The Making of a Killer Soundtrack

In the Public Domain

Public art has become a significant strand of contemporary art, but as governments across Europe slash costs, its future is far from assured.

Enchanting Woodwork

The magic of an 18th-century Roentgens writing desk or cabinet isn't merely skin deep. This isn't just cabinetry—it's theater.

Excursions, Immersions and Subversions

This week's Repertory Film column leads off with MoMA's series, "Art Theater Guild and Japanese Underground Cinema, 1960–1986," and chats with some of the great Japanese filmmakers who have films screening in the in program.

Ideas on Her Shoulders

Ronaldus Shamask creates clothing of concentrated simplicity that is at once historical and abstract. A retrospective of his creations are now on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

• Photos: 'Ronaldus Shamask: Form, Fashion, Reflection'

A Foggy Situation

Creating mood on stage with the help of fog and haze.

Speakeasy: Neil Young and Crazy Horse Ride to the Rescue

Neil Young says he was invited to perform at Madison Square Garden for the star-laden Sandy benefit on Dec. 12. But in his typical independent way, he's holding a more intimate benefit of his own in Atlantic City.

A Sale Sets the Stage

Pieces of New York City Opera's past will go up for auction as the company tries to climb out from under its financial burdens and remake itself as a smaller, leaner organization.

• Photos: An Opera Parts With Its Props

Indoor 'Pavilion'

The Metropolitan Museum of Art distills a monumental 18-hour Chinese opera into an intense 70-minute affair.

Undertaking Its Destruction

There is no more important landmark in New York City than its 42nd Street Library. Yet one of the building's key elements is on a fast track to being demolished.

A Lens on the World

On Thursday 232 photos, paintings and drawings that helped turn National Geographic into an international brand will be auctioned at Christie's in New York.

Norwegian Soul Laid Bare

Edvard Grieg's "Ballade in the Form of Variations on a Norwegian Folksong (1876) was a work so personal that the composer would only perform it privately.

'Park': Unblinking Eye on Failed Justice

"The Central Park Five" is shattering portrait of New York at a time when the city, beset by violence and drowning in drugs, was frantic to assign blame for a terrible crime.

• Film Clip: 'Killing Them Softly'

Searching for the Next Art-World Star

A look at five emerging artists with staying power in the lucrative but unpredictable world of contemporary art.

• Video: Who Are the Next Stars of the Art World?
• Photos: Artists to Watch