With Thanksgiving coming to a hopefully, healthy end, it’s time to channel all our energy towards Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB). Yes, it’s that time of year when the international art world, socialites, celebrities and general scene-seekers grace Miami with their presence.
What began as a small North American version of “The Art Basel Fair” founded in 1970 in Basel, Switzerland has now grown to be the largest modern and contemporary art fair in the America’s and includes over 250 galleries, more than 50,000 collectors, curators, artist and general enthusiast, and more than 150 museums and art institution participating in the mecca of North American art fairs. We like to call it a sort of pilgrimage for the art world and not attending, at least once, is a major faux pas. You know what they say, “one must try everything once before being granted the opportunity to judge it.”
Sadly enough, we’ve participated on several occasions and can judge it. Each year Art Basel Miami Beach moves toward being equivalent to the circus we call New York Fashion week. Hundreds of parties will occur this week and it’s safe to say a majority of them will have some level of fashion connection/collaboration. Although, we consider fashion an art itself, we have mixed feelings about it all. Nevertheless, we’ll be there in full form.
We’ll start off Wednesday this year with the Vernissage, of course. Most of the art is sold within the first 24 hours of ABMB opening to the public on December 6. Private jets land just in time for the Vernissage causing major air-traffic jams and usually depart the following day before the folks who really are not buying arrive. We’ll also stop by the Maison de Mode x PK cocktail party at Soho House on Wednesday, December 4. Destined to be a great start to our week with Amanda Hearst, Polina Berlin, PKSHOP Director, and designer Hassan Pierre hosting. Later that evening you can find us at the Bass Museum opening reception for Piotr Uklański’sexhibition titled, “ESL.”
In spite of all the “Art x Fashion” collaborations we are excited to see the works of Annika Connor, who we featured earlier this year. She’ll be showing a piece at Scope Art Fair. We are equally excited to see Cricket and Martin Taplin’s annual exhibition at the Sagamore Hotel. This year they’ll feature works by Bill Beirne, Shannon Plumb, Ken Jacobs, Ernie Gehr, and Antoni Muntadas. Cricket and Martin Taplin also host one of the best brunches during ABMB.
While strolling the streets of Miami expect to see city buses painted by artist, Angel Otero. Our biggest piece of shopping advice would be not to depart without purchasing a beach towel. Yes, the Art Production fund will be selling beach towels designed by artist, Kinde Wiley, Yayoi Kusama, Ryan McGinley and more at the Standard Hotel all week.
And like all other years, we’ll end our night at one of the many pop-up parties. We hear 1OAK has a pop-up at the Delano all week, so that’s on our list.
-Curtis D. Young
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