The Art of Basel

Miami is undeniably the biggest deal in the country during the first week of December. Art Basel Miami Beach put the city on the international art map nine years ago; since then, artists, collectors, tourists, celebrities, revelers, international luminaries, and everybody in between make the annual pilgrimage to devour all the satellite fairs, pop-ups, exhibitions, galleries, lectures, lounges, and events they can seize in the three- to five-day span.

But you better be ready for it.

Miami’s glittery social scene gets more sparkles (read: bubbly), the fêtes are bigger and better, and just about every venue in town wants to indulge the Basel patrons. Not to mention, the majority of the exhibitions takes place steps from the gorgeous beach and in the middle of the already vibrant Art Deco district.

ABMB hosts 250 art galleries from five continents and exhibits 20th and 21st century artworks by more than 2,000 artists. Thus without a proper guide, one is sure to get lost in the sea of mediocre exhibitions and too-mainstream crowds. ABMB is for the light-footed (you better make sure those heels are made for walking), the sagacious art aficionados as well as anyone who values great culture and creative work—and of course, those who can appreciate art with a hangover or two.

To make sure you cover all the important bases, we broke down Basel week into Miami’s different districts, so that you spend each day devoted to a different sector. Like art, our VIP guide to ABMB 2010 is subjective, but Haute Living’s eye is the most discerning, subjectively speaking, of course.

TUESDAY | NOVEMBER 30
THE EARLY-BIRD SPECIALS

Art Basel Miami Beach doesn’t officially open to the public for another two days, but invitation-only and VIP privileges assure you first looks minus the shoulder-to-shoulder crowdedness and in more sophisticated, intimate settings.

Design Miami From 3 to 6 p.m., the serious collectors have first access to the Design Miami Collector’s Preview, which is for the first time housed just blocks from the main fair in the Convention Center. The Vernissage follows but is also for VIP members or by invitation only.

DON’T MISS
Art Miami, Miami’s longest running contemporary art fair, kicks off ABMB with the Opening Night VIP Preview, which will benefit the Lotus House Women’s Shelter. An estimated attendance for the VIP opening is 6,500 to 7,000 guests. It’s the exclusive first opportunity for VIP collectors to acquire some of the finest works in contemporary and modern art. As the official hotel sponsor of Art Miami, Mandarin Oriental, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, will host a smaller VIP preview/cocktail reception in the hotel’s atrium lobby the night prior at 7 p.m.

THE SCENE
Gary Nader Fine Art, the largest fine art gallery in the world is hosting an exclusive dinner party by invitation only for the unveiling of Fernando Botero: The Grand Show, which will display more than 100 works by the most important living artist. The evening will be sponsored in part by Haute Living.

THE SCENE
MOCA/Vanity Fair International Party (770 NE 125th St.) is for MOCA members only; this fabulous kick-off party is also the opening of German artist Jonathan Meese: Sculpture and American photographer Bruce Webber: Haiti/Little Haiti.

WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 1
THE OPENING NIGHT

The main show opens tomorrow, but only VIPs like serious collectors have exclusive access to the galleries in the Convention Center on opening night. Galleries selected from 29 countries will showcase paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations, photography, editions, and videos. Meanwhile, the night before ABMB officially begins is an evening for revelers as the options for schmoozing and boozing are plenty.

The Oceanfront (Collins Park, between 21st and 22nd Streets), a mere 5-minute walk from the Convention Center, pays tribute to the artistic and cultural scenes of four cities—Detroit, Mexico City, Berlin, and Glasgow—with one night devoted to each city.

DON’T MISS
Bass Museum of Art (2121 Collins Ave.), in partnership with PUMA.Creative, presents ISAAC JULIEN / Creative Caribbean Network. At this private opening/cocktail reception, guests will view the U.S. premiere of the filmmaker Julien’s Ten Thousand Waves, a nine-screen video art installation, which forms a dynamic architectural structure through which the viewer navigates the multiple narratives. This exhibition also launches a long-term partnership between the Bass Museum and PUMA.Creative to create an international platform in Miami for artists, performers, writers, and musicians from the Caribbean region. The solo exhibition will open to the public Dec. 2 and run through March 6, 2011.

YOU CAN’T MISS
Miguel Paredes National Gallery if you walk by the National Hotel (1677 Collins Ave.) on South Beach. Pop and multi-media artist, sculptor and urban realist, Miguel Paredes, will showcase his largest exhibition to date as his multi-colored and vibrant works are set to completely cover the hotel’s outdoor façade as well as its indoor walls and pool garden area. A VIP opening reception is scheduled from 8 to 11 p.m. with an after-party to follow.

THE SCENE
Masters’ Mystery Art Show is the annual private cocktail reception at The Ritz Carlton, South Beach, where guests can purchase one of more than 1,500 original 6 x 9 works of art, but are revealed the artist’s name only after the art is sold. For the first time, this year The Ritz-Carlton is partnering with Haute Living to give Master’s Mystery Art Show a fashionable spin by featuring exclusive tote bags by premier designers. Similar to the 6 X 9 mini-masterpieces, the hotel will provide a blank “canvas” in the form of a tote bag to a number of nationally recognized designers, who will use their own unique style to create one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork to be part of an auction during the event. The show opens to the public Dec. 2 from 12 to 7 p.m.

GRAB A BITE
Wolfsonian-FIU (1001 Washington Ave.) hosts a dinner featuring a menu by world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Margrit Mondavi and an extensive list of rare wines from the Robert Mondavi Winery. The dinner honors filmmaker and actress Isabella Rossellini, who is collaborating with The Wolfsonian during Art Basel for the site-specific Seduce Me installation, which explores the seduction rituals of animals. An auction follows dinner, with items including Robert Mondavi Winery vintages, a special bag designed by Rossellini for Bulgari, and a Bulgari men’s watch. Only 100 tickets are available.

THURSDAY | DECEMBER 2
CONVENTION CENTER

2010 Sponsors and Partners

UBS / Cartier / NetJets / AXA Art / Bally / Art Nexus / Eden Roc / Moroso / Palms Hotel & Spa / Ruinart /
W South Beach / Creative Time

The main fair of Art Basel Miami Beach held inside the Convention Center will open for the public from Dec. 2-5. It will showcase more than 250 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, with works by more than 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Art Basel Miami Beach committee has picked more than 180 Art Galleries for the main drag, which features the well-known artists while Art Positions is for young galleries. Art Kabinett presents curated exhibitions while Art Nova only shows the most recent works (within the last two years) by the 131 featured artists. Hear great dialogues about art at Art Basel Conversations and Art Salon. This year’s Art Film presentation is Waste Land, which follows artist Vik Muniz as he journeys to the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, in Brazil.

DON’T MISS
Cartier presents a space designed by the Japanese filmmaker Beat Takeshi Kitano, which takes the visitors through gags and games that mock contemporary art as well as poke fun at history, science, and his home country. This hands-on exhibit will allow guests to color drawings made by the artist.

DON’T MISS
Ruinart; the Art Basel provider and boutique Champagne house will host a pop-up gallery at the Betsy Hotel (1440 Ocean Drive) with 10 Ruinart-inspired pieces by contemporary artists across the U.S. The art will be on display in the hotel lobby.

TAKE A BREATHER
Spa de la Mar offers VIP Basel guests a three-day sanctuary (from Dec. 1-3) to indulge in signature La Mer Facials performed by La Mer estheticians from Europe at a private location on Miami Beach. Get pampered and relax in a lounge featuring a la carte organic and natural menu items, like imported Norwegian smoked salmon tea sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit smoothes, and more. After the facials, a makeup artist will complete your fresh look for the Art Basel festivities. Spa de la Mer is by invitation only.

FRIDAY | DECEMBER 3
DESIGN MIAMI

For the first time since the inception of ABMB, Design Miami is moving to the beach, allowing a more streamlined experience for patrons who will roam between the Convention Center and Design Miami. The show, which celebrates the best of design, will take place on Meridian Avenue and 19th Street in the Moorhead & Moorhead-designed temporary structure, and with the structure’s interior designed by the contemporary American architect duo, Aranda/Lasch.

Modern Primitives installation is a partnership between Italian luxury fashion house Fendi and Aranda/Lasch. The installation is composed of foam structures derived from small primitive pieces that connect to larger ones, which can be sat on, leaned against, and held in your hands. This tactile experience invites spectators to become part of the installation. Aranda/Lasch will also specially design a version of the Fendi classic Peekaboo handbag, which will also display as part of the installation.

DON’T MISS
Design Miami’s Designer of the Year, Konstantin Grcic, who will present his piece, Netscape, in the outdoor courtyard of Design Miami’s temporary structure. Netscape is a six-point star-shaped structure from which 24 seats made of netting will be suspended for guests’ use.

Head away from the crowds of Design Miami and ABMB to the Sagamore Hotel, which will showcase 17 established and emerging artists as part of the Cricket Taplin Collection. Hotel owner Taplin has been an influential person within the Miami art scene and her exhibit of works in various mediums won’t disappoint.

SATURDAY | DECEMBER 4
THE ART DISTRICTS

Some of the best visual displays during Art Basel Miami Beach take place away from the beach, across the causeways, and where the in crowd is always the art crowd. Miami’s three main art artists host the largest collection of museums, galleries, and exhibitions and serve as hubs for the week’s main fair.

WYNWOOD

The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse (591 NW 27 St.) presents seasonal exhibitions of sculpture, photography, and video, and installation art from the renowned collection of Martin Z. Margulies in 45,000 square feet of space. Some highlights of this year’s exhibitions include Africa Photography and Video; Jene Highstein: Large Stone Carvings; and Michelangelo Pistoletto:
Broken Mirror Painting.

Rubell Family Collection (95 NW 29th St.) showcases How Soon is Now and Contemporary Art 1983–1991 from the Collection of Jason Rubell in the 45,000-square-foot museum.

David Castillo Gallery (2234 NW 2nd Ave.) The dilapidated-warehouse-turned-gallery displays international and local artists, both emerging and in mid careers. During Art Basel, David Castillo will showcase two group exhibitions; the main space will hold The Maginot Line, curated by Dennis Scholl, and includes works on paper by Daniel Arsham, Ben Berlow, Michael Berryhill, Nathan Carter, William de Kooning, Jean Dubuffet, Mark Grotjahn, Marie Lorenz, Pepe Mar, and others. In the David Castillo Annex, A Gallery Projects is a selection of the gallery’s represented artists’ new works. Attend the opening reception for both exhibitions and the 42-Below Vodka-hosted lounge from 7 to 10 p.m.

DON’T MISS
Wynwood Walls, the street art mural park that is a collaboration between Tony Goldman and Jeffrey Deitch. The project features works by internationally respected artists that will use the walls of buildings owned by Goldman Properties as their canvas. This year will include the addition of six new murals, bringing the total number of murals to 18. There will also be a wall of themed stickers.

GRAB A BITE
Wynwood Kitchen and Bar (2550 NW 2nd Ave.) is set to premier during Art Basel for the international crowds. Goldman Properties founder Tony Goldman, who runs Joey’s and Wish, adds to the revitalizing neighborhood a 5,000-square-foot warehouse-turned-restaurant. The artist collective Dearraindrop will create an outdoor mural for the restaurant’s walls, and graffiti artist Shephard Fairey and Christian Awe will decorate the inside with murals.

DESIGN DISTRICT

Luminaire Lab (3901 NE 2nd Ave.)Contemporary home design leader Luminaire hosts an exhibition by renowned Italian designer Angelo Mangiarotti as well as a display of objects by avant-garde Gruppo T. The Lab will feature rising design stars like Francoi Brument, who specializes in sound waves and digital 3-D modeling techniques, and Japanese designer Nao Tamura. A special bonus is the Dezeen Watch Store, a pop-up installation of timepieces by the most important designers.

The de la Cruz Collection Contemporary Art Space (23 NE 41st St.), houses works from the personal collection of Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, two of Florida’s most prominent art collectors. This year’s inaugural exhibition is anchored in surrealism and inspired by Salvador Dali’s portrait of Dolores Suero Falla, Carlos de la Cruz’s mother.

Pepe Mar Solo Show (180 NE 39 St. Suite 222) The artist, known for his three-dimensional monster figures that are as grotesque as they are comical and playful, incorporates brand new materials into his artistic production, such as sculpted clay elements.

Rirkrit Tiravanija (Moore Building/4040 NE 2nd Ave. #103) The internationally acclaimed contemporary artist, who creates installations/events centered around eating, cooking, reading, or playing music, will curate an exhibition of emerging performance-based artists.

DON’T MISS
Jim Drain Public Art Project (NE 41 St. & NE 1st Ave.) Miami-based textile artist Jim Drain, who is the 2005 winner of the prestigious Baloise Art Prize, will transform the façade of a vacant lot in the Design District. The project, Small Reprieve, is a collaboration with the students of Design and Architecture Senior High School to create a vinyl wrap scrim that evokes a majestic stained glass.

WHAT’S NEW
BALLY Love (Moore Building/191 NE 40th St. Suite 101) The leather goods brand, Bally, and Art Basel have teamed up to bring a new dimension of fashion, philosophy, and love with Bally Love, a capsule collection of products created with a series of Swiss artists and the Bally design team. Their first collaboration is with Philippe Decrauzat, who’s known for his geometric and abstract designs.

ART MIDTOWN

Daniel Azoulay Gallery (3201 Buena Vista Blvd., suite 120) will showcase photographic works in a collection called Jazz Roots Backstage, which is based on six jazz concerts performed in Miami at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

Michael Perez Gallery (3201 Buena Vista Blvd., store 114) of New York will display his Modern Pop artwork, which features faces and still life in contrasting shapes and colors.

DON’T MISS
Willard Wigan Exhibition (Midblock NE 1st Ave.) The London-based master micro sculptor creates the world’s smallest art pieces that are intricately carved. Wigans plans to showcase more than 50 pieces of his work, including his latest masterpiece appropriately for Miamians—the Three Kings sculpture featuring Miami Heat’s LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

WHAT’S NEW
The first international “World Gardens” installation (36th Street entrance of Midtown Miami’s Art Park), designed by Harry Nelson of Harry Nelson Fine Gardens, will make its official debut in the U.S. The installation features seven intertwined gardens, including garden styles from Italy, France, England, and Brazil, on more than 2 acres.

THE SCENE
Miami Art Museum Ball is a black-tie event and annual fundraiser held at the Mandarin Oriental that will celebrate the groundbreaking of its future home in Museum Park. Long-time art collectors Diane and Robert Moss will chair the ball. Individual tickets start at $750, and the event is from 6:30 p.m. to 12 a.m.

SUNDAY | DECEMBER 5
DOWNTOWN | THE FRINGE FAIRS

It might be the last day, but you better make sure you have some Basel left in you; there are still some of the best art and events you don’t want to miss. Fringe fairs anchor the main show and more continue to spring up around Miami as ABMB gets bigger every year. And as the once-desolate downtown Miami continues to grow, so does the number of exhibitions and satellite fairs in the area.

You obviously can’t make it to all the fringe fairs, so we recommend you at least hit up Art Miami (NE 1st Avenue between NE 32nd & NE 31st Street), Miami’s longest running contemporary art fair. Be sure to catch the works of Beverly Hills-based abstract painter Lori Hyland at the Timothy Yarger Fine Art gallery. Throughout the week, Mandarin Oriental will sponsor a VIP lounge incorporating artistic, contemporary, and subtle Oriental influences at Art Miami. Guests staying at the hotel will receive access to the Art Miami lounge and all of the VIP treatments as well as a complimentary shuttle service to Art Miami.

Also, you never want to miss SCOPE Art (3055 North Miami Ave.), which has made its reputation as the leading fair for international emerging contemporary artists, boasting 85 cutting-edge galleries in creative medias. SCOPE celebrates its 10th anniversary show this year and will expand in partnership with local and international cultural organizations to feature films, music, installations, and performances. SCOPE Art Show is also partnering with Collectrium to bring you the SCOPE Miami 2010 image-recognition iPhone app. Visit www.collectrium.com/iphone.

Parallel Fairs
Art Asia: www.artasiafair.com / Wynwood
Art Miami: www.art-miami.com / Midtown
Aqua Art Miami: www.aquaartmiami.com / Wynwood
Design Miami: www.designmiami.com / Design District
Focia Art Fair: www.fociartfair.com / Midtown
Fountain Miami: www.fountainexhibit.com / Wynwood
INK Miami Fair: www.inkartfair.com / South Beach
NADA Art Fair: www.newartdealers.org / Miami Beach
NOBE 67 ART: www.nobe67art.com / Miami Beach
Pool Art Fair: www.poolartfair.com / South Beach
Pulse: www.pulse-art.com / Miami
Red Dot Fair: www.redotfair.com / Wynwood
SCOPE: www.scopeart.com / Wynwood
Verge Art Fair Miami: www.vergeartfair.com / South Beach

DON’T MISS
Gary Nader Sculpture Biennial Exhibition, which is a first for the city. This two-month exhibition is the gallerist’s desire to bring art to the streets and help downtown Miami grow as a cultural hub. More than 50 sculptures of all sizes will be dispersed along the Biscayne Boulevard corridor in downtown Miami, from the Intercontinental Hotel to the American Airlines Arena, and in nearby indoor venues.

GRAB A BITE
Brunch & Tour, Adrienne Arsht Center (786-468-2358) celebrates its fifth anniversary season by partnering with New York‘s Lincoln Center for the Performing Art to present a new exhibition of art works by Jennifer Bartlett, Chuck Close, Robert Longo, Elizabeth Murray, and Donald Sultan. Head over for the tour from 10 to noon.