Flash News: Art Basel Miami Beach – Fringe Events

Art Basel Miami Beach – The Official Art Fair

The ephemeral migration of the art world is about to begin! More than 70,000 lovers of contemporary art and of the warm climate of Florida are currently in Miami Beach for the cultural event of the year: The Art Basel Miami Beach Fair, which brings together 269 American, Latin American, European, Asian and African galleries this year. On the four days of the Fair (from 1st to 4th December 2016 at the Miami Beach Convention Center), this fifteenth edition features top quality art works from different periods in history. The works by top artists of modern, contemporary and emerging art are everywhere to be seen, as is the case at the other major Art Fairs in the world, from Frieze to FIAC. More than 4,000 artists are represented by the most prestigious galleries, including Acquavella, Blum & Poe, Cheim & Read, James Cohan, Sadie Coles, Galleria Continua, Paula Cooper Gallery, Marian Goodman, Hauser & Wirth, Karsten Greve, Pace, Perrotin, Thaddaeus Ropac, Gadstone and Gagosian… all trying to sell multi-million dollar artworks. If Art Basel Miami Beach is sure to see the top artists of the moment, from Picasso to John Currin, the seaside town also offers the opportunity to develop your network. This oasis of luxury becomes, for a week, the place where the international jet-set gather for trendy private parties, are invited to collectors’ mansions and finish the night at Le Baron, the ephemeral version of the famous Parisian nightclub. This week, Miami is the meeting place of the stars, with Madonna giving a show dressed as a clown (the proceeds will be donated to the Raising Malawi association), and David Bowie to whom a tribute is paid by twenty installations on the theme of ‘Ground Control’, based on the lyrics of his song ‘Space Oddity’. Communist art shows its high value with a fresco by the glassmaker Richard Otfried Wilhelm, Peace to our whole Earth, estimated at around $20m, which comes from the GDR former secret police headquarters and is exhibited on Thilo Holzmann’s stand…

Art Basel Miami Beach – Fringe Events

During Art Basel Miami, fringe events proliferate, for better or worse. Hundreds of galleries from thirty countries exhibit their discoveries, while a multitude of artists show their work on own their stands or open their studios. The events are so numerous that you have to plan your visit before you arrive and choose what you want to see according to your tastes or your mood. It is impossible to visit some fifteen art fairs in just one week… The Art Miami Fair is a must-see but you have to make drastic choices between events such as Aqua Art Miami, Context, Ink Miami Art Fair, NADA (newartdealers), Untitled Art Fair, Miami Project, Fridge Art Fair, Satellite, X Contemporary, ArtSpot Miami, Spectrum, Red Dot Miami, Conception Art Fair, Superfine Fair, Pinta Miami, Miami River Art Fair, to name but a few… Especially since the culture on offer does not stop at fairs but extends to museums and art centres. Among the must-sees are the Bass Museum, which features five towering rock sculptures by Ugo RONDINONE (1964), painted in bright colours and the PAMM (Pérez Art Museum), which gives a major one-man-show to Julio LE PARC (1928). This week, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami is also inaugurating its new building in the Design District with a group exhibition featuring works by Bruce NAUMAN (1941), Dieter ROTH (1930-1998), Andy WARHOL (1928-1987) and Martin KIPPENBERGER (1953-1997). This arty whirlwind also extends to the trendy Wynwood district and its graffiti, whose palpable energy brings a breath of fresh air to the muggy atmosphere of Miami.