The Grand Tourist with Dan Rubinstein

One of the most consequential theatrical directors ever, American artist Robert Wilson has helped to revolutionize the medium. On this episode, Dan speaks with the Texas-born talent about the hyper-conservative world in which he was raised; how he studied architecture as a young man in New York; how contemporary Broadway and opera rubbed him the wrong way; one of his latest works, Mary Said What She Said, which stars French actress Isabelle Huppert; his lauded Watermill Center and what it means to him; and more.

For decades, the Chicago-based architect Jeanne Gang has captured the imaginations of critics and the public alike with her environmentally aware projects. Her latest, an expansion of New York’s American Museum of Natural History, has turned heads and inspired leagues of visitors. On this episode, Dan speaks with the visionary talent on her upbringing in the American Midwest, studying abroad in Paris and how those experiences helped shape her career, what actionable idealism is, why she loves birding, and much more.

For decades, one chef has helped to redefine our expectations of dining out while modernizing French cuisine for a global clientele. On this first episode of Season 13, Dan speaks with chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten about his humble beginnings, how he learned from some of the world’s most legendary chefs, his experiences making a splash in the New York scene, his latest residential and culinary concept (Miami Tropic, in the city’s Design District), and more.

After 12 seasons of the podcast, The Grand Tourist is proud to announce its first print issue, due out in May and available for preorders online now. On this special episode, Dan shares some of the details on this mammoth 364-page tome covering the worlds of art, design, travel, and style, and speaks with the magazine’s creative director, Matthias Ernstberger, and the podcast’s illustrator-in-residence Zebedee Helm, to chat about their creative journeys and some of the incredible original features readers will find in the new deluxe, hardcover volume.

It’s that time again: On this special episode sponsored by Molteni&C, Dan reports from the yearly Milan Design Week that takes place during the famed Salone del Mobile furniture fair. First up, Giulia Molteni takes the temperature of the global design scene from her family’s stunning new flagship in the heart of the city and shares news of the re-edition of Tobia Scarpa’s 1973 Monk Chair; and Marco Maturo of Studio Klass shares his experiences as a next-generation, tech-inspired talent in design.

For nearly 20 years, this London-based Canadian native has independently created womenswear collections that celebrate craftsmanship and femininity deeply rooted in research and a vibrant narrative. On this season finale of The Grand Tourist, Dan speaks with the designer about his upbringing that blended various cultures, traveling to London to pursue his dreams, his creative process that’s fueled by inventive narratives and iconic women, his quirky collection of busts, and more.

It wasn’t that long ago that it was impossible to purchase any bit of luxury fashion online, but times have truly changed. On the front lines of this remarkable transition is Alison Loehnis, the head of the YOOX Net-A-Porter Group that includes the massively successful e-commerce platforms Net-A-Porter and Mr Porter. On this episode, Dan speaks with the executive on how both her career and the fashion industry have evolved, the impact of the pandemic on how we dress, how the web is affecting global tastes in fashion, what’s really selling today, and more.

Combining fantastic taste, incredible clients, and a patient, curious, and measured aesthetic that absorbs its surroundings, Olivier Marty and Karl Fournier of the Paris-based architecture and design firm Studio KO are one of the most exciting outfits today. With plenty of high-profile projects under their belt, from the YSL Museum in Marrakech to London’s Chiltern Firehouse, they’ve brought a self-professed “KO attitude” to the industry. On this episode, Dan speaks with the duo about how they met, their experience working alongside the likes of Gae Aulenti, their advice for young talent today, and more.

Some designers push boundaries, but Italy’s leading design thinker is known for breaking them. As a daring practitioner, urban planner, and architectural theorist, as well as the president of the Triennale Milano, Boeri brings big ideas to design that bridge the gap between man and the environment. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the tree-covered Bosco Verticale in Milan, he speaks with Dan about his once-radical ideas; what it was like growing up in the shadow of his renowned mother, Cini Boeri; his next major project in Nepal; and much more.