How legends of the American music industry made millions off the work of Solomon Linda, a Zulu tribesman who wrote “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and died a pauper.

Will Sterling Ruby’s new clothing line devalue his other work?

A Dutch gallerist made thousands of forgeries and passed them off as the work of real artists. When he was caught, a new con began.

Seeing Hamilton with Barack Obama.

A mid-boom critique of New York City’s high-priced, mostly glass condo buildings.

A profile of the author on the eve on his debut novel, The Water Dancer.

The author recalls his time as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

How Kaws short-circuited the art world.

An interview with the writer and Nobel laureate.

Twenty years after the world first heard about Christopher McCandless, fans of Into the Wild continue to risk their lives to reach the bus where he died.

How the English graphic designer set the course for contemporary visual culture.

How the CIA used a fake science fiction film to sneak six Americans out of revolutionary Iran. The declassified story that became Ben Affleck’s Argo.

A leading sci-fi writer takes stock of China’s global rise.

Now Peter Max’s associates are trading lurid allegations of kidnapping, hired goons, attempted murder by Brazil nut and art fraud on the high seas.

Bennington College in the 1980s was a hothouse of sex, drugs, and future literary stars—among them, Donna Tartt, Bret Easton Ellis, and Jonathan Lethem. Return to a campus and an era like no other.

A profile of Joss Sackler.

Camille Billops abandoned her four-year-old to become the artist she knew she was meant to be. Twenty years later, her daughter wanted to know: why did you leave me?

A profile of Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings.

In 2005, the painting sold at auction for $1,000. Its most recent price? $450 million.

The long fight against racism in romance novels.

A profile of a dresser of celebrities.

A profile of “Cathy” creator Cathy Guisewite.

Jason Dill is rebuilding one of the coolest skate brands on the planet, one hand-cut collage at a time.

Does the ubiquitous dance troupe really present five thousand years of civilization reborn?

Can one of the nation’s great musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour?