It’s been 12 years since Art Basel planted its flag in the soft sands surrounding the southern tip of the Florida peninsula, unveiling an American offshoot of its hallowed Swiss event. In that dozen years, the ensuing art-fair phenomenon has swelled to upwards of 20 satellite shows, creating a sales frenzy spurred by billions of dollars’ worth of art on view — some $3 billion of it at Art Basel Miami Beach alone last year. Since 2002, when designer Karl Lagerfeld hosted a private event that first year, the fashion industry has become a prime player, sponsoring scores of artists’ projects that are celebrated at private parties and dinners. With a reported 50,000 visitors flocking to Miami, the city and its collectors have also responded: Museum- quality private collections — such as the Rubell Family Collection, the de la Cruz Collection, and the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation — offer public hours during the fair, and new museum buildings such as Herzog & de Meuron’s 2013 Pérez Art Museum Miami, make the city a strong draw for arbiters of taste as well as arterati. Following is our guide to the events on offer.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 1

 

Culture, 6 to 8 pm: Czech sculptor Klara Kristalova will be the fourth artist featured in the Recognition of Art by Women series at the Norton Museum of Art (1451 S. Olive Avenue, West Palm Beach), which unveils her recent porcelain sculptures to its members.
Vernissage, 6 to 9 pm: Kick off the week directly on the beach at the opening gala of Untitled, the first fair to plop itself down right on the sand (Ocean Drive and 12th Street, Miami Beach). A new pavilion is imagined by architecture firm K/R to showcase works from Chicago’s Andrew Rafacz Gallery, New York’s Longhouse Projects, and Galeria Pilar of São Paulo. Melanie Scarciglia and Christophe Boutin vetted participants with artistic director Omar Lopez-Chahoud to create an “international and dynamic group of exhibitors and programming for our third edition,” says founder Jeff Lawson.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2

Brunch, noon to 4 pm: Take in ocean views with the art on offer at the Scope Miami Beach Platinum Preview Brunch (1000 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach), which includes Seoul’s Gana Art and Brooklyn’s Rush Arts Gallery. The fair’s 70,000-square-foot pavilion welcomes 108 exhibitors, while three outdoor lounges take advantage of the beachfront address.
Preview, noon to 6 Pm: Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Design Miami (19th Street and Meridian Avenue, Miami Beach) debuts Design Curio booths, curated presentations of objects pushing the envelope of design practice, among its participant stands. First-timers Edward Cella Art+Architecture of Los Angeles and Miami’s Gallery Diet will be on hand, along with veterans Galerie Pascal Cuisinier, Paris, which focuses on French design from the 1960s and ’70s; Carwan Gallery, Beirut, emphasizing work from Western designers interpreting Middle Eastern craft; and Nilufar Gallery, Milan, known for Italian postwar design.
Vernissage, 5:30 to 10 pm: The 25th edition of Art Miami (3101 NE 1st Avenue, Miami) opens with a gala where guests can glimpse work presented by Helsinki’s Galerie Forsblom and Chicago’s Douglas Dawson among the 130 participating galleries. Adjacent they’ll find Prague’s Vimm Gallery and Magnan Metz of New York, which are part of the Context fair, Art Miami’s three-year-old sister event that showcases emerging and experimental work. Art Miami’s VIP lounge comes courtesy of Maserati, while Context offers a beer garden and video lounge.
Preview, 5:30 to 10 pm: David Shelton Gallery of Houston, Seattle’s Greg Kucera Gallery, and Driscoll Babcock Galleries and Kasher | Potamkin of New York are on tap at Miami Project (NE 1st Avenue at NE 34th Street, Miami); the VIP preview is sponsored by 1st Dibs.
Local Culture, 6 to 10 pm: Making a statement as the newest Miami museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (4040 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami) opens “Pedro Reyes: Sanatorium,” a performative work featuring a clinic that “cures” viewers of the ills of modern urban life through hypnosis, conflict-resolution techniques, and other methods. A solo show by Andra Ursuta offers sculptures and installations that engage with the psychology of power and modernism. Both shows were curated by ICA’s deputy director and chief curator Alex Gartenfeld.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3

Collection, 9 am to noon: Start the morning at the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse (591 NW 27th Street, Miami), which marks its 15th anniversary with exhibitions featuring, among others, Eric Bainbridge, Ronald Bladen, Aaron Curry, Jeff Elrod, Gregor Hildebrandt, Hans Josephsohn, and Franz West.
Preview, 10 am to noon: Collectors interested in modern and contemporary prints can explore the ninth edition of the intimate Ink Miami art Fair (Suites of Dorchester,1850 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach), which includes offerings from Carl Solway of Cincinnati; Madison, Wisconsin’s Tandem Press; and Dublin’s Stoney Road Press. The fair, sponsored by the International Fine Print Dealers Association, “continues to draw a knowledgeable clientele that responds to the juxtaposition of newly editioned projects with unique modern masterworks on paper,” says executive director Michele Senecal.
Preview, 11 am to 8 pm: According to insiders, this is the day for comfortable shoes, enabling fast movement through the frenzied aisles of Art Basel Miami Beach (1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach). New to the fair’s 12th edition is a Survey section in which 13 galleries, including Brazil’s Galeria Bergamin and Denmark’s Galleri Bo Bjerggaard, offer tightly curated projects within their booths, such as a presentation of Fluxus artist Alison Knowles’s Big Book at New York’s James Fuentes. In addition to Survey, 267 galleries are participating either in the main fair or one of the other sections: Nova, for younger galleries; Positions, a platform for a single artist to present a single work; Public, an exhibition of large-scale outdoor works curated by Nicholas Baume, director of New York’s Public Art Fund; and the sophomore effort of Edition, dedicated to works in multiple.
Vernissage, 3 to 10 pm: Aqua Art Miami celebrates 10 years in its original hotel home (1530 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach), but 2014 marks its second year as part of Art Miami, which offers shuttles between South Beach and the Wynwood district throughout the weekend. Amid the 47 exhibitors will be performances by Karen Finley and MK Guth.
Party, 6:30 to 9 pm: Art Basel Miami Beach sponsor Davidoff celebrates both its Art Initiative and its residency program with a Caribbean-themed cocktail party at the Mondrian South Beach (1100 West Avenue, Miami Beach). The Davidoff’s Collectors’ Lounge can be found at ABMB.
Culture, 8 to 10 pm: In addition to receiving the inaugural Design Visionary award at Design Miami, architect Peter Marino is feted by the Bass Museum of Art (2100 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach), which unveils “One Way: Peter Marino.” Curated by Jérôme Sans, the show examines Marino’s design and artwork in the context of his personal holdings, which include works by Keith Haring, Richard Serra, and Rudolf Stingel. New commissions by Farhad Moshiri, Jean-Michel Othoniel, and Erwin Wurm will also be shown.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4

Collection, 9 am to noon: The Rubell Family Collection (95 NW 29th Street, Miami) opens its doors to the public with a reception. Works by mark Flood, Lucy Dodd, David ostrowski, Will Boone, and others will be on view daily through Sunday, noon to 6 pm.
Brunch, 9 am to 1 pm: “Pulse is proud to celebrate 10 years in Miami and excited about our new home in mid-Miami Beach becoming the anchor for visitors exploring the surrounding fairs and events,” says director Helen Toomer. Get the scoop on offerings by New York’s Ballast Projects, London’s Beers Contemporary Art, and Walter Maciel Gallery of Los Angeles at the Private Preview Brunch (4601 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach).
Preview, 10 am to noon: A VIP previewof NADA Miami Beach (Deauville Beach Resort, 6701 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach) offers the chance to peruse the booths of L.A.’s Night Gallery and the Journal Gallery of Brooklyn. If you miss it, critics Forrest Nash and Bryce Dwyer will be giving tours of the fair’s highlights through December 7.
Local culture, noon to 1 pm: Colombian-born, Miami-based artist Gonzalo Fuenmayor mounts his first site-specific installation, employing his signature themes of tropicalia, opulence, and crossed cultures. Viewings are by appointment at Faena Miami Beach (3425 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach).
Collection, noon to 6 pm: “Impulse, Reason, Sense, Conflict. Abstract Art from the Ella Fontanals-Cisneros Collection” offers pieces by Michael Asbury, Kaira Cabañas, Nadja Rottner, and Mika Yoshitake at the CIFO-Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation art Space (1018 N. Miami Avenue, Miami).
Ponder, 3 to 8 pm: ABMB sponsor Ruinart Champagne unveils its collaboration with artist Georgia Russell, who was inspired by the house’s 285-year-old product ledger to create Le Grande Livre, an unfurling 3-D piece of book art on view at the fair.
Local culture, 7 to 10 pm: Artist-founded nonprofit Locust Projects (3852 North Miami Avenue, Miami) holds a reception for its ongoing show “Welcome to the Future.” In this site-specific installation by Daniel Arsham, a trench in the gallery’s floor contains an array of 20th-century media devices that appear preserved like calcified artifacts.
Party, 7 to 10 pm: Collector-turned-artist Paula Crown unveils Transposition: Over Many Miles, a site-specific installation by Theaster Gates Studio and the Design Apprentice Program at the Arts Incubator in Washington Park of Chicago at NE 1st Avenue between 39th and 40th Streets, Miami.
Party, 8 pm to midnight: Take a spin by the Pérez Art Museum Miami (1103 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami) for the first U.S. retrospective of Brazilian art star Beatriz Milhazes at DJ Future Brown’s immersive performance, marking PAMM’s year-round time-arts initiative.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5

Local culture, 9 am to 6 pm: National Youngarts Foundation (2100 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami) and MOMA PS1 partner to present an extension of the exhibition “Zero Tolerance,” curated by MOMA PS1 curator Klaus Biesenbach with curatorial associate Mia Locks. The show addresses artistic freedom and the arts’ responsibility in society and politics.
Peruse, 10 am to noon: Meet exhibiting artists at Pulse Artist Morning to get their thoughts about the concepts, inspiration, and process of works on view.
Party, 8 to 11 pm: Scope VIP and platinum cardholders can jump on the Fiat-sponsored shuttle from ABMB to Scope for the VH1 + Scope Official Party (by invitation only).

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6

Drive, 9 to 11 am: Take a little break from the fair crunch with a 27-mile drive to Fort Lauderdale, where the NSU Museum of Art (1 East Las Olas Boulevard) features “American Scene Photography,” curated by museum director Bonnie Clearwater from the holdings of the Martin Z. Margulies Collection. On view are works by Dorothea Lange, Berenice Abbott, William Eggleston, Lee Friedlander, Gregory Crewdson, Justine Kurland, Ed Ruscha, Alec Soth, and Hank Willis Thomas.
Collection, 1 to 3 pm: Works from the de la Cruz Collection Contemporary Art Space (23 NE 41st Street, Miami) come together to assemble “Beneath the Surface,” an examination of art-redefining postwar movements beginning with a large-scale work by Wade Guyton, along with presentations by Kelley Walker, Dana Schutz, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, and Rob Pruitt.
Local culture, 3 to 4 pm: The Wolfsonian–Florida International University (1001 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach) celebrates its 19th year of analyzing modern and contemporary culture through its art and design with “Myth and Machine,” an exploration of ways in which artists, designers, and filmmakers confronted industrialized warfare during World War I.
Concert, 7:30 pm: Give your eyes a rest with John Adams and the American Sound, a program of the New World Symphony (New World Center, 500 17th Street, Miami Beach), featuring Aaron Copland’s El Salón México; Saxophone Concerto by John Adams, who also conducts; Try by emerging American composer Andrew Norman; and Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7
Local culture, 9 am to noon: Take in works by Dale Chihuly and Indian designer Satyendra Pakhalé amid the flora of the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables), which hosts a brunch and tour for ABMB VIPs.
Reflect, noon: Head to Pulse for the day’s Perspective roundtable, at which invited arbiters discuss the concept of value.

(Note: Many events listed are open only to fair VIP cardholders. Please check with fair organizers for your status.)

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