Shopping at Art Basel Miami Beach
How to get the most from your visit to the popular art fair
By Lisa Ferber
A first-time visitor to Art Basel Miami Beach is in for a feast.
The high-energy affair boasts more than 70,000 visitors per year and features artwork from more than 4,000 artists. The annual sister show to Art Basel Switzerland and Art Basel Hong Kong displays modern and contemporary artworks across mediums including painting, sculpture, film and installations from around the world. The largest art fair in the U.S.— in terms of the number of galleries participating, with an expected 268 from 32 countries this year—it’s seen as one of the top 10 in the world. (Art Basel Miami opens with an invitation-only day on Dec. 6, a vernissage on Dec. 7, and public viewing Dec. 7-10.)
While less pricey works are available, pieces can range anywhere from $10,000 to more than $10 million. But there’s one main rule to follow: Don’t show up without doing your homework.
“Look at a lot of art and discover what it is about particular mediums or art that you like and are intrigued by or moved by,” said Tim Smith, managing director at Kreëmart, a confection-meets-performance-art enterprise using the medium of sugar, and former managing director of the New York art fair The Armory Show.
He explained that art fairs have VIP programs, and oftentimes pieces have been pre-sold to familiar collectors who receive previews before the public. That’s one of the reasons he suggested developing relationships with the galleries that represent artists you like. “Art collecting and buying is a relationships-based business.”