Art Basel Miami Beach 2023 began, an exhibition with a wide variety of artistic expressions, from paintings to digital creations. (Friedrich Saint Romain)
Art Basel Miami Beach opened the doors of its 21st edition on Wednesday December 6th in the presence of the General Director of the organization, Noah Horowitz; Vincenzo de Bellis, manager of trade fairs and exhibition platforms; the new mayor of the city, Steven MinerAnd Jason Chandler on behalf of the sponsor UBS. After the dialogue with the guests (the opening to the general public will take place on Friday the 8th), the group went down to the large room where the Meridiansthe area for large-format works was inaugurated first, and by midday the most important ones could be seen: Gallerieswhich brings together the largest art houses in the world.
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With a representation of 277 galleries, two thirds of them AmericaThe prestigious art fair will once again show a variety of works, from painting and sculpture to photography and digital creations. The design of the floor, renewed for the 2023 edition, is divided into five squares, allowing visitors a more intuitive path and relaxation spaces. So far only VIPs have experienced what the big star of tennisWinner of 23 Grand Slams, Serena Williams and your partner, Alexis OhanianFounder of reddit.
As always, you can see how the big names dress in the galleries Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, White cube, Pace Gallery And Lisson Gallery. The section Meridiansagain curated by Magali Arriolafrom the Tamayo Contemporary Art Museum in Mexico, presented 19 major projects, including the installations “Quiet As It’s Kept” by Yes’Tovia Garyand the studio’s historical work on the “Flower Seller” mural by Alfredo Ramos Martinez.
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The other sections of Art Basel Miami Beach 2023 are It does not work, Opinion poll, positions And cabinetIn addition to the program conversationsleaded by Emily Butlerwith Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons like Premiere Artist Talk.
Tennis star Serena Williams attended the opening of Art Basel Miami Beach with her husband, Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian. (Friedrich Saint Romain)
Minerthe sixth mayor of Miami Beach at the opening since the arrival of the fair USAthe second headquarters after the headquarters of Basel, in 2002, was grateful for the honor of hosting the event, “which truly transforms our city for a week.” He confirmed that 80,000 visitors are coming South Florida these days to see this and the almost 30 satellite fairs that make it up Miami Art Week“an astonishing number in a very short space of time.”
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I call Art Basel “the Olympics of the art world” and argued: “In the truest sense of the word, in this building, right here, we see some of the greatest art creators of the 20th and 21st centuries.”
Horowitzwas the director of Art Basel Miami Beach Years ago he returned as director general of the parent institution. “And the truth is, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my first anniversary leading this organization than on this stage, surrounded by this incredible community in a city that is so close to my heart,” he said. He acknowledged “the extraordinary growth and dynamism of the cultural panorama of Miamiand emphasized that Florida has emerged from the Covid-19 crisis “with more ambition, energy and transformative potential than anywhere else in the world”.
From left From left to right: Vicenzo de Bellis, Art Basel fair director; Miami Beach Mayor Steven Miner; Noah Horowitz, CEO of Art Basel, and Jason Chandler from UBS.
Regarding the fair, he analyzed that it is not only “the most important event of its kind in the most important art market in the world”, but also occupies a unique position as a geographical and creative link between them North America And Central America And from the south. “It has established itself as the premier global platform for discovering artistic practices and voices from the region, and is an essential venue for showcasing artists and positions from across the U.S. market year after year. Europe, Asia, Middle East and that African diaspora“, Exactly.
The Art Week in MiamiHe estimated that it is “the highlight of the American cultural calendar” and that the city and its beaches are “the place to be when it comes to art, design, music, film, fashion and, increasingly, technology.”
To this topic, Horowitz demonstrated Access through Art Basela platform developed in collaboration with the technology company Arcualallowing art buyers to make a contribution charitable purposes as the Miami Foundation or the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “We are honored to open the first edition of Access with more than a dozen artists exhibiting at the fair,” said the managing director of Art Basel. Among them are Hernan Bass, Katherine Bradford, Rafael de la Cruz, Jenny Holzer And Angela Otero. In addition, he added that the fair made an initial donation of $25,000 in this first edition.
Art Basel Miami Beach, a global enclave to discover new artistic voices from America, brings together 277 international participants.
As CEO of Art Basel, Horowitz now bears responsibility for it Measure from Basel, Hong Kong And Parisin addition to Miami Beach. To ensure that they remain relevant, he believes it is particularly important to bring “a new generation of leaders and their viewpoints” into the organization. The first, he introduced, is Bridget Finnwho will take over the management of the 2024 edition Art Basel Miami Beach. “Bridget has the vision, ambition and skills needed to lead our work here.”
Finn will continue to work with Maureen BruckmayrHead of Business and Event Management FloridaAnd Vincenzo de BellisDirector for trade fairs and exhibition platforms, i.e. the person responsible for the global strategy of the four Basel trade fairs.
Finally, Horowitz thanked Norman And Irma Bramanwho promoted the arrival of Art Basel to Miami since the end of the 20th century, in addition to the authorities and collaborators. And to the sponsor UBS, its representative Jason Chandler The Director of Global Wealth Management for the Americas spoke next.
The renewed design of the plan offers five seats for an intuitive tour and several areas for visitors to rest.
“UBS was the main partner of Art Basel “We have been taking part in this event since its inception in 2002 and we are very proud of how it has become one of the most influential in the art world,” said the managing director of the Swiss financial services company. “Art is an important part of UBS culture,” he added, noting that the company’s collection includes more than 30,000 works, “making it one of the most important corporate collections in the world.” Some of its new acquisitions were featured in the VIP room exhibited.
The advisors of UBS They talk to their clients about their art collections, he added, “about how they can ensure that their collections are communicated in a way that reflects their desires and, more importantly, their values.” He doesn’t have that interest not only makes extensive relationships possible, like the ones he maintains with many of the protagonists of the inauguration, but also… Art Basel-UBS annual survey. According to the 2023 edition, average spending by collectors surveyed in 11 markets was $65,000 in the first half of the year, up 19% from 2021.
About the activities of the institution in Miami Art Week which Chandler highlighted were told in the triptych of Jeffrey Gibson Just When You Least Expect It, inspired by the lyrics of Love Comes Quickly, by Pet Shop Boysthat combines Native American traditions and geometric abstraction with new acquisitions from artists such as Nick Cave, Awol Erizku, Deana Lawson And Hank Willis Thomas.
On its opening day, Art Basel Miami Beach presented guests with the opening of the Meridians and Galleries areas.
He also spoke about The Poetics of Dimensions, a group exhibition at UBS Art Studio in collaboration with Artnoir and curated by its co-founder Larry Ossei Mensah. “The exhibition includes works by Anthony Akinbola, Sonia Gomes, Melissa Joseph, Julianknxx And Nari district” he quoted. Finally, he mentioned the only film work of the Art WeekOrigin, from the nominee for Oscar Ava DuVernay“which will be premiered as part of the presentation of Tribeca Festival“, the event that was first associated with it Art Basel Miami Beach.
DeBellis spoke in detail about what the fair will bring in 2023 Miami Beach Convention Centerstarting with “a new floor plan adapted to improve the visibility of the galleries in all areas of the fair and to offer visitors an exceptional experience with more opportunities to rest, have a drink or have a meal.”
He highlighted that MeridiansSector curated by for the fourth time Arriola, contains several projects created specifically for the exhibition. “The sector presents works that speak to nature, the land and the ways in which we negotiate our constructed cultural and spiritual geographies,” he analyzed. He mentioned some “symbolic works of the curatorial premise,” such as “Inflatable Globe” by Seung-taek Leethe sculptural installation by Reginald O’Neillwhich acts as a continuation of his research into the role of the artist,” intervened the photographs of public and political demonstrations Marcelo Brodsky and the work of Yes’tovia Gary.
Miami Beach Mayor Steven Miner hailed Art Basel as a transformative event in the city, attracting 80,000 visitors in 2023.
It welcomed new galleries including Gallery Minsk (Paris) and Weinstein Gallery (San Francisco), which “brings a remarkable historical proposal to the main sector: they present together an individual stand of the Italian-Argentine surrealist artist.” Leonor Finiwith never-before-exhibited works from his personal collection.”
DeBellis He also mentioned the galleries The ranch (New York), which exhibits “never-before-exhibited Puerto Rican anthropomorphic sculptures.” Daniel Lind Ramosmade from materials salvaged from his hometown,” and Silver lens (Manila), which features large tapestries and altars by the Filipino artist Norberto Roldanabout postcolonial conditions” by Philippines. “Our fair is more than ever a launching platform for young galleries and emerging, experimental and avant-garde voices,” added the expert.
Noah Horowitz introduced Bridget Finn as the new director for the next edition of Art Basel Miami Beach.
Finally, he spoke about the program conversationsleaded by servant, which brings together 35 opinion leaders across nine panels throughout the week. In addition to Campos Pons“prominent artist of Cuban origin, whose retrospective is currently on display at Brooklyn Museum“, the figure of hip hop and activist Chance the rapperthe collector Little star Brodsky and the managing director of The bass, Silvia Karman Cubiñáwill be among the speakers.
“This edition presents a wide variety of galleries, artists and new perspectives on art from the Latin American scene and the Caribbean diaspora,” he concluded. DeBellis. “From historical works to contemporary voices, almost two-thirds of this edition’s exhibitors are from America. “We are proud to be one of the world’s leading platforms for modern and contemporary art from this extraordinary region.”
Photos: NachoMartinFilms (@nachomartinfilms)