If the works presented at America’s most visible fair reflect art world attitudes, then Barbara Kruger’s 2012 painting bearing the words “Money Hungry” at the Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) booth of Mary Boone Gallery could suggest a growing ambivalence toward the profusion of art fairs.
Though facing increased global competition, ABMB “remains the main American fair,” says Timothy Blum, of Blum & Poe in Los Angeles. The hordes will descend on the Miami Beach Convention Center December 6 through 9.
More than 680 galleries competed for 257 coveted slots in the 11th edition. But beyond tweaking the roster, organizers avoided making major changes, perhaps reserving their energies for the forthcoming Art Basel Hong Kong in May. “This year is more of a fine-tuning year,” says co-director Marc Spiegler.
Several galleries are opting for a bigger-is-better strategy, stocking their booths with large-scale sculptures and architectural works. Galerie Lelong will feature Cildo Meireles’s Canto #1B, 1967–2011, a freestanding corner with a puddle of pink paint oozing onto the floor, that is priced in the seven figures.
In the Art Nova section, which offers young galleries the chance to present works made within the last three years, first-time exhibitor Eleven Rivington, of New York, will show a series of sculptures by Iceland’s 2013 Venice Biennale rep, Katrin Sigurdardottir, based on her childhood home ($30–35,000). In the Art Positions section of solo presentations from 16 younger dealers, Colombian artist Leyla Cárdenas will reconstruct an apartment from historical fragments in the booth of Bogotá’s Galeria Casas Riegner.
Of course, blue-chip contemporary and modern masters are in ample supply, particularly now-canonical 1980s names like Keith Haring and Kruger, who will have a presence not only at Mary Boone but also at Sprüth Magers, of London and Berlin.
Read more: Art Info
