The Best Culture of 2024 According to the Mastermind Team

This year has been a treasure trove of cultural offerings: perspective-changing exhibitions, books that lingered long after the last page, gripping podcasts, unforgettable documentaries and TV shows. Where the news was grim, these cultural moments provided respite and inspiration. 

The Mastermind team has gathered their cultural highlights from the year – a collection of works that defined 2024. If you’re in search of enrichment during the holidays, or need to catch up on something you may have missed, these picks are not to be missed.

Chantal Akerman Travelling, Jeu de Paume, Paris, 28 September – 19 January 2025 

Opening the 20th anniversary of Paris’s Jeu de Paume art center, Travelling celebrates Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman’s impressive body of work. On display until January 19, the exhibition makes a compelling case for Akerman’s lasting impact on modern cinema. Read more about Travelling here and explore the depths of Akerman’s oeuvre in Mastermind 16 available to purchase here. 

Kerviel: Un Trader, 50 Milliards, Max 

Kerviel: Un Trader, 50 Milliards (or ‘Kerival: One Trader, 50 billion,’ streaming on Max) tells the story of one of history’s biggest financial fraud cases. Jérôme Kerviel was sentenced to three years in prison, before being released after 110 days, for his role in the 2008 scandal in which French bank Société Générale lost €4.9 billion. 

The documentary series gives viewers an insider look into the scandal through exclusive testimonies and reenactments. Through four, 45-minute episodes, the documentary interrogates the level of individual responsibility in a global system. 

– Marie-Amélie Sauvé, Founder and Creative Director

This is the Case of Henry Dee and The Call, This American Life

“After many years swimming in the murky and variable waters of the podcast universe, this year I returned to the safe shores of This American Life, a bastion of longform audio journalism. These two episodes in particular remained with me: This is the Case of Henry Dee examines the parole board hearing of a man whose crime took place 48 years earlier; and The Call, which begins with a call to a hotline for drug addicts before following the fates of those involved in its aftermath: the phone operator, the paramedic and the addict herself.” 

– Jeremy Olds, Executive Editor 

Ripley,  Netflix 

This series, a remake of the 1999 cult classic The Talented Mr Ripley (which is itself an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel), stays mostly true to the original story, however utilises classical artworks to reveal further depths of Ripley’s psyche. “Andrew Scott’s ability to portray the darkness in Ripley was incredible,” says Hennessy. “The show left me feeling deeply unsettled but culturally nourished.” Discover more about the artworks in Ripley here. 

All Fours by Miranda July 

Miranda July’s novel All Fours, is a story of self-exploration. On the surface, it tells of a 45-year-old woman who embarks on a solo road trip across America, which halts less than an hour into the journey. What ensues is a series of unpredictable choices leading the unnamed narrator questioning her marriage, identity and relationship to intimacy. “What struck me was the brutal honesty with which July writes of the female experience,” explains Mastermind digital editor Caity Hennessy. “The core themes of desire, aging and a quest for personal freedom gave me a raw view into a candid portrayal of a woman seeking more from her life.” 

– Caity Hennessy, Digital Editor 

At One by James Turrell at Gagosian Le Bourget, Paris, October 2024 – Summer 2025

Featuring more than 35 artworks by American artist James Turrell, At One brings the immersive experience of the artist’s work to Paris. On display until summer 2025 at Gagosian’s Le Bourget airport hangar location, the exhibition features two new large installations, giving viewers a sensory experience. Either Or (2024), from the series Wedgework (1969-), begins by guiding viewers through total darkness before entering into a space of bright light installations. “This is the first time I’ve ever experienced such a void, a feeling of falling into the vastness of space,” explains Mastermind visual director Michaela Perau. 

On the upper levels of the museum, six new in-wall Glassworks pieces are displayed with seating in front of them, encouraging viewers to take their time in immersing themselves in the ever changing hues. “I felt like I could fall into it. The changing gradients felt similar to a hypnosis taking you out of reality to anything happening around you,” says Perau. Read more about At One here. 

– Michaela Perau, Visual Editor 

In Waves by Jamie xx

Arriving in September, Jamie xx’s album In Waves meant the parties stayed hot even as the weather turned cold. (One song is fittingly titled “Still Summer.”) The 12-track record is a much more maximalist than 2015’s In Color, and features collaborations with Robyn and Honey Dijon, plus his xx bandmates Romy and Oliver Sim. It’s ecstatic music to dance all night to – or to storm the runway, as was the case in Louis Vuitton’s SS25 show. “It’s positive and sassy,” says Mastermind’s fashion director Xenia May Settel. “I loved it.” 

– Xenia May Settel, Fashion Director 

Disclaimer, Apple TV 

Director Alfonso Cuarón’s first foray into television was sure to be a success, with Oscar winner Cate Blanchett starring as a woman whose life is upended when she receives a novel in the post, seemingly detailing one of the most distressing secrets of her life. Although the series was met with mixed reviews, it stood out as one of the best shows of the year for Mastermind senior stylist Chino Castilla. “I spent the first six episodes disgusted by Cuarón’s portrayal of this woman,” he explains. “It wasn’t until the final episode where he makes the twist, and you see the dynamic flip between husband and wife, that made me love the series.” Read Mastermind’s review of Disclaimer here. 

Surréalisme (Surrealism) at Centre Pompidou, Paris, 4 September – 13 January 2025

To mark 100 years since the birth of the surrealist movement, Centre Pompidou staged the monumental exhibition Surrealism, which runs until early 2025. Designed like a maze, the exhibition showcases paintings, films, photographs and drawings by iconic artists of the movement including Dora Maar, Salvador Dalí, René Magritte and Max Ernst. “I love this era of art, especially because it sparked a time of empowerment for female artists in some way,” explains Castilla. “My favorite works included pieces by two Mexican artists Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo.” 

– Chino Castilla, Senior Stylist

Wondering where our favorite films are? Discover Mastermind’s top 10 films of 2024 here.