A Gustav Klimt portrait of a young Viennese woman fetched $236.4 million at Sotheby’s in New York, setting a record auction price for the artist.The portrait became the most expensive work of modern art ever sold at auction, with the sale bringing in a total of $527.5 million.The Klimt portrait was part of the unwinding of art assembled by former cosmetics executive and billionaire Leonard Lau...

South Korean entertainment companies riding the Korean Wave, or Hallyu, are scrambling to widen their global reach as Asia's fourth-largest economy bets on cultural exports at a time of growing protectionist barriers for traditional manufacturers.Although growing fast from a low base, thanks to substantial government support and high visibility on the world stage with some recent dramatic succe...

Finnish company Ixi has revealed what it describes as the world's first "auto-focus glasses", which change their optical power depending on where the wearer is looking.Set to be presented tomorrow at Helsinki tech event Slush, Ixi's auto-focus glasses are a substitute for traditional multifocal or reading glasses with a prescription for near vision that is only activated when the wearer is look...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming nearly every part of the global economy, from automating everyday digital tasks to enabling life-saving surgical procedures. As adoption accelerates, investors are asking the same question: where are the biggest opportunities?This visualization, created in partnership with New York Life Investments, explores four key things investors need to know abo...

The left-side Lumia 2 earring has an electronics platform on the back, but looks like a regular earring from the front.In recent years, there has been a growing trend in wearable technology: trackers that look like a fashion accessory and yet are smart enough to help us understand our bodies better. If you’ve ever wondered what comes next after watches and rings, Lumia, an engineering firm fro...

The Hamburg State Opera, by BIG, will combine a state-of-the-art music venue with a landscaped park.Apparently, one amazing music venue just isn't enough for Hamburg, Germany. The city already boasts the Elbphilharmonie – one of the world's most notable concert halls – and now it's lining up a second. The Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has revealed plans for a new state opera house, which will all...

Artificial intelligence can automate and streamline many basic marketing functions, but the real opportunity lies in AI's ability to help CMOs reinvent their entire operating model.Although AI can automate basic marketing processes, CMOs who focus exclusively on productivity gains are missing the bigger picture.Marketing leaders who fully embrace AI can transform their entire operating model in...

As the creative leads of many of the world’s great fashion houses begin to forge new identities on their runways, it’s a great time to question what consumers really want. Is quiet luxury over? Are loud labels back? Is bespoke the last real exclusivity? Is maximalism the mode of the day?The one thing I keep hearing from designers and industry chief executives is that a sense of “private luxu...

Nvidia Corp. delivered a surprisingly strong revenue forecast and pushed back on the idea that the AI industry is in a bubble, easing concerns that had spread across the tech sector.The company expects sales of about $65 billion in the January quarter — roughly $3 billion more than analysts predicted. Nvidia also said a half-trillion-dollar revenue surge expected over the coming quarters may b...