“Lunch with the FT,” the revealing series of investigative journalism in the Financial Times that tells everyone exactly what the souls of powerful people are like through detailed descriptions of what they ordered for lunch, recently took on Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate in London, as its latest art-world subject. So what did we learn about his life and soul? Read More
Back in 1996, when most contemporary art dealers were operating out of Soho, David Zwirner told New York magazine that, for the newly ascendent Chelsea neighborhood to become a viable art destination, “you should be able to get a decent meal.” Plenty of strong restaurants have since filled that void—Cookshop, Izakaya Ten, Co. and the whole Tía Pol group, to name a few.
But for art pilgrims and neighborhood workers looking for a quick, delicious grab-and-go lunch, the offerings have remained paltry, with Bottino’s to-go spot one of the rare beacons of light. Read More
One of the first things you learn in any introductory journalism class—nestled somewhere between how to write a nut graf and why you shouldn’t use a pen when you’re reporting outside in the winter (the ink freezes)—is never to include in an article details about the meal you ate during an interview. This is why we’re so tickled by the Financial Times’ ongoing “Lunch with the FT” series. Here, the writer gets what sounds like a very expensive lunch with a powerful person–including a number of important art dealers–and meticulously catalogues the food consumed, often using the interviewee’s order choices as an extended metaphor for his or her personality and biography. Another thing, one that may or may not be particularly true of The Observer (we’ll never tell), the FT always picks up the tab.
They might not pass journalism 101, but boy howdy are these things a hoot. Let’s see what we’ve learned about our favorite art dealers from the kind of salad they eat. Read More
