Art Basel´s 17th edition in Miami Beach concluded with strong and consistent sales across all levels of the market

The highly anticipated 17th edition of Art Basel in Miami Beach closed on Sunday, December 9, 2018, amid reports of significant sales to private collections and institutions by galleries across all sectors of the market. With the renovation of the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) completed for this year’s fair, exhibitors and visitors alike praised the refined and more spacious layout and design of the show. The newly designed Grand Ballroom at the MBCC allowed Art Basel to host for the first time a large-scale performative installation onsite: Abraham Cruzvillegas’ 'Autorreconstrucción: To Insist, to Insist, to Insist...’. The show, whose Lead Partner is UBS, featured 268 premier galleries from 35 countries, who presented outstanding works, ranging from Modern masterpieces to contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, works on paper and film – some of which were created specifically for the fair.

Reinforcing its position as the leading art fair of the Americas, Art Basel in Miami Beach attracted an attendance of 83,000 across the five show days, including influential collectors, directors, curators, trustees and high-level patrons from over 200 leading international museums and cultural institutions such as: Albertine Museum, Vienna; Albright-Knox Art Gallery, New York; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Art Institute of Chicago; Aspen Art Museum; Baltimore Museum of Art; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Creative Time, New York; Denver Art Museum; El Museo del Barrio, New York; Front International, Cleveland; Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia; Khora Contemporary, Copenhagen; Minneapolis Institute of Art; Museo Jumex, Mexico City; Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum of Modern Art, Medellín; Museo Tamayo, Mexico City; Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham; New Museum, New York; Norval Foundation, Cape Town; Philadelphia Museum of Art; São Paulo Museum of Art; Serpentine Galleries, London; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Tate Americas Foundation, New York; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier; VIA Art Fund, Boston; and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

Noah Horowitz, Director Americas, Art Basel, commented: ‘This year marks an exciting new chapter for our Miami Beach show. The now completely renovated and state of the art Miami Beach Convention Center enables us to deliver a fair of the highest caliber and sophistication, opening up unprecedented possibilities – as we have been able to illustrate with the staging of Abraham Cruzvillegas’ multidisciplinary installation that we presented in partnership with The Kitchen. The quality of work and presentations by our exhibitors have also never been higher and attendance by private collectors and institutions continues to be strong across all regions.’

Galleries exhibiting in all sectors of Art Basel expressed their delight at this year’s show:

David Castillo, Owner, David Castillo Gallery, Miami Beach

‘The Latin American market is going from strength to strength and it’s been really fantastic to engage with new collectors from Peru, Brazil and Colombia at the fair. We are very happy to have sold many works by young Cuban artists.’

Lorenzo Fiaschi, Director and Partner, Galleria Continua, San Gimignano, Beijing, Les Moulins, Havana

‘We have enjoyed a tremendous week in Miami. This year, we took the opportunity to champion work by women artists, including Cecily Brown, Tauba Auerbach, Sophie Calle, Sarah Charlesworth, Liz Glynn, Cady Noland, Jennifer Bartlett, and Sherrie Levine. We also exhibited significant works by other artists such as Claes Oldenburg and Joel Shapiro. Our presentation was met with great enthusiasm from collectors, a number of whom were new to us, and we placed a major painting by Cecily Brown with a Latin American Museum.’

Steven P. Henry, Senior Director, Paula Cooper Gallery, New York

‘We are absolutely elated by our first participation at Art Basel in Miami Beach. Introducing Maha Malluh's practice was a great success, and we sold out our booth within the first two hours of the show.’

Selma Feriani, Owner, Selma Feriani Gallery, Tunis

‘We were very pleased with the VIP preview and the fair overall, our booth sold out during the first hour of the fair, and we were especially happy to meet all the museum curators that stopped by.’

Ron Segev, Owner, Thierry Goldberg Gallery, New York

‘We’re pleased to report that this has been our best fair yet, both in terms of sales and new potential clients. We sold major works by Marc Chagall, Wifredo Lam, and Francis Picabia, and we have serious interest in several others. Though Art Basel is mostly thought of as a contemporary fair, we always have a wonderful response to the classic modernist works that we bring.’

Howard Shaw, President and Director, Hammer Galleries, New York

‘As a first-time participating gallery, we like the ambience of Art Basel’s Miami Beach show very much. There has been much interest and enthusiasm for our presentation of Xu Longsen’s works. The artist enjoyed his encounters with the audience as well. We have met new clients and reconnected with old friends; and we are delighted with the sales result.’

Johnson TZ Chang, Founder and Director, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong

‘It is great to see that sales are happening every day of the show, which is very encouraging. Art Basel in Miami Beach is becoming the only fair in America that really counts. Our focus is to concentrate on Art Basel, rather than diluting ourselves with regional fairs, as the caliber of this show attracts top curators and collectors. We see a booth at an Art Basel show as an extension of our gallery space.’

Alison Jacques, Founder, Alison Jacques Gallery, London

‘Our first year in the Galleries sector of Art Basel in Miami Beach did not disappoint. Sales, connections to a global range of collectors and especially institutions were outstanding throughout. We could not be happier and are honored to be a part of the dynamic community at Art Basel in Miami Beach.’

Maggie Kayne, Partner, Kayne Griffin Corcoran, Los Angeles

‘The gallery had an extraordinary first day, the best we’ve had at any fair, which has only been enhanced by the Collect Wisely installation on the booth. It has enabled us to engage collectors on a more profound level and the response has been extremely enthusiastic. This has been one of our best fairs ever.’

Sean Kelly, Founder and Owner, Sean Kelly, New York

‘It has been a great fair for us. We are thrilled that our artists’ work – both in the Galleries and the Kabinett sectors – have been incredibly well received. Art Basel Miami Beach is the perfect international platform to showcase our global program to a wider audience, and it is excellent for showcasing installations by younger generations of Korean artists such as Suki Seokyeong Kang and Gimhongsok.’

Tina Kim, Founder and CEO of Tina Kim Gallery, New York, Kukje Gallery / Tina Kim Gallery, Seoul, New York

‘Our approach to Art Basel Miami Beach this year was to shape a highly curated booth that encouraged people to stop, look closely and truly perceive the work in front of them. We’ve found that’s what collectors are searching for – impactful and memorable experiences with works of art that can inspire. The response throughout the week from collectors, curators and art enthusiasts alike has been fantastic.’

Ben Strauss-Malcolm, Senior Director, Pace Gallery, New York, London, Hong Kong, Palo Alto, Beijing, Seoul, Geneva

‘We can see how this is the best fair in the world. Its location and size are impressive. In many ways it is like a museum, where art and business are combined. We were surprised by the attention that we have received from all the important collectors, young people and press.’

Giampaolo Paci, Founder, Paci contemporary, Brescia

‘We are super thrilled to have been here and are having a fantastic fair. We have sold and rehung every day, and about 80 percent of our sales have gone to new clients, many of whom were not familiar with our artist roster. Art Basel in Miami Beach is a crucial fair for us.’

Polina Stroganova, Director and Senior Partner, Proyectos Monclova, Mexico City

‘Art Basel in Miami Beach is so distinct from the other fairs that we participate in, and an unparalleled opportunity to connect with collectors from across North and South America. We were very pleased to have seen such strong attendance from major museums as well as a notable number of new collectors with whom we were able to connect.’

Thaddaeus Ropac, Founder, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London, Paris, Salzburg

‘This edition of the fair has marked another phenomenal chapter for the gallery. Within 15 minutes of the show opening, we saw exceptional interest from curators and collectors alike. The refreshed Convention Center put everyone at ease, centralizing movement within the building and creating a smooth experience for all during the fair.’

Jack Shainman, Founder, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York

‘Art Basel Miami Beach has yet again proved itself to be a high-caliber fair that provides us with a stellar platform to showcase works from world-acclaimed artists. Unique for its diverse and ardent visitors, it not only opens and bridges new audience segments for a Southeast Asian gallery such as ours but also presents fruitful opportunities for conversations, collegiality and collaborations within the global art community.'

Rita Targui, Director, STPI, Singapore

Nicola Stein, Director, This Is No Fantasy dianne tanzer + nicola stein, Melbourne

‘We are very happy to have made some of our most significant sales to new collectors from South America and Australasia.’

Ursula Casamonti, Founder and Director of the London gallery, Tornabuoni Art, Paris, Crans Montana, Florence, Forte dei Marmi, London, Milan

‘We were thrilled to have numerous institutions in the United States and Europe visit our booth during the first two Preview days. Private collectors also showed very strong interest – there were several new clients buying for the first time, including from Southeast Asia. Overall this was a fantastic fair for us.’

Ricardo Ocampo, Owner and Director, and Agustina Taruschio, Associate Director, Walden, Buenos Aires

Galleries

The main sector of the show featured 198 leading galleries from across the world, which presented the highest quality of painting, sculpture, drawings, installation, photography, video and digital works. This year, a strong list of returning participants was joined by 12 galleries that have previously participated in the show’s Nova, Positions or Survey sector: Boers-Li Gallery, Canada, David Castillo Gallery, DC Moore Gallery, Essex Street, Tanya Leighton, mor charpentier, Proyectos Monclova, Ratio 3, Simões de Assis Galeria de Arte, Travesía Cuatro and Galerie Georges-Philippe & Nathalie Vallois. Two galleries in the main sector – Kayne Griffin Corcoran and Cardi Gallery – were completely new to the show, while Barbara Thumm returned to the sector after a brief hiatus.

Edition

In its sixth year, the sector presented 11 global leaders in the field of prints and editioned works: Alan Cristea Gallery, Crown Point Press, Gemini G.E.L., Carolina Nitsch, Pace Prints, Paragon, Polígrafa Obra Gràfica, STPI, Two Palms, ULAE, as well as Susan Sheehan Gallery, who participated in the Miami Beach show for the first time. Exhibitors in Edition were for the first time spread across the hall to be better integrated into the flow of the show.

Positions

Major solo projects were presented by 14 exhibitors in Positions. Highlights from first-time participants included Mexican gallery Parque Galería, who presented the second chapter of the Ecuadorian artist Oscar Santillán’s ‘Dawn and Dusk Seen at Once’ series that narrates the history of science in Latin America; Amsterdam-based Upstream Gallery, presenting ‘La Casa Lobo’, a monumental feature film of stop-motion animations by Chilean artist duo Cristóbal León & Joaquín Cociña; and This Is No Fantasy dianne tanzer + nicola stein from Australia, presenting new paintings by Vincent Namatjira that reflect on the artist’s Aboriginal heritage and its complex colonial history. Other first-time participants included: Bodega, Commonwealth and Council, Thierry Goldberg Gallery, Madragoa and Galerie Jérôme Poggi.

Nova

Providing a platform for galleries to present new work by up to three artists, Nova this year featured 29 exhibitors. First-time participants included: blank projects, Carlos/Ishikawa, Selma Feriani Gallery, Galerie Christophe Gaillard, Grimm, Hanart TZ

Survey

The sector returned for its fifth year with 16 focused presentations of work created before 2000. Six exhibitors joined the sector for the first time: Sabrina Amrani, with textile-based works by Chant Avedissian; Tibor de Nagy, with a presentation of works by Larry Rivers; Eric Firestone Gallery, with work by Joe Overstreet from the late 1960s and early 1970s that speaks to the African-American experience; Paci contemporary, with a series of computer-generated composite portraits by Nancy Burson; Venus Over Manhattan, with work by Maryan that merges abstraction and figuration; and Walden, with a series of embroidered fabric works by Feliciano Centurión. Further highlights included Peter Blum Gallery, with a presentation of early works by Joyce J. Scott; Anat Ebgi, who presented works by Paraguayan artist Faith Wilding, recognizing her contribution to the discourse of feminist art history; and Hales Gallery, whose booth featured Virginia Jaramillo's work that reflects on her time in New York during the Black Power movement – a transitional period in her life.

Kabinett

Always a popular highlight of the show, Kabinett consisted of 31 carefully curated exhibitions within booths across the fair. This year, the sector once again demonstrated the Miami Beach show’s strong focus on artists and galleries from the Americas. Highlights included a presentation of both early and later works by Uruguayan artist Washington Barcala at Jorge Mara - La Ruche from Buenos Aires; an exhibition including little-known abstract paintings made between 1954 and 1964 by Romare Bearden at DC Moore Gallery; surrealist drawings by Gray Foy at Francis M. Naumann Fine Art; ‘A Tribute to Richard Gray’ presented by Richard Gray Gallery, a selection of post-war works on paper in tribute to the late art dealer and connoisseur Richard Gray, who passed away earlier this year; and a Kabinett of Brazilian artist Paulo Roberto Leal at Bergamin & Gomide.

‘Autorreconstrucción: To Insist, to Insist, to Insist...’

A performative activation by Abraham Cruzvillegas and Bárbara Foulkes, ‘Autorreconstrucción: To Insist, to Insist, to Insist...’ was presented by Art Basel and The Kitchen, led by Tim Griffin and Lumi Tan, in collaboration with Philipp Kaiser, in the MBCC's new Grand Ballroom. Originally presented in front of a small audience at Pista, an abandoned dance space in Colonia Roma, Mexico City, the installation and performance premiered in the United States at The Kitchen last April. The new iteration of the multidisciplinary installation at the Miami Beach show was adapted specifically for the city, combining elements of sculpture, performance, dance and music. Supported by MGM Resorts Art & Culture, the project was free and open to the public during the week of the show.

Conversations

Art Basel's renowned talks series, which was attended by nearly 2,000 visitors, brought together leading artists, gallerists, collectors, art historians, curators, museum directors and critics from across the world. Programmed for the fourth and last year by Mari Spirito, Founding Director of Protocinema, Istanbul, the program featured 18 talks, offering perspectives on producing, collecting and exhibiting art and serving as a platform for dialogues and discussions on current topics from feminism in the artworld to blockchain technology. This year’s Premiere Artist Talk was devoted to the Puerto Rican artist duo Allora & Calzadilla. Conversations was free and open to the public. Videos of all Conversations are available at artbasel.com/miamibeach/conversations shortly after the show. Next year's Conversations program in Miami Beach will be programmed by writer, gallerist and art fair founder Edward Winkleman.

Exhibitions during Art Basel in Miami Beach

Visitors to the Miami Beach show had the opportunity to view exhibitions at South Florida’s leading museums and private collections, who organize their strongest exhibitions of the year to coincide with Art Basel.

• The Bass

‘Paola Pivi: Art with a View’

‘Aaron Curry: Tune Yer Head’

‘The Haas Brothers: Ferngully’

• Frost Art Museum - Florida International University

‘Relational Undercurrents: Contemporary Art of the Caribbean Archipelago’

• The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami)

‘Larry Bell: Time Machines’

‘Manuel Solano: I Don’t Wanna Wait For Our Lives To Be Over’

‘Judy Chicago: A Reckoning’

‘William N. Copley’

• NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale

‘Remember to React: 60 Years of Collecting’

‘William J. Glackens and Auguste Renoir: Affinities and Distinctions’

• Museum of Art and Design at MDC

‘Superflex: We Are All in the Same Boat’

‘William Kentridge: More Sweetly Play the Dance’

• Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA)

‘AfriCOBRA: Messages to the People’

• Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)

‘Arthur Jafa: Love is the Message, the Message is Death’

‘Grids: A Selection of Paintings by Lynne Golob Gelfman’

‘Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami,

Florida, 1980-83: A Documentary Exhibition’

‘Ebony G. Patterson . . . while the dew is still on the roses . . .’

• Wolfsonian – Florida International University

‘Deco: Luxury to Mass Market’

‘Made in Italy: MITA Textile Design 1926-1976’ ‘This Is Not A Temple’

‘Art and Design in the Modern Age’

• de la Cruz Collection Contemporary Art Space

‘More / Less’

• Margulies Collection at the Warehouse

The Warehouse features works by Ibrahim Mahama, Olaf Metzel, Keisuke Takahashi, Peter Buggenhout, Imi Knoebel, Paola Pivi, Cate Giordano, Stephen Shore, Kishio Suga, Barry McGee and Gilles Barbier. The exhibition also features masterworks by Anselm Kiefer, Sol LeWitt, Olafur Eliasson, Ernesto Neto, Michael Heizer, George Segal, Tony Smith, John Chamberlain, Willem de Kooning and Isamu Noguchi.