STYLE 1 MEDIA >>> ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH

Art Basel Miami Beach 10th Anniversary

Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL | 12.01-12.4.2011 | by Merry Esparza

Style 1 Media Art Basel Miami Beach, the most prestigious art show in the Western Hemisphere, welcomed a record 50,000 visitors to its tenth edition at the Miami Beach Convention Center from December 1-4, 2011. A companion to Switzerland's 42-year old Art Basel, the show featured more than 260 galleries from 30 countries, and represented over 2,000 artists. A major draw for international art collectors, museum directors, curators, and celebrities, the show presents the best and latest in 20th and 21st Century painting, drawing, sculpture, installation art, photography, film, and video. It also offers a host of special exhibitions, events, panel discussions, and private collection tours. (left: Louise Bourgeois, "Cell (Twelve Oval Mirrors)," 1998)

Participating galleries attributed strong sales all week to a mix of factors including collectors' increased confidence in investing in museum-quality art; the advent of a new generation of younger collectors willing to buy; and visitors' increased familiarity with exhibiting artists and galleries, now that the fair is ten years old.

Miami's warm climate, beaches, deco architecture, and luxurious hotels attract tourists all year long, but during Miami Arts Week the city is all about the celebration of art. Pavilions and hotels buzz with art fairs, exhibitions, and parties. Museums, art galleries, and design shops open their doors to the public. But for the past ten years, the most highly anticipated and regarded event has always been Art Basel Miami Beach. From its beginnings to now, the fair has expanded by over 50 percent, and the number of participating galleries has increased from 200 to 260. It has also been instrumental in catalyzing the artistic and cultural rebirth of Miami.

The 10th Anniversary edition kicked off with a morning press conference featuring remarks by Host Committee Chairman Norman Braman; Miami Beach Mayor Matti Herrera Bower; Main Sponsor, UBS Chairman/CEO Robert Wolf; and Co-Directors Annette Schönholzer and Marc Spiegler. Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos honored Co-Directors Schönholzer and Spiegler with a 10th Anniversary Proclamation. Later, VIP collectors entered the exposition area, where they took in the breadth of work, trying to zero in on those incomparable art finds. With so much art on view, it is impossible to see the show from beginning to end in one day. Visitors stroll the aisles, taking in the art, chatting with gallerists, collectors, and sponsors, meeting old friends and making new connections.

Art Basel Miami Beach showcases contemporary work in a range of settings. Selected works are shown in sectors, each with its own distinct criteria. This year, the Art Kabinett sector presented 30 collections of work created by emerging and established artists and connected by theme. Artists included Ai Weiwei, Francis Alÿs, Tiago Carbeiro da Cunha, Angela de la Cruz, Elmgreen and Dragset, and Nancy Spero.

The Art Positions sector featured 16 new galleries, each presenting a unique project from one artist. Artists included: Emily Sundblad, Rosana Ricalde, Icaro Zorbar, Cinthia Marcelle, Jessica Warboys, Carissa Rodriguez, Alexandra Bircken, Sven Johne, Jorge Satorre, Paulo Nazareth, Mandla Reuter, Cesar Cornejo, Otavio Schipper, Analia Saban, and Marco Rountree.

In the Art Nova sector, 42 galleries from 17 countries each showcased new works by 2-3 artists, including Yael Bartana, Marc Camille Chaimowicz, Philippe Decrauzat, Ida Ekblad, Omer Fast, Claire Fontaine, Ryan Gander, Ragnar Kjartansson, Wilfredo Prieto, Katerina Seda, Edwin Sánchez, Santiago Sierra, and Zhou Tao.

An outdoor highlight of the 2011 event was Art Public, a collection of 24 artworks and performances presented at Collins Park, Miami Beach. The collection was developed in collaboration with the Bass Museum of Art and curated by Christine Y. Kim, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and co-founder of the Los Angeles Nomadic Division.

Art Basel Miami Beach sponsored a variety of other art-related events to keep collectors busy. The Art Film sector presented the U.S. premiere of Corinna Belz's Gerhard Richter Painting. For three nights, the Art Video sector screened six video programs, projected onto the 7,000-square-foot outdoor wall at the New World Center in SoundScape Park. Art Basel Conversations and the Art Salon featured panel discussions, lectures, and book launches with notable artists, collectors, museum directors, curators, critics, gallerists, and publishers.

Outside the fair, Miami museums and cultural institutions including the Miami Art Museum, Bass Museum of Art, Wolfsonian-FIU, MOCA North Miami and Norton Museum scheduled special events to coincide with Art Basel Miami Beach. The Rubell Family Collection, De La Cruz Collection, Margulies Collection, and other important Miami private collections welcomed show attendees. The prestigious Design Miami fair held its seventh edition in a pavilion just adjacent to the Miami Beach Convention Center, so there was much to occupy attendees.

For collectors, art lovers, and others involved in the art world, Art Basel Miami Beach is an event not to be missed. If you are considering attending next year's event from December 6-9, 2012, be sure to make plans several months in advance. Flights and hotels fill up quickly during Miami Arts Week.

For more information, please visit: www.artbaselmiamibeach.com