Art In Every Medium: Miami’s Most Immersive Basel Yet

EVERY DECEMBER, MIAMI DOES NOT JUST HOST ART BASEL; IT SURRENDERS TO IT. For one electric week, art takes over: galleries become Miami’s hottest place to be seen, restaurants transform into exhibitions, and the streets pulse with creativity. From monumental sculptures to curated menus and soundscapes, Miami becomes a masterpiece that can be experienced in every medium.

In the Miami Design District, transformation begins with the 10th Annual Design Commission by Katie Stout. Her installation, Gargantua’s Thumb, transforms the neighborhood into a surreal fantasy: dog-shaped benches, whalelike sofas, frog-inspired perches, and a canopy of colorful, suspended orbs that blur the lines between design and imagination. It’s tactile, interactive, alive — a fitting tribute to the Commission’s decade-long influence.

Nearby, the Craig Robins Collection reveals its latest rehang, Walking on Air, spotlighting Richard Tuttle and his delicate play between space and suspension. Works by David Hammons, John Baldessari, and Marcel Duchamp join the conversation, capturing levity and chance — an invitation to see the invisible threads connecting art’s past and present.

On Lincoln Road, art spills into the open air. Fourteen large-scale installations bring color and commentary to Miami Beach, from Philippe Katerine’s bubblegum-pink inflatables in Mr. Pink Takes Flight to Oscar Esteban Martinez’s mirrored human face in La Herencia Viva, a reflection on identity and belonging. Add Gillie and Marc’s whimsical wildlife bronzes and Rubem Robierb’s interactive sculptures, and a walk feels like entering another dimension.

But Art Basel’s influence doesn’t end at the gallery door. It’s on your plate, in your glass, and in the music vibrating through every late-night lounge. Riviera Dining Group leads the culinary wave, debuting AVA MediterrAegean in Coconut Grove — an ethereal escape channeling Cycladic elegance through a menu as artful as it is sensorial. At CLAUDIE, the group partners with Bartoux Gallery to exhibit works by Anna Master and Frédéric Pinet, pairing visual art with curated bites and cocktails.

In the heart of Lincoln Road, MILA Miami collaborates with designer Philip Karto, whose reimagined luxury handbags become an integral part of the restaurant’s visual identity alongside world-class DJs that transform dinner into a performance. Back in the Design District, Spicy Hospitality Group expands culinary artistry with Le Specialità, a Milanese legend reimagined for Miami, where fine Italian dining comes with a side of Basquiat, KAWS, and Murakami.

Then there’s Cartier, unveiling its newly expanded flagship, a symphony of fluted glass, seashell staircases, and flora-inspired interiors by Liz Diller and Laura Gonzalez. During Miami Art Week, the Maison invites guests into Panthère Into the Wild, an immersive journey through its iconic feline’s history.

This is Art Basel Miami Beach 2025: sculpture, sound, flavor, light — every form of expression finds its place.