On a warm July evening this year, a convivial crowd gathered at Toklas to celebrate Lubaina Himid’s 70th birthday. As the music grew spicy and dancing unfolded, I noticed that Himid had gathered a constellation of superlative women – innovative artists, Turner Prize winners, ground-breaking writer-directors – many of whom have long been in her life. It was a striking reminder that community is often central to creativity. I was also struck by their generosity of spirit in passing success onto future generations.
It’s an approach we foster at Bazaar, where collaboration is at the heart of our artistic family. We’re delighted that Tiffany and Co has been our partner in bringing our annual magazine Bazaar Art – which comes out with our November issue – to life, as we pay tribute to the female icons of the art world. Together we have had the honour of working with Rana Begum to create show-stopping windows at Selfridges – and who opened the doors to her studio to give us a glimpse into her world.
Elsewhere in the issue, the artist Rachel Jones reveals how Van Gogh changed her life, the Givenchy creative director Sarah Burton honours 10 years of Sarabande, the foundation founded by Alexander Lee McQueen, and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe explains how a photograph can illuminate a simple act of resistance. We also celebrate the centenary of British Surrealism by talking to the artist Olivia Fraser, herself the great-niece of Eileen Agar.
Finally, we have an incredible quartet of limited-edition covers for you to collect, specially created by Rana Begum, Lubaina Himid, Sonia Boyce and Zadie Xa.
Helena’s recommendations:
What to see
Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum’s It Will End In Tears at the Barbican
What to read
The paperback of The Story of Art without Men by Katy Hessel
What to book
Ithell Colquhoun’s Between Worlds at Tate St Ives, February 2025
