By: Douglas Wolk

She’s given some of the most devastated performances ever.

By: Franklin Bruno

His stylistic mastery renders all encomia to his “voice” ridiculous.

By: Jen Collins

You’ll appreciate how good a bully he is if you imagine he’s faking it.

By: Lucy Sante

His untranslatable wordplay never fails to dazzle.

By: Brian Berger

The musical redemption of a prodigal son.

By: David Smay

Like Brando and Billie Holiday, an inescapable exemplar.

By: Patrick Cates

He punctuated class-centric British life with absurd question marks.

By: Douglas Wolk

A pop career compounded of glorious, relentless WTF.

By: Mark Kingwell

His Seagram Building made the largest aesthetic point in New York.

By: Annie Nocenti

A horde of swarthy besotted angels and devils warred for his tongue.

By: David Smay

Her gro­tesques are often theo­logical heresies made flesh.

By: Matthew Battles

Truth, too, is a kind of magic, and skepticism a spell.

By: Patrick Cates

He taught us not to fear existential freedom.

By: Peggy Nelson

Shatner the actor figured out how to gain creative leverage on Shatner the icon.

By: Mimi Lipson

A contro­versial auteur who aimed at truck drivers and college students.