This odd little chair, nicknamed “The Dragon,” emerged from the ashes of The Great War, passed from one glamorous home to the next before landing on the block at Yves Saint Laurent’s estate sale where it fetched its staggering $28M sum. So, how did the dragon get its fire?

Every eight weeks, from 1983 to 1987, the nightclub Area was gutted and reincarnated into a wild new theme. It was a magical, decadent place where nothing was too risqué, outré or taboo. I interviewed one of its original designers, Shawn Hausman, who would go on to create the look and vibe of The Standards.

I try to read between the booths at one of the world's largest art fairs.

From 1976 to 1981, 'WET: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing' was the world’s first and only underground publication dedicated to gourmet bathing. And what, pray-tell, is gourmet bathing? Turns out: not such an easy thing to define. I spoke with 'WET’s' founder and creative director (one of my personal heros) to trace the source of this most influential and effervescent magazine.

In "Rachel, Monique,” Sophie Calle presents a video of her mother’s final moments. Is this the logical next step in a culture of oversharing? Or a moving portrait of mortality?

Ryan McGinness' "Studio Manual" unlocks the secrets to fine art success by describing his studio as a franchise, which is both tongue in cheek and surprisingly informative. 

In the world of design, the Pantone Book is quite literally a bible – studied, worshipped, and dogmatic. At Standard HQ it is kept in a locked drawer and emblazoned with a giant sticker that reads, "this book CANNOT leave this office." I met the Willy Wonkas of color as they launched their first fashion line. 

How did Maurizio Cattelan go from mischievous donkeys and racist elephants to master of the editorial photo spread? Creative director Dennis Freedman recounts their collaboration on the W Magazine Art Issue which marked the artist's intriguing transition.

Gordon Gekko’s real life daughter, gallerist Marianne Boesky, turns an old thieves’ cabin in Aspen into an architectural gem. Annabelle Zelldorf helped.

Bolin’s “Hiding in the City” Series (2005-Present) reflects a range of contemporary issues from consumerism to the environment. In this specially commissioned work for The Standard, Liu wouldn’t be the first person to disappear into the Boom Boom Room’s bar. We emailed about inspirations, how he disappears, and his hopes for China and America.

"...In the '80s we were like, 'Oh my god, it was so cool in the '60s when everybody was free love and at The Factory and everything was so new. Now, everything is so rehashed."

Until he was invited to collaborate with the New York City Ballet, the artist known only as “JR” had never seen so much as a plié in person. A year later he had designed large scale set pieces and choreographed a “Pièce d'Occasion." So, how did the French mega-artist fare at Lincoln Center?

Mythologist Joseph Campbell claimed that you could measure the priorities of a society by its highest structure. For a long time it was the church spire. In Manhattan, in the year 2015, it was (and is still) the sky-scraping One World Trade Center, a $3.8 billion office building that carries just a touch of historic resonance—just a touch. So, if you’re artist José Parlá, who has just been given the commission to create a monumental mural (90x15 feet) for the lobby, where do you begin?

When actor/artist/writer/instagrammer James Franco presented his ode to Cindy Sherman, “New Film Stills,” a mob queued all the way down West 25th Street. While the Pace Gallery show drew in the crowds, the work was NOT well-received. Jerry Saltz called them, “silly self-obsessed demi-drag re-creations.” The New York Times pleaded, “Someone or something, make him stop.” I co-wrote and edited this more-or-less impartial overview of the project and ensuing maelstrom.

Raised by leftist revolutionaries in Bogotá and now a Paris-based conceptual artist repped by super-gallerist Emmanuel Perrotin, Iván Argote is a master of the innocently offensive. He makes out with subway poles, rocks police cars and when he was an art student in Paris, he vandalized two Mondrian's at the George Pompidou and caused a national outrage. So, why isn't he in prison? 

Iranian artist Farhad Moshiri creates fabulous works of opulence and fantasy (an entire magazine stand made of Persian rugs, furniture sets made of gold, insanely intricate beaded tapestries) infused with subtle, but intensely amusing wit. I reached him at his home in Iran to discuss his knives, making art in Iran, and his show “Float” at Galerie Perrotin.

In her Drape series, Swedish-born, London-based artist Eva Stenram reclaims and re-composes vintage erotica, hiding the naughty bits behind curtains and shifting the gaze to every-day interiors.

Erwin Wurm is quite possibly the funniest man in the world–definitely the funniest man in Austria. He claims comedy is an unintended side effect, despite the fact that there is a distinct teenaged-boy humor permeating from everything he makes: bananas, pickles, and awkward erections make more than a few cameos. I firmly believe that any artistic endeavor that makes one laugh as well as think and feel, should be lauded as the highest of "High Art." 

When the new Whitney Museum opened in New York, I sat down with the then Chief Curator to discuss the institution's new home, the debut show, “America Is Hard to See,” and the simple pleasure of looking.