Art Basel Miami Beach
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If you’re a professional or aspiring designer, My Design Agenda definitely recommends you to fly to Miami this December 2-4. Why? Art Basel is returning to Miami Beach in the flesh for the first time since 2019. Over 250 international galleries, mostly from the Americas, will be in attendance.
GALLERIES
Galleries are the main section of the fair. This year, 185 of the world’s leading galleries will be presenting the highest quality of paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, photography, videos, and digital works. From paintings and sculptures to photography and digital art, some of the resounding themes this year include womanhood, nature, the environment, race, and colonialism.
POSITIONS
Positions, dedicated to emerging artists, will bring together 19 solo presentations from artists across the globe.
NOVA
Nova provides a platform for galleries to present new works by up to three artists, created within the last three years. There will be 25 presentations this year.
SURVEY
Survey features works created before 2000. There will be 18 galleries—five of which are new—with most of the work representing historical positions.
MERIDIANS
Meridians debuted in 2019 as a platform for both renowned and emerging artists to showcase large-scale sculptures and paintings, installations, live performances, film and video projections, and other projects that push the boundaries of a traditional art fair layout. It returns this year with 16 large-scale projects—most of which question traditional representations of class, race, and power; and bridge physical and cultural boundaries— curated by Magalí Arriola, Director of Museo Tamayo, Mexico City.
KABINETT
Kabinett provides galleries the opportunity to present curated exhibitions in separately delineated spaces within their booths. This year, there will be 25 presentations by established and emerging artists.
CONVERSATIONS
Conversations offer a platform for the exchange of ideas—between artists, gallerists, collectors, art historians, curators, museum directors, and critics from across the world—on topics concerning the global contemporary art scene. This year’s topics include the rise of the NFT art market, questions of resilience post-pandemic, and the need to reinvent the museum. The discussions will be moderated by private art dealer and author Edward Winkleman and will be live-streamed on Facebook and recorded.
WORKS THAT SOLD AT THIS YEAR’S ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH
JULIE MEHRETU AT WHITE CLUB
KEITH HARING AT GLADSTONE GALLERY
This untitled painting by Keith Haring from 1983, depicting his signature outlined figure revolving around a beaming sun, was the most expensive work sold by Gladstone Gallery during the first day, going for $1.75 million. The gallery also sold a work by the late artist Elizabeth Murray, whose work is the subject of a show now at the gallery in New York, for $725,000.
DANIEL ARSHAM AT PERROTIN
A new work by Daniel Arsham, titled Eroded Porsche 911 (2021), sold to a local Miami collector for just over $500,000 at Perrotin. The work is a grey-toned replica of a vintage car that is cast with epoxy resin and polymer to make it appear fossilized. The gallery also sold works by Cristina BanBan, Izumi Kato, Josh Sperling, Danielle Orchard, JR, and Mr.
GIDEON APPAH AT MICHEL-INNES & NASH
Are you going to attend Art Basel Miami Beach 2021? Feel free to comment and share!
