The hype leading up to Miami is a little bit like the drumbeat in “Jumanji.” It always sounds the same, everyone knows what it means, and yet, it’s still catchy. How is it that after a decade Art Basel Miami Beach has managed to triumph over the carcasses of failed experiments (cough, cough, Frieze New York)? Lots of little people have clustered around the big tent, literally and figuratively. Mostly, I blame the weather. Under the auspices of shameless pseudo-intellectualism, the ability for art and design to thrive in the warm December sunshine and disarmingly humid nights endures.
Thanks to good old ABMB, Miami is an experience, not a city. “At Miami” replaces “In Miami.” Frankly, if you’re not there, you don’t matter in the art world. It doesn’t matter if you’re the next Picasso toiling away in some relatively high-profile Bushwick loft — doing lines in a Miami Beach McDonald’s is deemed significantly more prolific during the ever-so-consistent first week of December.
I’ve had some interesting experiences at ABMB, and my friends and colleagues have mixed accounts. One year, I didn’t eat anything for three days and hugged James Murphy at Le Baron really inappropriately. Last year, my friend went with a buddy so slow to hustle that they missed all the cool parties. Careful, readers. You blink and it’s gone.
On the flip side, there are a few successful entrepreneurial types who do seem to accomplish a fair amount of business at Art Basel. Despite my steady aura of unprofessionalism, I did manage to cultivate a few very important art world friendships, and I know for a fact that galleries and design industry moguls sell art and make lasting connections. So! Without further ado, here’s a how-to access guide to this week’s most interesting, important, and hopelessly festive ongoings.
Now that we have our priorities straight, I have bad news: If you’re reading this on Dec. 5, you’ve already missed most of the magic. The previews and parties began just days after Thanksgiving, with many just popping in for a day or two over the weekend faster than you can say “art history degree.”
MoMA had a party at the Standard hotel in Miami on Wednesday, a Louis Vuitton dinner was held at the Raleigh Hotel (my personal favorite), and The New York Times already outed Stavros Niarchos, Vito Schnabel and Alex Dellal’s Dom Pérignon party. I give up. The number of events is overwhelming, including several concerts. Who knew Teagan and Sarah were into Miami? Awesome. Oh, and Lady Gaga too … who’s hosting a dinner at the Playboy Plaza hotel with up-and-coming artists like Natalie Frank.
It’s important to note that the tag “ABMB” has come to represent far more than the main tent. There’s NADA Miami Beach, Scope, and a slew of other parties loosely disguised as art events. Did you know people sip drinks from coconuts at the fair now? Come on, you guys.
I will give the artists credit for knowing better than to take anything seriously. At Art Basel Miami proper, the great Jeff Koons himself is featured in Gagosian’s booth with a giant sparkly egg wrapped in a bow, literally presenting his bedazzling potential as a gift to the viewer. It’s called “Baroque Egg With Bowl,” by the way, but maybe you could have put that together on your own.
Then the artist Katie Gilmore performed “Only One Like You,” in which she and other women hammer at block sculptures in Collins Park, clanging and ultimately decrying the spectacle, even as they partake in it.
Anish Kapoor at Paul Lisson Gallery and Thomas Houseago outdoors were featured as well. Then there’s the late Cy Twombly’s work at Acquavella Gallery’s booth, which I must respect. Ah, well. At least Doug Aitken had the sense to turn his “NOW” mirror pieces into “END,” ringing in a sign of change.
The absolutely crucial momentum behind the madness is sponsorship. NADA is working with American Apparel and Scope with Red Bull. Deluxx Fluxx, a pop-up arcade, is sponsored by Perrier (and features a fantastic foosball room). Don’t even get me started on the Lincoln Road showcase of artist-inspired cars. How is there a Keith Haring car? Haring passed away in 1990. Who exactly is designing luxury vehicles on his behalf?
I am a bit nostalgic for better days. In my era, art fairs touted investment banks and high-end furniture companies as backers, but in this troubled economy, one must make do. A fittingly standout piece in this case is Frances Stark’s “Don’t Save Her” at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, mocking the musings of my fleeting youth. Oh to be 25, to have seen the world, to be too old for internships and the unpredictable whims of elusive editors … but I digress.
Good luck out there, young art partiers.
