Beauty in history.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Peter Carl Fabergé was commissioned by Czar Alexander III to create the very first jewelled Imperial Easter egg as a 20th-anniversary present to his wife, who was said to have been so enchanted with it that the eggs became an annual tradition to the Russian court.

Muse material.

From the Broadway stage to the depths of the human subconscious, Rebecca Hall has played her way into the limelight. Now, the actress appears in Wally Pfister’s directorial debut Transcendence, a science-fiction blockbuster opening today.

Wally Pfister’s Transcendence.

While many science-fiction movies have tackled the subject of artificial intelligence and the threat it could pose to humankind in a typical “us versus them” conflict, Wally Pfister’s directorial debut, Transcendence, raises a different question.

An Ofist building renovation in Istanbul.

“The main idea for the design of the house was to not have too many ideas,” says interior architect Yasemin Arpaç of Istanbul-based Ofist. With partner Sabahattin Emir, Arpaç formulated an eminently simple—and versatile—living space for a 45-year-old bachelor.

The Heffel Fine Art Auction House spring auction.

Brothers David and Robert Heffel have followed in the footsteps of their father, Kenneth Heffel, transforming the Canadian art business. Here, they selected eight key pieces to watch for when the gavel falls at their spring auction next month.

Brand builder.

Fashion industry heavyweight Marie Holman Rao is responsible for the construction of some of the retail world’s biggest names. The creation of private label 424 Fifth for Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor is the most recent addition.

Quinnology.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Pat Quinn knows the score. “It’s a profession where people lose their jobs on a regular basis. I’ve been very fortunate to be asked to do something new each time it happened to me.” He never seems to lose sight of this, with his assistants, with his players, with himself.

Rethinking the dividing line between mankind and machine.

The first time you see Google Glass in real life, sitting astride some stranger’s nose, it’s hard not to be taken aback by the idea that the future—some form of it, at least—has indeed arrived.

No small feat.

It’s possible you’ve never heard of Simon Beck. But after this, you won’t be able to forget him or his wintery creations. Beck makes snow art—intricate and precise drawings—in virgin snow with nothing but an expedition compass and a pair of snowshoes.