A 5-by-4-foot solid white painting, with three diagonal white lines running across the middle, is the centerpiece of Yasmina Reza’s 1994 play “Art.” This play seeks to answer whether contemporary art, a new and controversial form of expression following the modern art period of the 20th century,...

Here’s how it’s always pictured in the movies: a glittery poster with a goofy pun and a Very Important Question, a large bunch of red roses wrapped in cellophane, a boombox for good measure and a crowd of excited onlookers. This is high school romance, according to pop culture; it’s the...