Art Basel is an art fair that has been in existence since 1970. The event takes place annually in three locations-Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong. The Miami fair takes place at the Miami Beach Convention center. The fair features exhibitions of drawings, films, paintings, installations, photographs among other editioned works from artists around the world. The event takes dots the Miami Sandy beaches with classic Art Deco museums and a glittering nightlife and art lovers congregate to sell, buy of just admire master class art works. The Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) attracted approximately 75,000 international visitors in the 2013 edition (artbasel.com). Approximately 200 galleries from 30 countries selected from about 850 applicants place their wares on sale. The fair has grown in progressively to accommodate more exhibitor categories and artists over the years. The following is a series of reviews for the last couple of ABMB fairs.
Pricilla Frank is the credible reviewer for the Art Basel fair. She is the Arts and Culture editor of the Huffington’s post. She has also studied Rhetoric at Berkeley. Frank resides in Los Angeles. In her review/commentary, Frank interviewed painter Nina Chanel Abney to learn about her paintings and her experience at the Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) 2013. Frank states that Abney’s paintings at the Untitled Art Fair were unique, “Abney’s paintings hit us like a slap in the face” (Frank). Abney presented two-dimensional canvases that packed gossip, jokes, politics, sex, race, and sleaze by mixing and matching symbols into a jumbled piece.
Frank decided to interview Abney. Abney stated that she brought a collage and a painting to the 2013 fair, which she exhibited at the Kravets/Wehby Gallery booth. She state that her favorite artists were Laura Owens, Katherine Bernhardt, and Misaki Kawai among others.
Concerning the fair Abney stated that it as her second time to attend the fair and that her last visit was in 2008. She said that she supports a friend who said, “Miami Basel is like the art world’s spring break” (Franck). Abney stated that besides seeing amazing art, she could also visit the beach, and go to parties. She was most excited about her debut work in the ABMB via the untitled category.
The second review is an article by Reuters appearing in the Huffingtonpost. The article published on November 02 2014 examines the 2013 ABMB event was titled “Record Sales, Crowds At Art Basel Miami Beach 2013”. Zachary Fagenson, an arts journalist notes that the ABMB has grown tremendously in sales volumes. Fagenson states that the 2013 event broke sales as well as attendance records. He states that the international galleries and artists displayed paintings, sculptures, and photographs worth $3 billion during the 12th event. He stated that the weeklong art fair has grown into one of the world’s top art gatherings with many art enthusiasts claiming that it is the most successful.
Fagenson gives an example of some of the artworks on offer. He states that one collector purchased an artwork by sculptor Jeff Koons for $8 million. White Cube Gallery sold an artwork named “Devil’s Gate” for $3 million.
Besides the highly priced artworks, the 2013 event also featured art exhibitions by from Latin America. The fair has expanded its scope beyond the contemporary western artists. The 2013 event saw exhibitors from Brazil. In addition, Art Basel launched the Hong Kong fair in May 2013 and this has helped to tap incomes from upcoming wealthy Asian Art collectors.
In addition, Fagenson notes that the Art Basel has grown from the original fair held at the Swiss city of Basel in 2002. He states that the fair feature 258 galleries from 31 countries and it serves as a platform for galleries to sell to prominent collectors. Besides the art works the fair is packed with posh parties at high-class hotels. Car, jewelry, and high-priced car companies come in as sponsors of the weeklong event. The fair helps Miami to reinvent itself as a sun and surf city devoid of culture. Noticeably, the Wynwood neighborhood, which was once a blighted area North of Miami, is now a home to graffiti murals made by world famous artists.
The San Francisco Arts Quarterly (SFAQ) a publication that celebrates arts and culture also reviewed the 2013 ABMB. The article reviews the fair using a comic or humorous tone. It begins by stating that during the 2013 ABMB fair it was easy to identify the collectors and the buyers from the posers. “Those who cared wore flats, the peacocks wore heels” (SFAQ). The article states that the 2013 fair opened on December 2nd as a private event. The attendants could view art from 90 exhibitors. The reviewer notes the sale of a Marina Abramovic photograph would benefit the Elton John AIDS foundation.
The article records of several personalities that graced the 2013 event. These personalities included Abramovic, fair director Jeff Lawson, fair curator Omar Lopez, New York Galleries exhibitor Johannes Vogt, Garth Evans, and Carlos Motta among others. The SFAQ notes that the VIPs exchanged pleasantries as they interacted with each other and the other attendants.
In addition, the article records of the booths that attracted the highest viewership. These were Miami based galleries Emerson Dorsch together with Victoria Fu as well as Micheal Jon gallery attracted heavy viewership. In addition, Chicago-based Andrew Rafacz presented Robert Burner’s bent aluminum sculptures as well as he imagery by Nazafarin Lotfi.
On the side, the 2013 fair was ridden with plenty of fanfair and shows of might and luxury as collectors showed up with luxury cars such as Jaguars, Ferrari, Audi, and Maserati. Shana Beth Mason, the contributor of the article notes that all these pleasant distractions were in plentiful supply during the 2013 fair.
The fourth review of the ABMB was done by Ruth la Ferla. La Ferla is an arts and culure journalist with the New York Times. In the review, La Ferla takes account of Pharrell Williams- a celebrity who took part in the ABMB by exhibiting his art wares. The American singer and songwriter exhibited his channel-quilted vests at $1,495 and mirrored shades at $595. Though the vests are bulletproof only in name, the artist was trying to utilize the silhouette. The vests were some of the novelties that drew rich visitors to the Herzog & de Meuron-designed parking garage just next to the Alchemist.
The collectors purchased art collectibles by Damien Hirst, James Franco, Zaha hadid among others by placing orders on computer screens and then retrieving them from outfitted carhops and skates. This points to an interesting and unconventional way in which the 2013 ABMB was carried out by different exhibitors.
Works Cited
Frank, Priscilla. "Nina Chanel Abney On How Art Basel Is The Art World's Spring Break." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 Dec. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/07/nina-chanel- abney_n_4401255.html?utm_hp_ref=art-basel-miami-beach>.
https://www.artbasel.com/en/Miami-Beach
Fagenson, Zachary. "Record Sales, Crowds At Art Basel Miami Beach 2013." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 9 Dec. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/09/art-bael- sales_n_4415073.html?utm_hp_ref=art-basel-miami-beach>.
San Francisco Arts Quarterly (SFAQ). "Art Basel / UNTITLED / Pulse in REVIEW: Art Basel Miami Beach Week 2013." SFAQ Online. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.sfaqonline.com/2013/12/art-basel-untitled-pulse-in-review-art-basel-miami- beach-week-2013/>.
Ferla, Ruth. "Novelties at a Miami Art Basel Exhibition." The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/fashion/Art-Basel-James-Franco-Pharrell- Williams-Thom-Browne-and-Damien-Hirst.html>.
