Defining Contemporary Art: 25 Years in 200 Pivotal Artworks takes an innovative approach to surveying the art of the last quarter century, which is notoriously difficult to periodize or define. Eschewing grand narratives, Phaidon asked for individual artwork selections from eight of today’s most influential curators.

This week in NYC, enjoy the warm weather on the Met roof, explore the Martian landscape at the Park avenue Armory, and party for your favorite non-profits at their annual benefits.

An art historian and an art editor have teamed up to produce Information Graphics, a new Taschen publication (slated for release on May 27) that encyclopedically chronicles the images that make sense of the torrent of data rushing past us. The book itself provokes information overload with four hundred infographics about subjects from sleep to politics and four essays about the history of graphic design. Preview a few highlights from the collection below.

Former fashion designer Helmut Lang is focusing on art full-time and has quietly opened his New York exhibition at a Village townhouse.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), we can’t all afford to go to art school. But now there’s a much cheaper way to learn from the likes of John Baldessari or Liam Gillick. The Brooklyn-based contemporary art journal Paper Monument, a sister publication of literary magazine n + 1, has released Draw It with Your Eyes Closed: The Art of the Art Assignment, which proves that the studio classroom isn’t the only place to learn about making art.

One year ago, a curious intervention popped up overnight on the Williamsburg Bridge: egg-shaped swatches of green, yellow, blue, maroon, purple, red, and blood-orange lined the beams above the bike lane, a subtle yet peppy addition to commutes and weekend rides. Such is the work of Brooklyn-based artist Peter Brock, who founded the ongoing project known as Baji Lives! with the M.O. of brightening public spaces (and eliciting the occasional smile).

The Steins Collect at the Metropolitan Museum of Art demonstrates how Gertrude, Leo, Michael, and Sarah Stein promoted and supported some of the greatest artists of their time, including Matisse and Picasso.

Marissa Textor and Ryan Travis Christian are not only long-time friends, but also share a serious love for graphite. Textor’s painstakingly photorealistic graphite drawings depict forces of nature at their most ruthless and unsympathetic. Christian makes work that mix ’30s cartoons with ’80s design, evoking reactions ranging from humor to disgust.