I attended Art Basel in Miami Beach the first week of December. For those of you who are not familiar, this is one of the premier art events in the world. Originally established in Basel Switzerland, this satellite show, established 10 years ago is rivaling the original. Over 250 Dealers from nearly every continent brought out their best. Original Picassos' next to installation sculptures by some hot new artists. During the opening night the value of the artwork was closely matched by the value of jewelry on the attendees.
I saw some truly amazing artwork. Not only beautiful works by established artists but more contemporary artists stretching the boundaries of the materials they use and the subjects they invoke. Contingents from most of the major museums attend to see what is available in the marketplace and what new artists they may want to add to their permanent collections.
Several ancillary shows were impressive in their own right:
Art Miami - This show is an excellent blend of prints by modern masters and originals by established contemporary artists. No shortage of print work by Warhol, Rauschenberg and Hirst to name a few. Originals by Eric Zener, one of my favorite artists stood out.
SCOPE - SCOPE definitely pushed the envelope on installation artwork. Art that you can say "Wow that's cool - but who would buy it" Some installation art by itself could only end up in a museum due to the square footage required to install. This show included Art Asia and Red Dot in adjoining tents. Art Asia displayed contemporary Asian work. A little heavy on the photography for my taste. Red Dot was a tamer version of Scope and a launching pad for those newer dealers trying to get into a sold out Art Miami. An Original photo collage/painting by Anka Schofield of a little girl standing on a Zebra was breathtaking.
NADA - The New Art Dealers Association held this show for both newer dealers and established dealers showing newer artists. The least impressive of the shows, it was crowded on opening day so hopefully both the dealers and artists gained exposure.
PULSE - Far and away my favorite show. Similar in make up to the other shows, there was a level of sophistication and uniqueness to the artwork. Being the last of the major shows I attended, I almost skipped it. Burnt out after viewing thousands of pieces of artwork by over 750 dealers, I saw refreshing new artwork around every corner. Most of the visuals I brought back on artists I would like to show in our gallery came from this show.
The common denominator to all shows was an incredibly vibrant art scene. Artists continue to amaze me with their ingenuity. Working in mediums I have never before seen. The mood amongst dealers was also upbeat. The word on the street is serious collectors are back buying. Gone, the speculative buyers who artificially drive up prices by trying to hype a certain artist. Lets all hope the energy present is a sign of a positive direction the art market desperately needs.
I have been inspired to bring some of the talented artist I have discovered back to Minneapolis. In addition, I was reminded of artists from the past whose art I need to show again. We will be working on introducing new artwork to the gallery on a weekly basis. Keep coming back and you will continually be amazed by the talent we will be showcasing.
Next year I would like to host a group of interested collectors to travel to the Miami shows together. Please email me at greg@hennesart.com if interested.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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