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Art

Artful dodging at an aesthetic Olympics

At Art Basel Miami Beach, venues show off the elegant and eclectic .

By Lennie Bennett
Published November 12, 2006

	A fellow artist admires Jaume Plensa’s Tel Aviv Man VIII at an Art Basel Miami Beach exhibit.
[AP photo 2005)]

In just four years, Art Basel Miami Beach has become a major force in high-stakes collecting, rivaling even its venerable relative Art Basel, the 38-year-old show and sale in Switzerland that has been called "the Olympics of the Art World."

The American version of this juggernaut opens in Miami Beach Dec. 7 and continues through Dec. 10. During that long weekend, dealers, collectors, museum directors, curators, artists and journalists will converge on the cosmopolitan seaside town, buying, selling, and networking, seeing and being seen. Last year, Art Basel organizers estimated an attendance of about 36,000.

It offers a eclectic, blue-chip selection of 20th and 21st century art from most of the biggest international dealers and galleries, but that's not the only reason for its success. Art Basel Miami Beach also promotes lesser-known contemporary artists, counterpointing the serious business of high-end art sales with a youthful, cool vibe.

Even if you don't have big bucks, Art Basel Miami Beach is great fun and an educational adventure. Treat it like a visit to a museum. For the price of a ticket ($24 for one day; $36 for two days) you get into the Miami Beach Convention Center, where about 200 dealers will set up shop, exhibiting everything from limited edition prints for several hundred dollars to multimillion-dollar paintings and sculptures by modern masters.

Then hit the surrounding neighborhood for Art Basel satellite events and exhibitions. Art Positions is a group of large, metal cargo containers grouped in Collins Park, across from the Convention Center, dedicated to young artists showing in new galleries. Art Video Lounge offers almost continuous showings of contemporary art videos. Art Sound Lounge has a similar program, featuring sound art. It all can range from the interesting to the inexplicable, but it gives you a sense of what's emerging in the art world these days.

The success of Art Basel has generated alternative art shows in the Miami area during that weekend, worth checking out. Erika Schneider is a master printer with a studio and gallery in Tampa, where she exhibits a roster of American and European artists. She's exhibiting at Bridge Art Fair in the Catalina Hotel and Beach Club, one of about a dozen such fairs scheduled.

"I love Art Basel; there isn't much museum-quality contemporary art shown in this area and (Art Basel) is about the only time you see it in Florida. But it's $25,000 to rent space," she said. "This is $6,000."

The Tampa Museum of Art is presenting a multimedia installation by prominent regional artist Jeff Whipple during Art Basel at the South Seas Hotel on Miami Beach. Videos will be projected onto screens in front of the hotel, and paintings and sculpture will sprawl through the lobby, corridor and pool area.

Also open to the public will be the large, private collections of the Rubell and Margulies families, considered two of the best contemporary collections in the United States. Both are in large warehouses that have been converted to museum-type spaces.

Many hotels in Miami Beach claim some of the action with parties and mixers aimed at the Art Basel crowd. Getting rooms at the chic Delano or Shore Club Hotel, which host such events, will be both difficult and pricey, but you can stop in for a drink or lunch and check out the crowd. Miami Beach has a number of affordable hotels off glamorous Collins Avenue, many in the city's signature art deco style.

Star-gazing can be blood sport at Art Basel, which has its share of celebrities and the super-wealthy. Generally, you won't see them unless they want to be seen. Private viewings, receptions and parties proliferate but require special passes and invitations.

Lennie Bennett can be reached at (727) 893-8293 or lennie@sptimes.com.

IF YOU GO

Art Basel Miami Beach

Held Dec. 7-10 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Convention Center Drive and Washington Avenue. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Tickets are $24 for one day; $36 for two days. Evening ticket after 5 p.m. is $12. Free for children under 16 accompanied by an adult. For a complete schedule, go to www.artbasel.com. To order tickets, call (305) 358-5885.

Some alternative art fairs during Art Basel Miami Beach:

Most don't have contact information now but will be listed in fliers readily available that weekend.

- Aqua Art at the Aqua Hotel, 1530 Collins Ave., Miami Beach

- Bridge Art Fair, Catalina Hotel and Beach Club, 1732 Collins Ave., Miami Beach

- Design Miami, Moore Building, 4040 NE Second Ave., Miami

- DIVA Art Fair, Hotel Victor, 1144 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach

- Photo Miami, the Dorissa Building, 2751 N Miami Ave., Miami

[Last modified November 10, 2006, 10:01:47]