Ostrich fall is coming

The biggest books, theater, TV, movies and museum shows all dodge tough questions [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hi, I’m [James Tarmy]( and I cover [the arts]( (and other things) for Pursuits. I was at an event recently where a journalist asked a major museum director why his institution “wasn’t more responsive” to current events. Why didn’t he “just do” an exhibition about Ukraine, the journalist suggested. Everyone in the room stared at the floor as the director politely explained that exhibitions take years to plan; in fact, many museums have already committed to shows as far out as 2026 and 2027. Improvisation, while technically possible, isn’t an easy option. [Binge watching]( takes commitment! Illustration by Tim Enthoven for Bloomberg Businessweek It’s not just museums. Cultural production requires a staggering lead time across the board. [Opera stars]( are often booked out seasons in advance. Publishers already have a decent sense of their 2025 book roster, and with [some notable exceptions]( movies that are coming to a theater near you have had internal release dates slotted before the first trailer comes out. It’s a lumbering process, but an unavoidable one. If you think I’m wrong, try writing a novel or memorizing an opera or staging a play in a few weeks, and then we’ll talk. Do you have an idea of [how long it takes to make a movie]( Short answer: It’s not short. Illustration by Tim Enthoven for Bloomberg Businessweek Instead, I prefer to marvel at the fact that thematic through lines (read: trends) can emerge from season to season. A lot of different people doing a lot of different things had the same preoccupation years ago, and it’s come to light at exactly the same moment. Remarkable! This fall, it seems that preoccupation is all about avoiding reality. Whereas in previous years we saw mountains of attempts to [engage with social issues]( or politics or broad existential questions (or all three), this season the [biggest books]( [theater]( [TV]( [movies]( and [museum shows]( all seem to be dodging tough questions. Don’t come looking for the tough questions [at the theater this fall](. Illustration by Tim Enthoven for Bloomberg Businessweek Now, you might speculate about why this particular impulse has bubbled to the fore at this particular moment (cough the election cough), or you could simply luxuriate in some September escapism. I highly recommend the latter—after all, it’s been years in the making. Connect with James via [e-mail](mailto:jtarmy@bloomberg.net). This fall in arts and culture … [The Five Books to Put on Your Reading List This Fall]( Spoiler: They’re all fiction. [Legendary Divas Will Dominate New York and London’s Best Fall Theater]( Patti LuPone, Mia Farrow and Audra McDonald embrace the roles of a lifetime. Plus a few favorite characters from pop culture take the stage in thrilling new productions. [The Seven New TV Shows We’re Most Excited to Watch This Fall]( Detectives? Criminals? Doctors?  Witches? Illicit school romances? A new slate of shows has it all. [Eight Movies This Fall That Will Help You Escape From Reality]( Lose yourself in films that offer pure popcorn: thrillers, whodunits, fantasies and fables. [The Five Museum Exhibitions We’re Most Excited to See This Fall]( From a pop artist you may not remember to secret gardens in London, there’s a lot to discover this season. My honorable mentions The nice thing about having editors is they keep me from making egregious mitttttakes. The not-so-nice thing is they have the unconscionable tendency to prune what I write. If I’d gotten my way, these are the other fall museum shows I’d have included in my “most anticipated” list: [Helen Frankenthaler: Painting without Rules]( at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence In this exhibition co-organized by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, the reputation of one of the 20th century’s best-known female artists will get a major 21st-century boost. Along with prime examples of her work, the show will include art by her peers, including Jackson Pollock and Robert Motherwell. Sept. 27 to Jan. 26 [My write-up of Art Basel this year]( highlighted Christo’s Wrapped 1961 Volkswagen Beetle Saloon, 1963–2014. It took a few days to sell, but in the end, a lucky buyer picked up a very cool artwork. Photographer: Wolfgang Volz [Arte Povera]( at the Bourse de Commerce Pinault Collection in Paris This huge survey of the 1960s-era Italian art movement will feature over 250 artworks from giants including Alighiero Boetti, Giuseppe Penone and Michelangelo Pistoletto. Oct. 9 to Jan. 20 [Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael: Florence, c. 1504]( at the Royal Academy in London For a brief, spectacular moment, three of the most famous artists in history were in the same place at the same time. This show memorializes Leonardo and Michelangelo’s rivalry and its influence on Raphael. Nov. 9 to Feb. 16 [Lillie P. Bliss and the Birth of the Modern]( at the MoMA in New York: In what promises to be a small, perfect show, one of MoMA’s three founders will be given her due. Works on view donated by Bliss include pieces by Cézanne, Picasso and Van Gogh—40 pieces in total. Nov. 17 to March 29 We’ve got some great takes On recent movies, TV shows and books: [The Crow’s Search for Cool Feels More Like a Trip to Hot Topic]( [How Clue Became the Hottest Play for Theater Kids Across America]( [Alien: Romulus Is a Fun, Icky Trip to Space Ruined by AI]( [How CBS Still Churns Out Hit TV Shows That Defy Cable Cutters]( [Was the Downfall of an Art Fraudster Like Inigo Philbrick Inevitable?]( [A Chef Weighs In On What The Bear Gets Wrong in Third Season]( So, you had some questions … So, here are some answers! Keep them coming for next week via our [Bloomberg Pursuits]( Instagram]( and [e-mail](mailto:askpursuits@bloomberg.net?I%20have%20a%20question). Choose my fall reading list for me! So, first of all, I sort of did in our fall preview. But second, because I write for a news company, recommendations on our lists are all new books—I don’t think anyone’s coming to Bloomberg News looking for a hot take on [Lost Illusions]( no matter how passionately I’d like to give it. I included [Paradise Bronx]( in my August culture list, along with The Hypocrite and Oh, Mary! Source: Vendor So unless you’re desperate to keep up with contemporary literary fiction (and honestly … there are [better things to worry about]( I’d take any and all new book lists with a grain of salt and perhaps also consider those of an earlier vintage. And when you do, I am more than happy to weigh in. Another piece of slightly unsolicited advice: I have never understood people who force themselves to finish books they’re ostensibly reading for pleasure. There are a lot of wonderful books in the world—if whatever you’re reading feels like a chore, put it down and find another. Where do you fall on phones in museums? Some six years ago I wrote about the phenomenon, framing it as [a fairly new concept to be grappled with](. I was younger and apparently more forgiving when I noted that while I disliked being around that many phones, “my way of engaging with the art is no better or worse than anyone else.” Times have changed. [The Venice Biennale is still going](. Here, photographs by Sugimoto echo the palazzo’s ceiling at Berggruen Arts & Culture. Source: Massimo Pistore/Courtesy of Sugimoto Studio and Berggruen Arts & Culture I really, really don’t like dodging around outstretched phones to get close to an artwork. I also don’t like that people now feel entitled to ask other people to move out of their “shot.” And I hate when people stick their phones in front of me while I’m looking at something in order to get an unobstructed image. I get it: You want to tell people that you’ve been to a museum, and the best way to do so is to post a picture of an artwork from that museum to social media. I understand the impulse, and have absolutely done the same thing. But because I’m hypersensitive to the phenomenon now, I cannot help noticing that many people have a tendency to take pictures of Every. Single. Artwork. They. See. It’s almost as if the only way they can engage with an artwork is to stare at it on their phone. Want to prove me wrong? Keep your phone in your pocket. Please? Is the art market coming back this fall? I hope so, for artists’ and galleries’ sakes! And auction houses too, I guess. There’s a lot of [auction news]( even if there are fewer auction records. Photographer: Cindy Ord/Getty Images North America The art market [has been in a slump]( for quite a while now. Participants have furnished a lot of very good reasons for its decline—everything from the commercial real estate crisis to high borrowing costs to art fair fatigue to unsustainable primary market price inflation to simple boredom—but it’s not clear to me what will bring it back to life. One thing we know won’t move the needle is [a booming stock market](. If I were to guess, I’d say the market gets its groove back with a new group of artists doing something that feels fresh. Will it happen this fall? Follow our coverage to find out. Like fancy watches and fine drinking? New for subscribers: Free article gifting. Bloomberg.com subscribers can now gift up to five free articles a month to anyone you want. Just look for the “Gift this article” button on stories. (Not a subscriber? Unlock limited access and [sign up here]( Follow Us Stay updated by saving our new email address Our email address is changing, which means you’ll be receiving this newsletter from noreply@news.bloomberg.com. 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