Are you young professionals looking to start building your art collection? Or are you looking for that inspiration to start the New Year off with a bang? I was. Desperately. So I booked my trip down to Miami to attend the well-received and highly spoken about Art Basel Miami from Dec. 7-9, 2012.
I knew I would be experiencing an over abundance of worldly and exceptional art during the day, and spending late nights out at the best hot spots, but I didn’t realize how divinely overwhelming the whole venture would really be until I was truly in the thick of it all.
So, what is Art Basel? Founded in 1970 by galleriests, Art Basel stages the world’s premier art shows for modern and contemporary works, sited in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, the artworks on display and the parallel content programming produced in collaboration with the local institutions. It spotlights the latest developments in the visual arts, offering visitors new ideas, new inspiration and new contacts in the art world.
Growing to become one of the most popular events in Miami in 2012, 50,000 people attended Art Basel Miami.
In addition to the amazing convention of Art Basel, Miami hosts numerous additional art fairs, and galleries/hotels/restaurants open their doors for pop-up shows that you are able to browse through during the day – that is if Art Basel hasn’t defeated you within the first couple of days you visit with its hosting of 250 galleries and 2000+ artists! (I am still amazed).
I would highly suggest scheduling in Untitled while you are in the South Beach area and then incorporating a couple of your days over the bridge at Wynwood and Miami Design District to hit up Scope, Context and other fairs that line the Design District. If you have time, head out to the streets to see The Wynwood Walls that decorate warehouse walls of the district.
Within all these art fairs you will turn each corner finding a new favourite piece or find out something new about an artist that will make it a challenge to walk away not loving everything! From greats like Andy Warhol to upcoming multi-faceted artists, and one of my favs, Avery Lawrence, you best make sure you have your phone out fully charged to record all your favourites so you can go back to remember the amazingness you just saw.
Photography to multimedia to oil on canvas, the range of what you will stumble upon is delighting. One series that stuck out to me the most was Chuck Close’s take on woodburytype portraits featuring beauties such as Kate Moss, Brad Pitt and other celebrities. These small, liquid-like relief portrait prints were a stunning, yet strangely exotic hybrid of photography and interesting contrast against his chosen subjects.
Take a moment check out a few more of my favs and make sure to visit the recommended links to research more on the artists that showed in Miami for 2012!
Jorinde Voigt
Daniel Kornrumpf
Douglas Gordon
Robin Rhode
John Stezaker
Patrick Jacobs
So, YPs, if you plan on following me down to Miami next year (Dec 5-8. 2013), book at least six months in advance! Art Basel Miami is a hot spot that you want to make sure you encounter at least once in your life. The hotels fill up quick and raise the prices to reflect the busyness of the weekend.
Next year will be their 12th edition of the fair and will have more than 260 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa taking part, showcasing works by more than 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Check out lots of great recommendations that will help you plan your stay while in Miami and ensure you have a fabulous time while amongst spectacular art and people.
See you next year and HEART ART!