Art Basel in Miami Beach closed yesterday with reports of significant sales in all disciplines and mediums. In recent years it has become the cultural meeting point for the Americas, in December attracting collectors and institutions from the U.S., Latin America, and around the globe. Oh yes, and that Banana was there!
A new sliding-scale pricing system was implemented, supporting the participation of smaller and mid-size galleries
The 18th edition saw a new sector, Meridians, dedicated to large-scale works debuted. Collectors from over 70 countries and territories visited, with an overall attendance of 81,000.
A new sliding-scale pricing system was implemented, supporting the participation of smaller and mid-size galleries and rejuvenating the show. The show took place from December 5 to December 8, 2 019 at the newly renovated Miami Beach Convention Center (M.B.C.C.)
Art Basel in Miami Beach brought together 269 premier galleries, presenting works ranging from early 20th century Modern art to the present. While galleries from the United States and Latin America continued to be strongly represented, the show also featured new and returning exhibitors from across the globe, including Asia, Europe, and Africa.
The show welcomed 20 first-time participants, of which 12 galleries came from the Americas: Barro Arte Contemporáneo from Buenos Aires; Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, Company Gallery, and Karma from New York; Central Fine from Miami Beach; Cooper Cole from Toronto; Document, Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, and Monique Meloche from Chicago; M+B and Parker Gallery from Los Angeles; and Galería Agustina Ferreyra from Mexico City.
Art Basel Miami Beach’s global emphasis was demonstrated by a strong lineup of galleries and artists from Asia. New entries to the fair from the region included 10 Chancery Lane Gallery from Hong Kong, Magician Space from Beijing, and ROH Projects from Jakarta, while Hanart TZ Gallery from Hong Kong participated for the first time in the Galleries sector. In addition, Taka Ishii Gallery from Tokyo and Edouard Malingue Gallery with exhibition spaces in Hong Kong and Shanghai both returned to the fair after a hiatus. As debuted at its Basel fair this past June, Art Basel applied a sliding- scale pricing model in Miami Beach and welcomed a younger generation of galleries to the main sector for the first time, including Clearing, Gaga, High Art, hunt kastner, Karma, Maisterravalbuena, Revolver Galería, Tyler Rollins Fine Art, and Société.
Additionally, the fair launched a new sector titled Meridians, which provided a unique platform for galleries and their artists to show work that pushes the boundaries of the traditional art fair layout. Curated by Magalí Arriola, Director of Museo Tamayo, the sector was staged in the new Grand Ballroom of the M.B.C.C., a column-less exhibition space of almost 6,000 square meters (60,000 square feet), and featured 34 new and historical large-scale sculptures, paintings, installations, film and video projections, as well as performances.
Leading private collectors from Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East attended this year, as well as representatives from around 200 museums and institutions.
Noah Horowitz, Director Americas, Art Basel, commented: ‘We’re thrilled that our show in Miami Beach has become a not-to-miss cultural event for both established collectors and the next generation of patrons, as well as a major confluence of the American creative class. The inaugural edition of Meridians introduced unprecedented possibilities for our galleries and artists, and we were particularly pleased with the calibre of the works on display, which were very well received by our visitors from across the world who enjoyed the dynamic new sector. This year, the main sector featured the most diverse representation of galleries – in terms of region, generation, and beyond – we’ve ever presented, while reinforcing the strength of exhibitors with footprints across the Americas. The gallery presentations were of exceptional quality throughout the fair, reinforcing Art Basel as the leading forum for modern and contemporary art in the region.’
Galleries exhibiting in all sectors of Art Basel expressed their delight at this year’s show: ‘As a first-time exhibitor at Art Basel in Miami Beach it is gratifying to see how the fair really does attract great collectors from around the world. We were so happy to have met interesting collectors from both North and South America and beyond. The Survey sector was very special this year with interesting solo projects that are important rediscoveries. Huang Rui’s 1990s photographs were being shown for the first time in the United States with great response.’ Katie de Tilly, Founder, 10 Chancery Lane Gallery (Hong Kong)
‘The fair’s organization was impeccable as always, and we are once again very happy with the results we achieved. This was our first time in the main sector, and we continued to meet new clients from all over the world, including Europe, Asia and Latin America.’ Fernando Mesta, Owner, Gaga (Mexico City, Los Angeles)
‘People sometimes forget that the works exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach can be created as early as 1900. While the artists we exhibit – such as Calder, Chagall, Modigliani, Picasso – might be considered the Old Masters of the fair, we always make sales, meet many new clients, and receive a wonderful response from visitors.’ Howard Shaw, President and Director, Hammer Galleries (New York)
‘We were thrilled to have presented at Art Basel for the first time, marking a phenomenal moment for our artists and gallery program. The reception of Amoako Boafo’s work in Miami has exceeded our expectations. Art Basel Miami Beach has been an unparalleled opportunity to connect with new global collectors and institutions. Boafo joining his first residency program in the Rubell Museum and being acquired in their collection generated a greater awareness of the artist’s work in addition to the acquisition of a work by the Legacy Purchase Program.’
Mariane Ibrahim-Lenhardt, Founder, Mariane Ibrahim Gallery (Chicago)
‘This is our 17th year at Art Basel Miami Beach, and we have seen an increasing focus on those great women and African American artists, who are finally being recognized and given the status they deserve. We have had a fantastic reaction to Gordon Parks, and it’s been wonderful to continue to experience the huge interest and curatorial support for the work of Sheila Hicks. One of the most important aspects of this fair is the presence of Latin American collectors and the huge interest in artists from the region.’
Alison Jacques, Founder, Alison Jacques Gallery (London)
‘The fair has been fantastic for the gallery both in terms of exposure and sales. We have sold to many new collectors and have had the chance to meet several important museum curators who have taken interest in the work of our art.
‘This year’s Art Basel Miami Beach was about showing new work from our contemporary program, with stellar works from our estates providing a historical context for art that is being made today. And what an amazing success! Miami always delivers, but this year the energy was exceptional, and we placed over 20 works by the afternoon of the preview day. Sales continued throughout the fair, with a focus on heavyweight paintings from our artist estates.’
Marc Glimcher, President and C.E.O., Pace Gallery (New York, London, Hong Kong, Palo Alto, Geneva, Seoul) ‘This was a very successful year for us at Art Basel in Miami Beach, with very fast sales. The draw to the fair for dedicated collectors from right across America remains very strong, and particularly to collectors from the Midwest, and we were also very pleased to have had such strong attendance from American institutions.’
Monika Sprüth, Co-owner, Sprüth Magers (Berlin, London, Los Angeles)
We are very happy to have participated in Art Basel in Miami Beach this year. This has been one of our most successful Miami Beach editions to date, which is testament to the fact that Art Basel still remains the most well-respected, relevant and serious of the international art fairs. We presented and sold significant works spanning from the early 1980s to newly created pieces for the fair.’
The main sector of the show featured 203 of the world’s leading galleries presenting the highest quality of painting, sculpture, drawings, installation, photography, video, and digital works. 13 influential galleries from across diverse regions joined the main sector for the first time: Ben Brown Fine Arts, Ceysson & Bénétière, Clearing, Gaga, Hanart TZ Gallery, High Art, hunt kastner, Karma, Maisterravalbuena, Galeria Jaqueline Martins, Revolver Galería, Tyler Rollins Fine Art, Société. In addition, seven galleries – Peter Blum Gallery, Luciana Brito Galeria, Taka Ishii Gallery, Catriona Jeffries, Galeria Leme, Roberts Project, and Galleria Christian Stein – returned to Galleries after a hiatus. For the full gallery list for Galleries, please visit artbasel.com/miami-beach/galleries.
‘We had a really positive experience at Art Basel in Miami Beach this year. In particular, we were very pleased with the success of our presentation in the new Meridians sector, where we sold a work by Colombian artist José Antonio Suárez Londoño on preview day. The show has always been a fantastic platform to meet many Latin American collectors, especially after opening our gallery in Cuba five years ago and our new gallery in Brazil next year. Coming to the Miami fair is very important for us, as we always engage with many curators and museum directors.’ Lorenzo Fiaschi, Co-Founder, Galleria Continua (San Gimignano, Beijing, Les Moulins, Havana)
‘Our second year in the Galleries sector of Art Basel in Miami Beach was exceptionally strong from the very start. There was a tremendous demand for emerging and mid-career artists such as Mika Tajima and Sam Moyer in addition to established gallery artists such as James Turrell and Mary Corse. A very large and colorful Hank Willis Thomas also generated quite some attention and sold to a terrific collection. Bill Griffin, Partner, Kayne Griffin Corcoran (Los Angeles)
‘The fair’s organization was impeccable as always, and we are once again very happy with the results we achieved. This was our first time in the main sector, and we continued to meet new clients from all over the world, including Europe, Asia and Latin America.’ Fernando Mesta, Owner, Gaga (Mexico City, Los Angeles)
‘This has been our best Art Basel yet. Sales on the first day were more successful than entire runs of other fairs in terms of placing works in institutions and private collections.’ Kavi Gupta, Owner, Kavi Gupta (Chicago)
‘People sometimes forget that the works exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach can be created as early as 1900. While the artists we exhibit – such as Calder, Chagall, Modigliani, Picasso – might be considered the Old Masters of the fair, we always make sales, meet many new clients, and receive a wonderful response from visitors.’ Howard Shaw, President and Director, Hammer Galleries (New York)
‘We are delighted with our second participation at the Art Basel in Miami Beach. There has been much interest and enthusiasm for our coherent thematic exhibition of Chinese landscape. We met a lot of new clients, connected with institutions and are delighted with sales result.’ Johnson TZ Chang, Founder and Director, Hanart TZ Gallery (Hong Kong)
‘Seven years ago, my impression of Art Basel Miami Beach was that it was attended by American and Latin American collectors and museum curators. But now being back after seven years, my impression of Art Basel in Miami Beach is that it is full of energy as people from all around the world come to attend the fair.’ Takayuki Ishii, Owner/Director, Taka Ishii Gallery (Tokyo)
‘We have participated in Art Basel in Miami Beach since day one, and the fair has always stood out to us as the preeminent platform in the United States for engaging with American and international museums. However, we can say with resounding success that this year has been exceptional, in particular the institutional response to new work by Hugo McCloud, which we chose to debut for the first time at the fair and by all accounts it was the right decision.’ Sean Kelly, Founder, Sean Kelly Gallery (New York)
‘This was our first year exhibiting as a solo gallery and the response has been incredibly positive. In addition to steady sales, we were able to introduce new collectors to our unique program. The platform that Art Basel Miami Beach gives us to elevate our artists is unmatched.’
Tina Kim, Founder, Tina Kim Gallery (New York)
‘The context for contemporary art is nowhere better in North America than Art Basel in Miami Beach. Despite being part of the fair since its beginning, we are continually astonished as we meet new collectors every year. We work hard to bring the best of our artists and the results are incredible, not just in sales, but also in critical and institutional support. It’s like a years’ worth of activity in five days!’ Michael Kohn, Owner, Kohn Gallery (Los Angeles)
‘For the 18th iteration of the fair, Lévy Gorvy was proud to once again participate in Art Basel in Miami Beach. It was an incredibly special time due to the meaningful exhibitions around town – in particular the opening of the Rubell Museum, reminding us all of the importance of vision.’ Dominique Lévy, Co-founder and Partner, Levy Gorvy (Hong Kong, Zurich, London, New York)
‘One of the great things about Art Basel in Miami Beach is that it brings together so many distinguished curators, and we have been particularly happy with their response to the works.’ Jay Gorney, Senior Director, Marlborough (London, New York)
‘This year’s Art Basel Miami Beach was about showing new work from our contemporary program, with stellar works from our estates providing a historical context for art that is being made today. And what an amazing success! Miami always delivers, but this year the energy was exceptional, and we placed over 20 works by the afternoon of the preview day. Sales continued throughout the fair, with a focus on heavyweight paintings from our artist estates.’ Marc Glimcher, President and CEO, Pace Gallery (New York, London, Hong Kong, Palo Alto, Geneva, Seoul)
‘Given an expanded booth and new location, we experienced a lot of anticipation for the fair this year. This edition of the fair offered an unprecedented opportunity to connect with important collectors, specifically from South and Central America. We found that the renovated facilities as well as the exhibitions at the various institutions in the city created an incredible context for the fair and a great experience for visitors.’ Nick Koenigsknecht, Partner, Peres Projects (Berlin)
Over the years, the city of Miami has evolved and matured, and along with it, so has the fair. Art Basel in Miami Beach has a unique, youthful energy and diverse collector base, particularly across the United States and Latin America, that brings us back year after year. We received a tremendous response to the full breadth of our program on view, selling the majority of our booth in the opening hours. This year’s fair was also particularly memorable because of the inaugural iteration of the new Meridians sector, where we were delighted to present and sell a monumental painting by John Armleder. Almine Rech-Picasso, Founder, Almine Rech (Paris, Brussels, London, New York, Shanghai)
‘We’ve had our most successful Art Basel Miami Beach ever, selling 48 works in the first three days, including three large scale bronze sculptures by Woody De Othello.’ Jessica Silverman, Founder, Jessica Silverman Gallery (San Francisco)
‘As a young gallery, it is exciting for us to be moving through the ranks at Art Basel. It has been great to see some familiar faces that already know the gallery and its artists well, so there is some continuity in our work with the collectors here. But our first time with “the grown-ups” in the main sector has also given new exposure to our artists.’
Marius Wilms, Director, Société, Berlin
We did exceptionally well at the fair this year, especially on the first day of the fair. Collectors were extremely eager to acquire works from our established as well as our more emerging artists. We sold to our longtime clients but also picked up very exciting new collectors. Overall, we had a spectacularly good experience this year.’ Susanne Vielmetter, Founder, Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles Edition
‘As a gallery in Edition, having the sector spread out throughout the fair for the second year has been a very positive experience for us. Collectors are drawn into our booth because of the works on view, rather than the fact that we are showing prints, which makes for a more equalizing experience. That has been really great.’
Valerie Wade, Director/Partner, Crown Point Press, San Francisco
‘We were delighted to meet so many local collectors from Miami at this year’s show. We noticed a particularly strong turnout, which demonstrates the impact of Art Basel on Miami Beach’s growing art scene. Many collectors expressed specific interest in new work we presented by Korean artist Haegue Yang, pegged to her exhibition at The Bass Museum.’ Rita Targui, Director, STPI, Singapore
Nova
‘We are thrilled to be presenting at Art Basel for the first time, marking a phenomenal moment for our artists and gallery program. The reception of Amoako Boafo’s work in Miami has exceeded our expectations. Art Basel Miami Beach has been an unparalleled opportunity to connect with new global collectors and institutions. Boafo joining his first residency program in the Rubell Museum and acquired in their collection generated a greater awareness of the artist’s work in addition to the acquisition of a work by Legacy Purchase Program.’
Mariane Ibrahim-Lenhardt, Founder, Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Chicago
‘We were delighted to bring a solo presentation of new work by the Japanese artist Masato Mori to Art Basel in Miami Beach as part of its Nova sector. All works – a mixture of paintings and ceramics – sold out within hours of the fair opening and were placed in prominent private collections across the United States. This is one of our best years yet in Miami Beach, and we look forward to returning next year.’ Shinji Nanzuka, Founder, Nanzuka, Tokyo
‘This year has been a successful edition for the gallery, and we were happy to place four works by Zimbabwean artist Gareth Nyandoro in private collections based in the United States and Europe. We were also encouraged by awareness of our gallery program with collectors and visitors alike to the fair. We have forged new connections as a result of our participation and look forward to continuing these conversations beyond the fair.’ Maria Varnava, Founder, Tiwani Contemporary (London)
Positions
‘We are extremely happy with our second participation at Art Basel in Miami Beach, in its Positions sector this year, where we have presented female Saudi Arabian artist Manal AlDowayan to great acclaim of press, audience and collectors, having sold almost all works in the booth by the third day of the fair.’ Sabrina Amrani, Founder, Sabrina Amrani Gallery (Madrid)
‘Our first participation in Art Basel in Miami Beach exceeded our expectations. We met a number of new collectors and curators and reconnected with long-time clients. We sold to several notable collections in Miami, including patrons of local institutions, as well as an important Midwestern collection. We are hoping to come back next year with another strong proposal for one of the younger galleries sections.’ Sibylle Friche, Director, Document (Chicago)
Survey
‘As a first-time exhibitor at Art Basel in Miami Beach it is gratifying to see how the fair really does attract great collectors from around the world. We are so happy to meet interesting collectors from both North and South America and beyond. The Survey sector is very special this year with interesting solo projects that are important rediscoveries. Huang Rui’s 1990s photographs is being shown for the first time in the United States with great response.’ Katie de Tilly, Founder, 10 Chancery Lane Gallery (Hong Kong)
‘Thanks to our presentation at Art Basel in Miami Beach, we are very proud to have achieved enormous success for Faith Ringgold. One of our aims was to keep Faith’s large-scale Slave Rape paintings together. I am delighted to say that the three works have been placed with a major collection that will preserve and share her legacy for years
to come.’ Pippy Houldsworth, Director, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery (London)