Art Basel Miami Beach 2024 opened on December 4 to a bevy of VIPs seeking to ensure they were the first ones inside. Many collectors want to have first right of refusal, given they do not like knowing that someone else has passed on the piece. The fair included 286 galleries from 28 countries, including 34 new exhibitors, and it was an overwhelmingly strong edition from both an aesthetic and sales perspective.
During the early hours of the fair, Larry Gagosian sat perched in a chair just outside his booth, watching his directors transact sales in a scene resembling a pride of lions bringing fresh kills to the aged alpha male; sales seemed abundant. Other gallerists waited patiently for their VIP clients to arrive, and heeled collectors, celebrities, and even some has-beens streamed into the Miami Beach Convention Center. A couple of hours later, there was neither the usual gargantuan line nor the frantic hustle and bustle of years past, and a day later, on Thursday, there were very few people at the fair. The fair did, of course, pick up a lot on the public days. The mood was initially subdued as many galleries sold works valued at five figures and the lower six figures, and given that many marquee pieces did not initially fly off the shelves; however, by the end of the week, the sales were indeed robust, and it appears as if Art Basel Miami Beach is still the market driver that it is known to be. The satellite fairs Design Miami, Untitled, and Scope were also mighty, and thankfully, the overall party scene has diminished a touch from the wild weeks of years past. The Miami Beach Edition and the Faena were the hubs for art events, while on the other side of the bay, the Rubell Collection seemed to be the darling of the week with a splendid exhibition of paintings by Vanessa Raw. Golden Goose also got in on the action in the Design District by collaborating with artist Valfré attended by several A-list celebrities. All guests received a pair of collaboration shoes. This week’s art quality was overarchingly high, given that most gallerists know that bringing some of your best work to Miami is a great way to ensure a strong year-end performance.
Alvaro Barrington, Brazil Chico Fish, 2024, Oil and acrylic on burlap in reclaimed wood frame, 212 x 232 x 7 cm 83 1/2 x 91 3/8 x 2 3/4 in Mendes Wood DM Art Basel Miami Beach 2024
Burlap is the perfect substrate for colourful canvases, and Alvaro Barrington takes full advantage of the surface to work out brilliantly bright tonalities in this piece. A large-scale fish virtually glows and fills most of the surface area in this vibrant work. The dark eye of the fish seems to stare back, and it also appears as if the fish is eating some underwater flora. The artist’s frame is also handmade from reclaimed wood, and the deep brown tonalities make the painting a focal point and provide a stark border with the white wall. The loosely rendered water around the fish brilliantly utilizes the burlap fabric colour and subtly conveys an underwater world full of colour and mystery. It could also be a good stand-in for sand. Barrington had a triumphant show at Thaddeus Ropac last year in Pantin, Paris, focusing on Dennis Rodman’s depictions. Seeing a new motif that may be even more successful is very refreshing. Barrington is a prolific painter with four upcoming exhibitions in January and February alone.
José Parlá, Pathways, 2024 Acrylic, oil paint and collage on canvas; 2 panels, 243.8 × 670.5 cm total – Ben Brown Art Basel Miami Beach 2024
José Parlá is back in complete form with this dynamo painting that has flashes of his past work but is a markedly different direction for his oeuvre. The paint is thicker, and there are large swaths of solid colour. Both sgraffito and beautifully intricate bright paint-tone swirls have visually similar effects. There are even chunky areas of texture that can be likened to Bosco Sodi or Jean Dubuffet. The painting is a sumptuous experience, and Parlá attacks the canvas with all the weapons in his creative arsenal. It is a work that insists on being experienced and encompasses the spectator’s visual field. The title Pathways may reference the myriad ways the eye can travel around this gestural masterpiece of contemporary abstraction. José Parlá: Homecoming is also open at the Perez Art Museum through July 6, 2025.
Anastasia Bay, Maestra Lacrymae, Acte V, 2024 Paintings: acrylic and pastel on panel; sculpture: foam, wood, fabric, Dimensions variable Venus Over Manhattan Art Basel Miami Beach 2024
A supine harlequin lies in state before a large-scale triptych that instantly recalls James Ensor. There is also an unmissable reference to Mantegna’s Lamentation of Christ, and in this case, the clown is a stand-in for both the artist and the Christian saviour. The sacrificial theme is a pro pos insofar as many artists are sacrificed on the altar of commercial enterprise. Art history and the art market are rarely aligned. This poetic installation calls attention to the fact that artists should be at the forefront of any discussion on art; without artists, art does not exist. The forms of the paintings recall Renaissance predella panels and the entire piece uses a haunting religious metaphor. Art is religion, and artists are the saviours. The colourful and expressionistic figures offer a beautiful insight into the many emotions experienced in the human experience and the ability of artists to highlight them.
Jesse Krimes, Seahorse, 2024, used clothing collected from currently and formerly incarcerated people, assorted textiles, embroidery, image transfer, and acrylic paint. The piece measures 69 1/2 x 67 x 2 3/4 inches, or 177 x 170 x 7 cm.
Jack Shainman Art Basel Miami Beach 2024
This work, composed of clothing collected from presently and formerly incarcerated individuals, is a powerful statement about the interconnectedness of systems. It feels like an algae or a fungus that permeates and spreads. Perhaps there is a metaphor for the mentality of society towards people who have experienced incarceration. There are several layers of coloured fabric, and a camouflage-like surface is on the last layer of much of the piece, the camouflage being a metaphor for invisibility. The issue of mass incarceration in the USA is hiding in plain sight and is something that many are afraid to address. He has a solo exhibition titled Corrections at the Met through July 13, 2025. Krimes is an artist in residence at Silver Art Projects at the World Trade Center, a 501(c)(3) that offers a minimum of 25% of studio space to formerly incarcerated artists.
Charles Hascoët, PlayStation nostalgia, 2024, Oil on canvas, 110 × 140 cm | 43 5/16 x 55 1/8 inches Perrotin Art Basel Miami Beach 2024
A solitary figure plays a PlayStation in a surreal scene consisting of a muted interior that is also an excellent foil for the vibrant colours of the animals and still-life aspects of the scene. The tulips recall Flemish Baroque painting, and there is a set of black tulips that may be a reference to death, similar to the idea of the open tulips Rubens used to commemorate his deceased brother Philip in his painting The Four Philosophers, currently at Palazzo Pitti in Florence. Much in the same way, there is also a self-portrait here of Hascoët that seems like a 21st-century version of Rodin’s thinker. He is not looking at the screen but is instead gazing at the controller, perhaps marvelling at what it does. One bird has a halo, which happens to be the bird on the artist’s head, and the Listerine bottle provides both colour harmony and a sense of cleansing. Perhaps playing a game is a great way to clear the mind, and when one looks at the abstracted PlayStation logo, it appears pretty beautiful in its simple form.
Camille Henrot, Personal Development 2 (Desktop Series), 2014, Bronze, AP 1/4, Ed. of 8+ 4 AP, 75 x 50 x 36 cm /29 1/2 x 19 5/8 x 14 1/8 inches Hauser and Wirth
This dark-toned enigmatic bronze sculpture stood out in a booth full of colour and large-scale paintings. A beautiful balance is present in how the sphere connects to both appendages of the figure that appear upside down. Three hairlike antennas sprout from the balloon-like object in a gesture that points upward. The leggy forms are elegantly curved, yet they connect starkly with the wavy surface of the plates below, a visual ripple. Has this figure dived into this portal, or are they emerging from it? The overall mystery of the piece is terrific as it offers no definitive answers to what exactly is being represented. Thus, the sculpture clarifies that sometimes beauty is beyond the narrative.
Stickymonger, Sensei to Kana to Watashi, 2024, Aerosol paint on shaped canvas, 147.3 x 160 cm, 58 x 63 inches
Nazuka Art Basel Miami Beach 2024
Nazuka presented a moving selection of works in honour of Keiichi Tanaamii, an influential Japanese artist who passed away in August. This presentation was a beautifully intricate and colourful selection of artworks that still managed to feel intimate.This painting is a portrait of Kana Nanzuka. It is replete with symbols and references to Keiichi and odes to the beautiful tradition of image-making that has come out of various parts of Asia. Keiichi Tanaamii: Memory Collage is a retrospective at the ICA in Miami, open through March 30, 2025, that consists of works made between 1965 and 2024. It is difficult to describe just how fitting this booth as tribute was, so I think it is a pro pos to include a quote from the artist Stickymonger speaking about the master artist’s influence and personality. “I first met Tanaami-sensei in 2018 during his show at Nanzuka Gallery, on my first visit to Tokyo. As a long-time fan, seeing his work in person felt like fate. I was starting as an artist at the time, and while most of his pieces were out of my reach, I could afford a beautiful teacup set. Nervously stepping out of my comfort zone, I asked a kind woman at the gallery if it might be possible to get his signature on the teacup. She graciously offered to take it upstairs, where Sensei was on a break. I didn’t expect much, but to my surprise, she returned with the teacup signed. Then, to my shock, Sensei approached me, asking if I liked the signature. I was blown away by his thoughtfulness, especially knowing how busy he must be at his opening. That moment made me admire him even more, not just as an artist but as a person. The kind woman who helped me was Kana Nanzuka, and we became close as we worked together later. His passing was devastating—I’ve never cried so much for someone outside my family. When Nanzuka asked me to create a piece inspired by him, the memory of that first encounter was the first thing that came to mind. I’m forever grateful to Kana for connecting me with Sensei and to Shinji for allowing me to create a tribute filled with such personal meaning.”
Nicholas Galanin, Seletega (run, see if people are coming/corre a ver si viene gente), 2024 Peter Blum Gallery and Faena Art Art Basel Miami Beach 2024
This installation was the week’s tour de force, turning heads and drawing crowds. The piece was a stark statement about post-colonialism in the USA and worldwide. The sunken Gallion ship is depicted as the skeletal remains of a grand plunder ship. The sails are covered in lettering reading: WHAT ARE WE GOING TO GIVE UP TO BURN THE SAILS OF EMPIRE? WHAT ARE WE GOING BUILD FOR OUR COLLECTIVE LIBERATION? ¿A QUÉ VAMOS A RENUNCIAR PARA QUEMAR LAS VELASY LOS APARE JOS DEL IMPERIO? ¿QUÉ VAMOS A CONSTRUIR PARA NUESTRA LIBERACIÓN COLECTIVA? This piece is a call to action and is an ongoing project. On Sunday morning, the work appeared vandalized with the letters LAND BACK covering the works LIBERATION and LIBERACIÓN; however, it was the final official gesture in the life of the work to have someone write that poignant message. The installation is not gone, and we are left pondering a powerful message from one of the best artists in the world.
Benjamin Staker, I Want to Disappear Slowly. / Want to Be a Tree, 2024 oil stick on Yupo, 48 x 30 inches, 52.25 x 34.625 inches framed Chubb and New York Academy of Art Art Basel Miami Beach 2024
Chubb had an excellent presentation of the 2024 and 2025 Chubb Fellows from the New York Academy of Art in the VIP Collectors Lounge. Manuela Caicedo, Claudio Cecchetti, Jane Philips, Laura Romaine, Kylee Snow, Benjamin Staker, and Brendan Sullivan. Benjamin Staker’s painting I Want to Disappear Slowly. / Want to Be a Tree is a textural dream of a painting. The work has much in common with Chaim Soutine, Charles Burchfield, and even John Constable; however, the piece is quite a unique visual experience. A luminous glow at the centre of the composition is presented in a vanishing point that all of the painting seems to connect with. Elements of the foreground are heavily rendered, taking advantage of the smooth surface of the Yupo synthetic paper and contrasting perfectly with the less impasto aspects of the piece. Red undertones underscore the centre of the canvas and harmonize beautifully with the various greens and blues of the piece.
Sagarika Sundaram, Released Form, 2024, hand-dyed wool, silk, wire, 300 x 975 x 150 cm, installation dimensions variable UBS Art Commission Art Basel Miami Beach 2024 ©️ Sagarika Sundaram
This is the most significant piece ever made by Sagarika Sundaram. It was commissioned by UBS and completed over several months of planning and execution. Sundaram’s process requires a water-based method of joining fabric, rolling techniques, and lots of hand work to create this vivid surface. The multicoloured and highly textured piece recalls the scale of European tapestries but is decidedly different from the practices of European weaving. The piece transforms if viewed from either side, and both ends can be manipulated to create an opening that resembles a vagina. This piece is ultimately a potent celebration of femininity and the rich textile traditions of women worldwide. Sundaram created this piece using the 70th floor of 3 World Trade Center. Working in a 40,000-square-foot space afforded them a unique opportunity for Sundaram to take in the surroundings as she created an immersive work that could even engulf the sweeping views of NYC. She is currently a Senior Fellow at Silver Art Projects at 4 World Trade Center.
Henrique Oliveira, ERA ,2024, Bark and stubs from oak trees, 212 × 460 x 50 cm – Ruinart Art Basel Miami Beach 2024
Henrique Oliveira presented ERA as part of the Ruinart Carte Blanche 2024 Conversations with Nature. His meticulously constructed sculpture was created due to the invitation to create a work responding to the history of the champagne house and vineyards in Reims. The work is done by creating a chicken wire framework and placing a layer around which the bark can be affixed. The organic forms come in shapes one cannot find in the natural world, and human intervention is required. Oliveira is calling attention to the fact that we must now very actively combat the forces of climate change. The region of Champagne has faced difficulties due to warming temperatures and increasingly volatile weather. The fragile crops of the region require meticulous care and scientific study to help preserve the centuries-old French wine-making tradition. Oliveria shows that it is possible for farming to coexist with nature; if done correctly, human hands can restore many habitats, and human intellect can come up with solutions that are viable for sustaining ecosystems for generations to come.
Alice Baber, Dervishes Before the Palace, 1972, Oil on canvas, 77 x 174 inches, 195.6 × 442 cm Berry Campbell Art Basel Miami Beach 2024
This melodic and brightly coloured canvas comes from when Pop Art and minimalism were a la mode in American art circles. It is a subtle yet vibrant triptych that excellently uses negative space and fluid washes of oil paint. Perhaps the white areas indeed reference whirling dervishes, and the colours mimic the brightly coloured patterns of palaces and mosques of Turkey. The energy of the painting is calming despite the beautiful and rhythmic movement of the paint. The eye cannot help but wander around the surface, all the while only finding hints of details. Baber spent time studying in France, and certain parts are reminiscent of Robert Delaney, and her time in New York would have ensured that she was familiar with Helen Frankenthaler and Morris Louis. This painting is full of energy and is an excellent example of a late Abstract Expressionist tableau.
Walton Ford, Detested, 2020, Watercolour, gouache and ink on paper 152.4 x 212 cm.; 60 x 83 1/2 in. 172 × 231.4 x 6.4 cm.; 67 3/4 x 91 3/4 x 2 1/2 in. (framed) Galerie Max Hetzler Berlin | Paris | London / Marfa
Walton Ford is one of the greatest watercolour painters of all time. There are very few artists who even come close to being able to transform paper into such a visually stunning experience that so effectively tells a story. Ford meticulously researches his subjects and is careful to convey these narratives in a way that is both humorous and serious. This particular painting is based on the story of painter Oskar Kakoschka, who frequently visited the London Zoo to paint a baboon. The artist is convinced that Simeon hates him, and this episode depicts the artist’s hand wrestling the painting back from the baboon. The hand looks like a Kokoschka painting, and the portrait reads like an oil painting, a complicated technical feat for watercolour. The dynamism of the figure is phenomenal, as is the beautifully rendered light used to highlight the animal’s darker and more colourful tones perfectly. The humorous anecdote illustrates what makes Ford’s works appealing and offers a foil to his darker themes.
Olaf Breuning, Giraffe, 2024, Orange cantera stone, ceramic, cantera stone, 149.9 x 59.7 x 45.7 cm
VON BARTHA Art Basel Miami Beach 2024
These beautifully crafted sculptures appear cute before a closer look yields to a darker meaning. Olaf Breuning’s series Sad and Worried Animals are sculptures of various animals that seem preoccupied with their existence and future. His forms recall Aztec and Mesoamerican sculptures, but the creatures’ eyes are brightly coloured ceramics that are haunting. The blocky forms of the pieces offer a physical metaphor for the weight these animals feel. Undoubtedly, they understand the destruction of their habitats and will continue to adapt until there is no way to keep up with the constantly changing world.
Sam Falls, In Bloom, 2024, Pigment on canvas, 80 x 114 inches (203.2 x 289.6 cm) 303 Gallery
This colourful piece highlights the beauty in the forms and colours of nature. It seems to have been made using actual elements of trees placed on the canvas and then periodically removed to give the impression of the plant. It is a rhythmic composition crafted as an elegy for lost nature. The blooming tree is, in fact, the least colourful aspect of the composition and feels fantastic insofar as it is either fading away or struggling to exist. There is a call to action in the piece that we must act to preserve nature lest we lose the lifeblood of our existence. The chromatic beauty of the piece snaps the viewer back into a rapture of visual ecstasy and leaves a hopeful impression that perhaps not all is lost.
Alex Anderson, Superposition Photo credit Luis Corzo
This aesthetically energized presentation won the best booth at the Untitled Art Fair. The sheer bravado of the painted red floor, having clouds on the walls and mirrored pedestals, is one thing, but the technical mastery present in the works leaves a stunning impression on the viewer. The works are made of porcelain and glazed in Anderson’s Los Angeles space. Speaking with the artist was a real treat as he waxed scientifically about recreating many chemical reactions in nature using the same mineral compounds and heat. It seems he is always experimenting and doing so in a way that yields fantastic results. The booth is a dreamlike state full of ornaments and animals that offer an opportunity to escape into another world. Imagining what this virtuoso artist will continue to make is very exciting.
Ori Carino, All in, Freehand airbrush, Acrylic paint, mineral pigment, semi-precious stone, fine silk, aluminium stretchers, (X2 layers), 48 x 60 inches, Image courtesy of the artist Sitting Room Gallery
This was a standout booth at the Scope Art Fair. The fair was revamped under new director Hayley River Smith, which included many high-quality presentations and some artists who had works at Art Basel Miami Beach, Untitled, and NADA Miami. Ori Carino’s solo presentation included paintings made using the ash of immolated sculptures, sculptures of buildings in New York City constructed using real bricks, and remarkably detailed paintings on silk. This technique makes for a challenging practice as once the silk is painted, the image becomes permanent. This work is a take on Gericault’s Raft of the Medusa, and there are also portraits of people in the artist’s life, including a picture of artist Malik Roberts. It requires the viewer to walk around to decipher the image, and the installation of the piece determines just how clear the image is, given the transparency of the surface. Carino is a magician in the way he manipulates materials.
Top Photo: Clayton Calvert/ Words Clayton Calvery 2025 © Artlyst