing the opera house to outside productions and selling the building’s naming rights. Among the more consequential options under review is the sale of two Marc Chagall murals, together valued at $55 million, with conditions that would keep them on display at the opera house.
From Bulgari to Gérald Genta, each of LVMH’s watch brands had something to say this week.
For the 2026 LVMH Watch Week, hosted in Milan with satellite gatherings in other markets, the luxury conglomerate’s timepiece maisons set this year’s storytelling tone with a series of compelling new releases (referred to as novelties). These ranged from the $95,000 Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition (composed of a composite derived from the tennis star’s recycled Lacoste polos and tennis rackets) to the TAG Heuer Carrera Seafarer (complete with a tide indicator) and the octagonal Zenith Defy Revival. Two highlights hailed from lesser-known brands: the sculptural Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton and Gérald Genta’s time-only Geneva pieces.
Grappling with overcrowding, the Prado Museum will not try to best its record-breaking year of visitors.
After drawing a record 3.5 million visitors last year, Madrid’s Prado Museum says it will stop chasing higher attendance to avoid overcrowding. Director Miguel Falomir argues that constant growth can erode the museum experience and turn visits into logistical strain rather than engagement with art. The Prado has introduced a new strategy that favors managed capacity and improved conditions over volume, with an emphasis on attracting more local audiences as international tourism dominates current traffic. The shift aligns the Prado with other major sites that now limit daily entries in response to overtourism.
Gabrielle Goliath is taking legal action against South Africa’s Culture Minister over the Venice Biennale.
Artist Gabrielle Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo plan to challenge South Africa’s culture minister, Gayton McKenzie, in court after he canceled their Venice Biennale pavilion. Goliath says the decision followed objections to a performance from her Elegy series that referenced Israel’s war in Gaza, which McKenzie initially described as divisive. He later cited alleged involvement by a foreign nation, a claim that reporting in South Africa has questioned. The legal filing seeks to have the cancellation ruled unconstitutional and could reopen the path for Goliath’s pavilion to proceed.
‘Get Low’ at your own risk: Lululemon has paused sales on a collection of sheer leggings.
Lululemon has paused online sales of its newly launched Get Low leggings after customers complained that the fabric turned transparent during movement and failed basic performance expectations. The company said it pulled the collection from its e-commerce site to review early feedback, while keeping the items available in stores. News of the pause sent Lululemon’s shares down 6 percent, marking their steepest single-day drop since September. The episode revives long-running concerns about product quality as the company searches for a new chief executive and works to regain momentum.
Today’s attractive distractions:
Have you ever wanted to pay $1,000 for running shoes? Pharrell x Adidas has you covered.
What did Dolce & Gabbana do now to anger the internet?
The art world’s biggest, baddest necessary evil isn’t what you’d expect.
Prada’s take on a rock climbing shoe is fittingly ugly-hot.
