Art Basel Miami 2008: Good Reason to Go to the Beach

Reasons to Go South

Looking for somewhere warm and artsy to go to this week? Book a last minute flight to Art Basel Miami Beach. It will place on December 4 – 7 this year, and is self-acclaimed the most important art show in the United States.

The show will be a vital source for art lovers, allowing them to both discover new developments in contemporary art and experience rare museum-caliber artworks.

claire fontaine, art basel miami

T293 represents Claire Fontaine

Art Basel, the Original

The original artfair in Switzerland, Art Basel, can be considered the most prestigious worldwide art show. That show has been around for 39 years and is still going strong.

Art Basel Miami – What’s Special?

Art Basel Miami Beach is a more flamboyant, hipper version. It combines an international selection of top galleries with an special exhibitions, parties and crossover events featuring music, film, architecture and design.

What adds to the extravanganza of the Miami art show is its location in Miami’s beautiful Art Deco District, which is within walking distance of the beach.

Cindy Sherman at Art Basel Miami

New York-based gallery Metro Pictures will bring Cindy Sherman, and a stable of other impressive artists

The truth is that Art Basel Miami, besides being a big, giant party, is a seriously high-quality art fair. An exclusive selection of more than 220 leading art galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa will exhibit 20th and 21st century artworks by over 2,000 artists. The exhibiting galleries are among the world’s most respected art dealers, offering exceptional pieces by both renowned artists and cutting-edge newcomers.

Cindy Sherman - Signed Art

In addition, there are special exhibition sections featuring young galleries, performance art, public art projects and video art.

Top-quality exhibitions in the museums of South Florida and special programs for art collectors and curators also help make the event a special time for encountering art.

Every year, a greater number of art collectors, artists, dealers, curators, critics and art enthusiasts from around the world participate in Art Basel Miami Beach. Yes, it has been becoming a favorite winter meeting place for the international art world.

Art Basel Miami Calendar

Click here for a downloadable Art Basel Miami 2008 Calendar of Events

New Contemporary - Artwork by Colin Christian

Vanguard – Showcasing “New Contemporary” Art

And… there will be other art happenings coinciding and seamlessly blending with Art Basel Miami.

This year, Gen Art will launch its inaugural art fair, the Gen Art Vanguard New Contemporary Art Fair happening alongside this year’s Art Basel Fair in Miami. Its focus is on emerging artists and brings together the top galleries, artists, and individuals who are defining the ‘New Contemporary art movements’ from ‘Pop Surrealism’ and ‘New Brow’ to ‘Urban Contemporary’. The goal of the fair is to advance the dialogue about these emerging contemporary art movements and their cultural context.

Milestone exhibitions such as ‘Street Art’ at the TATE in London, and the art world’s current favorable regard to art rebels like Banksy, Ron English and Shepard Fairey are proof of the arrival of a new sense of aesthetic. However, there has yet to be an art fair solely dedicated to the rising genres often described under the umbrella of “New Contemporary.”

Gen Art’s Vanguard Fair aims to be exactly that. It will focus on a select group of galleries who have been essential to the New Contemporary art movement’s growth over the last decade. The list of galleries include Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; “KNOW” Exhibition by Murphy Art Books, San Diego; M Modern Gallery, Palm Springs; Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles; Yves Laroche Gallery, Montreal, Canada; Antikulture Gallery,Miami; Pop Art Studios & Gallery, Miami; and The Satellite Gallery, Asheville, NC.

‘Gone to the Beach’ has just taken on new meaning. There are more reasons to go there than you knew… So, see you there!

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