Everything You Need to Know About Art Basel in Miami
Whether your style is art nouveau or impressionist, this week is the time for any art lover to visit South Florida.
It’s Art Basel Miami Beach (Dec. 4-7), and as an official junior host and a board member of Russell Simmons’s Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, I am here to spread the word. Here is my inside scoop on must-visit cultural events this week in the Magic City.
Heineken House at the Scope Art Fair
Heineken House (Kerry McLaney)
When: Tuesday, Dec. 2-Sunday, Dec. 7
Where: 1000 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach 33139
No RSVP necessary
This multisensory experience includes a live pyramid art show, which consists of 12 massive art walls that will be painted by several artists over the course of the almost weeklong event. Artists, including Miami’s own Tati Suarez, will be present, while guests experience a live, open-air art show and sip Heineken. The exhibit is right in the heart of South Beach, so you can enjoy a bite on Ocean Drive and then cross the street to the Heineken House, directly on the beach.
Related: Street Art Smackdown: Wynwood Walls in Miami vs. Beco do Batman in São Paulo
Art Basel Miami Beach’s Crowdfunding and Meet & Greet
Art Basel Miami Beach Photo (Art Basel Miami Beach)
When: Wednesday, Dec. 3-Sunday, Dec. 7
Where: Garden Oasis at the Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach 33139
Time: 3 p.m.- 5 p.m. daily
Open to the public
Besides exposure to amazing artwork, films, and more, Art Basel Miami Beach offers an opportunity to help existing arts education charities. If you run an arts education nonprofit or you’re a supporter of arts education, and you want to learn how Kickstarter and Art Basel Miami Beach might help your organization, then pop by and listen to these experts offer their insights. I have the exclusive scoop that mogul Russell Simmons will be sending his executive staff of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation to this venue to see what they can learn and apply to his nonprofit, so you know it is a must-attend for the philanthropic set.
5th Annual Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series with Russell Simmons & Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation
Attendees at the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation event (Allison Weiss Brady)
When: Thursday, Dec. 4
Where: Soho Beach House, 4385 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach 33140
Time: 7 p.m.-10 p.m.
Email Artforlife@rushphilanthropic.org to RSVP. (Space is limited.)
This event combines the best of South Beach — a tented event right on the ocean and beautiful people. I have the inside scoop that guests can be part of the art interaction by sipping specialty cocktails, including Sparkling Flamingo (made with Bombay Sapphire gin, fresh lemon, and vanilla syrup) and East of Miami(Bombay Sapphire East, lemon juice, simple sugar, cardamom, and fresh ginger), that are inspired by the artwork on display.
View artwork from 12 finalists in the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series while mingling with celebrities Danny and Russell Simmons, Rosario Dawson, and Jesse Metcalfe. Russell Simmons, an avid art collector of both established and emerging artists, is hosting the event. And a little birdie told me that a Grammy Award-winning R&B star will also be performing that night.
Bonhams Auction House “The Art of Fashion” Photography Exhibit and Auction
Marilyn Minter’s Deluge . (Steven Kasher Gallery) When: Thursday, Dec. 4- Sunday, Dec. 7
Where: Biscayne Beach condominiums, 254 NE 30th Street, Miami 33137
Time: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
No RSVP necessary
Bonhams Auction House presents “The Art of Fashion,” including modern photographic images from David LaChapelle, Irving Penn, Marilyn Minter, and Miles Aldridge. This is Bonhams’s first presence in Miami, and it’s sure to please, with images up for auction featuring icons Brigitte Bardot, pieces from former Vogue photographer Roxanne Lowit, and Kelly Klein. Bonhams was the official auction house of the estate of Lauren Bacall, and the event will feature pieces by Henry Moore, whose art sold for over $1 million at last year’s Art Basel. I’ve just found out that Donna Karan’s daughter, Gabby Karan, will be at the event, as she is the interior designer of Tutto Il Giorno, the Hamptons eatery that’s opening a branch in the Biscayne Beach condominiums.
Related: Sleep in a Museum—Explore the World’s Top Art Hotels
Marina Abramovic Institute (MAI) Slow-Motion Walk
YoungArts (Courtesy of YoungArts)
When: Thursday, Dec. 4-Sunday, Dec.7
Where: National YoungArts Foundation Campus, 2100 Biscayne Blvd., Miami 33137
Time: Noon to 6 p.m.
No RSVP necessary
Be part of the action! Join YoungArts alumna Brittany Bailey, who works with the Marina Abramovic Institute (Abramovic is known as the grandmother of performance art), for this interactive experience where the public participates. The crowd is encouraged to join Bailey and the other performers by walking as slowly as possible and considering each step deliberately. The event will be held inside the Jewel Box, a room made entirely of stained glass, with each wall made of a different color.
The inside scoop is that this performance is really a meditative exercise in madness to improve consciousness, so if you are having a stressful day, this might be an ideal exhibition to engage and relax your senses.
Soak Up: Miami Ad School Grand Opening of New Campus in Wynwood
Miami Ad School (Courtesy of Miami Ad School)
When: Friday, Dec. 5
Where: 571 NW 28th Street, Miami 33127 (Wynwood)
Time: 7 p.m.-10 p.m.
Register to attend free.
Looking for further develop your creative side? Students from Miami Ad School, founded in 1993, have won more awards than any other top advertising school, including the prestigious Clio Awards. At Soak Up, guests will have an opportunity to create artwork, including aerosol art, with 12 internationally renowned street artists. I have seen the comprehensive list of awards that Miami Ad School graduates have won, and it is quite impressive. Be sure to explore your inner artist at this event.
Markus&Koala photography exhibit
Image of Dita Von Teese from the Markus&Koala photo exhibit (Markus&Koala)
When: Friday, Dec. 5
Where: The National Hotel, 1677 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach 33139
Time: Exhibit open during hotel operating hours
No RSVP necessary
Photography duo Markus&Koala, who have photographed British muse Daphne Guinness and Dita Von Teese, are partnering with Photo magazine and Markowicz Fine Art to host an exhibit at the National Hotel in South Beach. I just got the inside scoop that images of Pharrell Williams, Lady Gaga, Beyonc é, Jennifer Lopez, and more will be showcased at the event and available for sale through the Markowicz Fine Art gallery.
Markus&Koala will be showing early outtakes from their upcoming book, Role Model, as well as sculptures from Richard Olinski and work by photographers Markus + Indrani, who shot the album cover for Beyonc é’s solo debut album, “Dangerously in Love,” and more. Explore works in photography and sculpture, and if you’re lucky, perhaps you can catch a glimpse of the live photo shoot with Sports Illustrated cover model Nina Agdal.
WATCH: Wynwood Walls Founder Honored Amid Art Basel Preps
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