This mid-century modern home, designed by Paul Lester in 1962, was acquired by Lisa Perry, the designer, collector, curator and the founder of Onna House. Perry lovingly restored the house, and it was opened to the public in May of 2022. Perry said it was similar to the home where she grew up.
Perry’s vision is to highlight and champion women artists in a gallery/home-like setting, where visitors can relax and enjoy the visual environment.
What particularly impressed me was the wide variety of women artists who are furniture makers, ceramicists, weavers, and traditional artists represented in this exhibition.
The landscape is magnificent. Be sure to find the moss garden tucked away near the kitchen.
Onna House is a gift to the Hampton community. Visits are by appointment only – take a look at the website to learn more. Or, plan an art-filled visit to the Hamptons using our directory, here.
Crystal Bridges museum is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. This fantastic museum, founded by Alice Walton and designed by the renowned Moshe Safdie, boasts an incredible collection of American art masterworks. I have visited the museum in Bentonville, Arkansas three times, but this last visit I was amazed at what the surrounding area has become. I was told that 1,000 people move to this part of Arkansas each week! One can immediately feel the young energy and vibrancy of the area. There are walking paths for viewing sculptures; miles of biking roads; and a new cultural institution called The Momentary, a contemporary art space that acts as a satellite of Crystal Bridges.
This 63,000-square-foot structure near the Crystal Bridges museum was once a Kraft Cheese factory, and has been renovated and turned into a cultural powerhouse. Think of New York’s The Shed, the Park Avenue Armory, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music all coming together. Art, sculpture, music festivals, plays, and culinary extravaganzas are all coalescing to put the Momentary on the “cool” and “must attend” map of this region. The mission of this multi-disciplinary space is “to champion contemporary art’s role in everyday life.”
When visiting The Momentary, be sure to see the beautifully designed Tower Bar with magnificent views of the area. Extraordinary permanent tents make music available throughout every season – rain or shine.
Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama transformed the 250-acre landscape of the New York Botanical Garden into a dreamy cosmic wonderland by installing monumental floral sculptures throughout the garden. Titled COSMIC NATURE, the exhibition was inspired by Kusama’s lifelong fascination with the natural world that began with her childhood spent in the greenhouses, gardens and fields of her family’s seed nursery. Through October 31, tickets required 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx
Philadelphia-based artist Alex Da Cote was tapped by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for this summer’s rooftop commission. Playful and celebratory, Da Corte’s unique installation titled As Long as the Sun Lasts features a blue Big Bird swinging atop a Calder-like mobile. The work returns us to a place of childlike wonder as we sit atop the Met and enjoy the incredible view of New York. Through October 31. The Met Rooftop Garden, 1000 Fifth Avenue
Images courtesy of Storm King; artwork by Richard Serra and Sarah Sze
A 500-acre outdoor museum tucked into the Hudson Valley, Storm King Art Center is worth a visit to see breathtaking large-scale sculpture and site-specific installations amid rolling hills, dreamy meadows and a picturesque Hudson Valley landscape. One of the largest collections of outdoor artwork in America, Storm King’s core collection includes work by Mark di Suvero, Alexander Calder, David Smith, Isamu Noguchi, Richard Serra, Louise Nevelson, Sol Lewitt, Roy Lichtenstein, among many other masters. Tickets required 1 Museum Road, New Windsor
In 1975, the artist Gordon Matta-Clark transformed a dilapidated Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company warehouse at Pier 52 into a work of art: he cut openings into the shed’s floors and walls so light beautifully filtered through, creating “a peaceful enclosure, a joyous situation.” In 1979, the pier/shed/artwork was demolished. Now, David Hammons’ new work Days End—a three-dimensional, steel blueprint of the original shed—has been erected as an homage to Matta-Clark and the ever-changing nature of New York. Visit the installation, watch the sunset beyond it and see New York’s history come to life. Permanently installed, Hudson River Park, along the southern edge of Gansevoort Peninsula (directly across from the Whitney)
The artist Melvin Edwards—whose career spans fifty years—is celebrated for his distinctive sculptures and three-dimensional installations created from welded steel, barbed wire, chain and machine parts. His work brilliantly reimagines monumental civic sculpture by uniting abstract forms with personal symbols to address issues of race, labor and the African Diaspora. Installed throughout City Hall Park, the outdoor exhibition Brighter Days surveys Edwards’ career with five monumental sculptures from 1970 to 1996 as well as one new large-scale work. Through November 28City Hall Park, (below Chambers Street, east of Broadway)
A serene oasis in Queens, Noguchi Museum—with its indoor/outdoor galleries and beautiful sculpture garden—make for a wonderful escape to enjoy the beautiful art of the famed Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi. The Museum’s incredible sculpture garden is the culmination of Noguchi’s exploration of Japanese garden design and is well worth the visit. Reservation required 9-01 33rd Road (at Vernon Boulevard), Long Island City
Sanford Biggers’ towering, bronze sculpture Oracle welcomes visitors to Rockefeller Center. Part of the artist’s “Chimera” sculpture series, which merges African masks and European figures, the seated body of Oracle references the ancient Temple of Zeus, while its head references masks from various African cultures. In his work, Biggers is interested in contrasting white-washing by academics and historians of classical Greco-Roman sculpture with the early twentieth century Black-washing of African sculptural objects. This is the first-ever campus-wide commission of Rockefeller Center by an artist, and in addition to Oracle, Biggers has transformed the iconic flags at Rockefeller to show his own designs. Through June 29Rockefeller Plaza, between 49th and 50th Streets
Image from The Musical Brain courtesy of Daryanani Law Group Blog
A walk on the High Line always entails so much art, in addition to the incredible views of the city!Now on view are The Musical Brain, a group exhibition by Rebecca Belmore and Osvaldo Yero, Vivian Caccuri, Raúl de Nieves, Guillermo Galindo, David Horvitz, Mai-Thu Perret, Naama Tsabar, and Antonio Vega Macotela celebrates the power music has in bringing us together; Hannah Levy’s playful Retainer (a large-scale marble sculpture of a retainer that brings us back to high school); a large-scale fiberglass sculpture of a drone by Sam Durant; and Ibrahim Mahama’s beautiful meditation on nature and industrialization. Reservations required on weekends Entrances at Gansevoort Street, 23rd Street or 30th Street
Maya Lin’s “Ghost Forest,” made up of dead trees “planted” into Madison Square Park, show us New York after sea levels rise. Some of these trees, or rather barren trunks of 49 Atlantic White Cedars, are over 80 years old and make an arresting statement about the effects of climate change. Through November 15. Madison Square Park
John Drue Scott Worrell, “FACULTY,” 2021, courtesy of Gothamist & Willy Le Maitre
An exciting exhibition presented by the New Art Dealer’s Alliance on Governors Island, NADA House 2021 is the third installment of a collaborative exhibition between 66 galleries, non-profits, artist-run spaces and curators to present the work 100-plus artists. The exhibition presents large-scale installations, immersive environments, wall murals, and outdoor sculpture, much of which responds directly to Governors Island’s complex history. Works have been installed throughout five historic houses on the island as well as outside—and mark the largest presentation of outdoor art by NADA House to date! Through August 1403-405 Colonels Road, Governors Island
Socrates Sculpture Park is former landfill site now home to sprawling greens and large-scale sculpture and multimedia installations. This summer’s exciting exhibition, Planeta Abuelx by Guadalupe Maravilla explores ancestral and Indigenous practices of holistic healing. As part of the exhibition, Maravilla will offer a series of healing sound baths amid the art. Planeta Abuelx on view through September 5, free admission 32-01 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City
This newsletter was written by Samantha Kohl, Editor of ArtMuse. All credit goes to ArtMuse for the authorship of this blog. Artmuse Selects was established by Natasha Schlesinger, founder of Artmuse Inc, an award winning art advisor and curator and Kwame Decuir, a technology specialist and entrepreneur in 2017. Originally conceived to help art lovers and collectors find art exhibits at galleries in NY, it has continued to adapt and shift focus as the art world evolves and the world changes. Based in New York, Artmuse Selects recently started to expand with an eye to curate artists, shows and galleries beyond New York city.
An upcoming addition to Art Privée’s list of private collections and art institutions is Amant, a non-profit founded by collector Lonti Ebers, MoMA trustee and board member of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College. The Brooklyn space was designed by architect Florian Idenburg and ready to open in mid-June of this year. “Amant is a research and process-oriented platform, a space for showing, broadcasting, and making art public, while offering another place for reflecting, meeting, and creating community” (Ruth Estévez, the institution’s artistic director quoted in T. Dafoe on Artnet).
Interior of Amant’s performance space Geza, under construction. Photo: Naho Kubota. Courtesy of SO-IL and the Amant Foundation.
With many gallery exhibitions in New York, a great one to see is David Hammons: Basketball & Kool-Aid, open through the 25th of June, exhibiting works from two significant series by the artist. His “Harlem dirt” covered basketball imprints and works on paper colored with Kool-Aid powder are shown beautifully in Nahmad Gallery’s space in 980 Madison Avenue.
Installation view
Nearby, the group show at Mnuchin, Off the Wall, exhibits works by Sam Gilliam, David Hammons, Suzanne Jackson, Al Loving, and Joe Overstreet. “Releasing the canvas from its stretcher was a radical notion when it was pioneered, and its effects continue to shape art-making practices today” (Mnuchin Gallery).
Installation view: photography by Tom Powel imaging
And if you haven’t made it to the Met’s Alice Neel: People Come First exhibition, make a point to visit by the 1st of August. It is a must-see and the first survey retrospective of the artist.
A new addition to Art Privée is the Hugo Voeten Art Center in Herentals, Belgium, east of Antwerp. Opened in 2012, the former grain factory was converted into an exhibition space to showcase the collection of the late entrepreneur, Hugo Voeten (1940-2017), featuring works by both Belgian and international artists such as Thierry de Cordier, Thomas Houseago, and Arno Breker among many others. An accompanying 40-acres of land in the neighboring city of Geel is dedicated to the Beeldentuin Hugo Voeten, which translates to sculpture garden, showcasing more than 200 works by over 35 artists. In an interview with Larry’s List, collection manager, Eveline Heylen, says “Hugo Voeten was a very intuitive art collector. He said ‘As a collector, I trust my own taste and opinion. This results in a very personal, diverse collection.’ We continue to make sure that what is on display exhales this very atmosphere. In this respect, we do not prefer chronological presentations or highly elaborated curatorial concepts, but rather design-intuitive presentations that appeal to many” (E. Heylen quoted in “A Dedicated Maecenas’ Private Art Temple” Larry’s List, 2021).
Exhibition view with works by Gilles Barbier (center), Joseph Havel (left on the wall), Michael DeLucia (right) at Center Hugo Voeten. Courtesy of Collection Hugo Voeten.
Stateside, the reopening of Dia’s Chelsea space following a two-year renovation is more than welcome. The work of Lucy Raven will inaugurate the new space, with a light installation and film titled Ready Mix. The exhibition opens April 16th and will be on view through January 2022.
Opening April 8th, Glenstone, a private museum in Maryland, will open an exhibition highlighting the quilted works of Faith Ringgold in a first-time show. Ringgold’s exhibition originated in London at the Serpentine gallery, later traveling to Sweden. There are more than 70 works by the artist who is known for her powerful patchwork quilts depicting racism and inequality. The artist’s works are not part of the Glenstone Collection, though the Mitchell and Emily Rales collection in Maryland previously exhibited pieces from their own extensive art collection. The Rales were so taken by the show that they exhibited the amazing quilts in the Washington DC area.
The New Museum exhibition Grief and Grievance: Art and Mourning in America, an intergenerational show, which opened earlier in February is a must-see in New York, on view through the 6th of June and featuring works by Mark Bradford, Rashid Johnson, Adam Pendleton, Howardena Pindell and more.
Grief and Grievance: Art and Mourning in America, 2021. Exhibition view: New Museum, New York. Photo: Dario Lasagni.
With the difficulty of seeing art in the current circumstances, the pandemic has prompted institutions to look for digital solutions to share art with the public. A wonderful example of this being The Brant Foundation’s interactive virtual tour of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work based on the foundation’s 2019 exhibition. A 360 VR tour and a fun #MuseumFromHome hashtag connects the public in this much needed time of art deprivation! Though these online initiatives provide resources for past and current shows, it’s also great to see upcoming shows projected to open in the spring, on-site, like their David Salle exhibition set to open on May 16 at The Brant Foundation in Greenwich, Connecticut.
For the institutions that have opened more recently, like the Woods Art Institute in Germany, which had its inaugural exhibition in September of 2019, booking tickets and guided tours have been paused until further notice for the health and safety of their visitors, offering a selection of artworks and installation views on their site from the contemporary artists in their collection.
Ed Kienholz, Barbara Kruger, Brad Downey
Similarly, the James Museum, which opened in 2018, has adjusted a great deal to accommodate these new times. With a focus on Western & Wildlife art, the museum has continued small group tours and a variety of public programs and events to maintain their engagement with the public, a core goal in the institution’s mission and values.
Earl Biss, Winter Sunrise Circle of the Big Sky People, 1985, oil on canvas.
For those New Mexico natives and many of us still hesitant to gather indoors, Ghost Ranch is a beautiful outdoor experience – the inspiring landscape became the subject of many paintings and the future home and studio of painter Georgia O’Keeffe. It is moments like these which remind us the tremendous influence nature has on artists, inspiring us to experience more of it ourselves.
It was a special treat to visit and have cocktails at the American Ambassador’s residence, Whitlock Hall on our first day in Brussels. Ambassador to Belgium, Ronald J. Gidwitz graciously hosted us. He discuss how the role of “Ambassador” has changed in the 21st Century. He told us security and keeping Americans safe is his number one role.
Villa Empain
The Boghossian Foundation is a Cultural Center promoting East/West dialogue through modern and contemporary art. Housed in the Villa Empain, this foundation is an Art Deco tour de force. Each railing, light and wall paper echos the gems of the past Art Deco period. It is a visual breathtaking experience.
In Brussels the newly renovated Royal Museum for Central Africa just reopened. It is a historical museum showing the Belgium colonialism of Africa in a new way. African artifacts are present as works of art and displayed beautifully.
René Magritte, Le Retour, 1940
The big draw museum is the Musée Magritte which houses the largest collection of his oil paining, drawings, sculptures, photographs and other paraphernalia from Magritte’s artistic life. Give yourself a lot of time to enjoy the 3 floors of his works. The gift shop is very special. One can buy a bowler hat, a ceramic apple in all sizes, baby bibs and even sox by his artistic hand.
Visiting private collections are always an added plus when looking at art in a new city. Charles Rivera opened up his beautiful townhouse to share a bottom floor gallery with the public. On view were wonderful photograph by Candida Hofer, Hiroshi Sugimoto and Thomas Ruff.
Visiting the Vanhaerents Art Collection was was an amazing experience. Not only do they collect world class contemporary art, they display some of the works in the crates that the art was shipped in. In this way one can see the complications and difficulties of installing and transporting contemporary art. This incredible space is opened and free to the public. If you love contemporary art, this would be my first stop in Brussels.
Brussels has become a dynamic art city. Dealers, collectors and artists are enjoying the art energy in this community. Some contemporary art galleries that I visited are are top rated. Galerie Almine Rech, Galeries Xavier Hufkensand Irene Laub gallery which are all in the same neighborhood and a quick walk to each other.
A day trip to Ghent is worth the drive just to see the restoration process of Jan Van Eyck’s renowned altarpiece, “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” at the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent. Conservators from all over the world were contacted and their input has been a big part of the restoration process.
In the museum we saw a Luc Tuymans’s work being installed on the walls as a fresco. We had the good fortune of meeting the artist in his studio when we visited Antwerp later in the week. Tuyman’s solo show was featured at the Palazzo Grasso in Venice this summer.
Other artists that we met and visited them in their studios were sculpture Berlinde De Bruyckere and conceptual artist and sculpture Wim Delvoye.
We visited Bruges, which is a medieval perfectly preserved town from the 15th century. Bruges is very much a tourist town but a part of me wanted to rent a boat and float on their beautiful canals like every tourist.
In Antwerp we had a very special experience. We were invited to the home of May and Axel Vervoordt. They live in a gorgeous castle that dates from the 14th-28th Century. Axel is an international art dealer, designer, curator and art collector-genius. He makes “art markets” and sells at all the best international art fairs. As we walked through his home we were all overjoyed by his aesthetics and how he paired antiquities with minimal art and decor. It was an extraordinary experience. But there was more.
Vervoordt created Kanaal, a former beer distillery and converted the area to offices, housing, workshops and exhibition space and a restaurant.
This amazing trip started at the American Embassy in Belgium and ended with a trip to NATO. At the newly completed NATO building we met Kay Bailey Hutchinson, US ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. She showed us the main meeting room and explains where all the various countries sat. It was an awe inspiring experience. After, we were briefed on NATO and the importance of a strong organization of nations to fend off Russia and China. It was a real education.
We should all be very proud of the American Pavilion in Venice and sculptor Martin Puryear representing the United States. Puryear’s theme focuses on “Liberty”. His monumental sculpture overtakes the entrance of this classical Pavilion and inside his abstract forms are elegant and haunting. I think this is the BEST Pavilion in the 2019 Venice Biennale. The other Pavilion that is a MUST SEE is in the Arsenale which is not in the Giardini. This is the first time Ghana is represented in Venice and they brought out all of their star power artists to make a big impact! Superstar Architect Sir David Adjaye designed the structure that houses the exhibition which is based on tradition circular earth houses from villages in the upper eastern region of Ghana. Well known artists such as Okwui Enwezor, El Anatsui and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye are represented among other artists from Ghana.
Pavilions that were especially interesting are Belgium, Japan and Russia. There is so much “art overload” just accept that you can’t see it all. In celebration of this Biennial many site specific installations are around the city and on neighboring islands. Some shows are in churches, museums, small libraries, or foundations. I will share with you what I loved.
On the San Giorgio Maggiore Island, Sean Scully’s striped multicolor sculpture “Opulent Ascension” is a breathtaking surprise as you enter the church. Circle the sculpture and you find you can walk in the back and be surrounded by his glorious colors. The exhibition continues and you will see drawings, paintings and Scully’s beautiful stained glass windows. Do not miss the figurative paintings of his son and wife at the beach.
The Baselitz retrospective at the Gallerie dell’Accademeia shows what a true genius this artists is.
One must always visit the Peggy Guggenhiem Museum when in Venice. A beautiful Jean Arp show is on view until September 2, 2019. Arp was the first artist to enter Peggy Guggenhiem’s collection.
While you are there be sure to visit the “Schulof Collection”. Important works by Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Cy Twombly and Donald Judd and many others are shown in this beautiful, dedicated space.
When you visit the Helen Frankenthaler exhibition at the Palazzo Grimani, I would suggest that you see the wonderful video of her making art first and then look at the works that span her 40 year career. You will have a new appreciation of her process and how advanced she was.
There is so much art to see in Venice please don’t drive yourself crazy.. . but keep your eyes opened. We stumbled across an Edmund de Waal installation in an obscure square on our way to lunch!
It was snowing the day I arrived in Beijing which was very rare. Apparently it has not snowed for a couple of years and people took it as a good luck sign. It was also the day that the Congress confirmed a “no term limits” policy on Xi Jinping’s Presidency.
China has drastically changed, each time I visit this country it is a “new” China.
I was traveling with a group from the Guggenhiem museum. The Museum had hosted a very successful Chinese exhibition, Art and China after 1989: Theater of The World which will go on to Bilbao and the San Francisco Museum of Art . We visited lenders to the exhibition, artists, donors and top collectors in their homes, apartments and private museums.
In Beijing the most significant contemporary art neighborhood is in the 798 Art District. It is like Chelsea in New York City.
As we walked through this area we saw many familiar and well established galleries such as Long March Space, Pace Beijing, Galleria Continua and M Woods.
Pace Beijing in 798 Art District
Some of the artists we visited like Liu Wei, Cao Fei, Yu Hong, graciously allowed us into their studios and spoke about their work (at times through a Chinese interpreter).
A visit to Hao Liang studio is a special treat. Ink paintings and scrolls are part of China’s art DNA. He revived these ancient techniques into contemporary beautiful scroll paintings. They are breath taking.
A Portion of a Scroll from Hao Liang’s Studio
Qiu Zhijie is a brilliant map-making artist. He uses political, sociological, anthropological themes and a little humor to create dazzling maps. One can spend hours reading the intricate areas of these phenomenal maps. Liu Dan uses a method of ink and brush work that is contemporary but based on classical traditions. He incorporates many art movements into his work such as Ming, Cubists and Renaissance art. He demonstrated how he uses ink and brush stokes in the most masterful way.
Liu Dan Demonstrating his Ink Painting
Shanghai
The Wall of the Bund in Shanghai
Again we visited galleries in Shanghai. Many were in the Moganshan
Art District, 50 Maganshan Road (M50).
One of the highlights was a visit to the CC Foundation. Founders Kelly Ying and her husband David Chau supports the creative development of emerging artists. They are an art “power house” young couple with amazing energy who also created art fairs in Shanghai. On view were sculptures by Los Angeles artist, Kathleen Ryan.
CC Foundation in Shanghai
A visit to the Fosun Foundation is a thrilling experience. One sees the dramatic development which is directly across from the Bund. The foundation hired the British firm Foster+Partners with Heatherwick Studios to create this exciting complex of buildings that house an art museum, boutiques, offices and theater. On view was international artists Tomas Saraceno: Areographies.
The Fosun Foundation in Shanghai by Foster + Partners
A visit to K11 Art Center was an innovation. The beautiful gallery space is in a shopping mall. K11 art center hosts various exhibitions, forums and generates unexpected ways for the general public to engage with contemporary art. On view was a gorgeous retrospective of Betty Woodman’s sculpture.
K11 Art Center in a Mall in Shanghai
The West Bund District is booming. This ambitious development is backed by the government and it is growing fast. The goal is to bring together domestic and foreign leaders in the fields of culture, video, fashion design and innovative finance to create a world-class water front area.
Two museums we visited in the area was the Yuz Museum, founded by Chinese Inonesian collector Budi Tek and the Long Art Museum founded by Lui Yiqian and Wang Wei. The Long Art Museum is one of the largest private art institutions in China. Their focus is on traditional and modern Chinese art.
Another highlight of the day was a visit to the studio of Ding Yi, born in Shanghai his practice incorporates painting, sculpture, architectural grids and crosses.
Left: Yuz Museum, Right: Long Museum, West Bund
One of the most interesting shows on view in the Tank Shanghai area was an exhibition of private collections of over 20 leading private collectors. It was very interesting and they produced a very helpful catalog highlighting the names of the collectors and their favorite chosen works.
A Favorite — Ugo Rondinone
A dinner at Pearl Lam’s home is one of the most glamorous thing one can experience in Shanghai. Her collection of art, furniture, decorative arts and magnificent tableware is a visual overload. The idea that she can seat 63 people at a long table for dinner is mind blowing. She is a most gracious, and articulate hostess. Lam always invites fascinating people from the literary world, the art world, the travel world and politics to her renowned dinner parties. Her guests are always stimulating and interesting.
Gallerist Pearl Lam’s Dining Room Table in Shanghai
Artists around the world try to find large, inexpensive spaces to use as their studios. Chinese artists are no exception. It took a while to drive to the amazing art complex of Xu Zhen and his MadeIn Company. His gigantic art compound and company is devoted to researching and creating contemporary art. Many artists are working in his studio and it is an exciting place to visit and worth the ride.
MadeIn Company in Shanghai
New to Shanghai is the Prada Rong Zhai Mansion. This art foundation that opened in 2017 is a unique exhibition space located in a beautiful restored 20th Century mansion. On view was “Roma 1950–1965”, curated by Germano Celant. Be sure to take time to walk in the beautiful gardens.
One of my favorite museums is the Rockbund Art Museum. Founded by Thomas and Lynn Ou. They have extraordinary programming. The last time I was in Shanghai they showed Ugo Rondinone’s clowns. This new exhibition is from the private collection of Sandretto Re Rebaudengo From Turin, which is very exciting.
Left: Prada Rong Zhai Mansion, Right: Rockbund Art Museum
China today is full of energy and growth. It is an exciting country to visit. One can not understand the 21st Century unless you visit China and see what the Chinese people have accomplished in 20 years. The Chinese culture has gone from bicycles to Mercedes Benz cars and from Mao jackets to Chanel suits in a very short time. Their accomplishments have been dramatic and extraordinary.
As crazy as it seems, conservative Palm Beach felt like the “pre-opening” to Art Basel Miami 2017.
Beth Rudin De Woody launched her private Museum, The Bunker Artspace
the weekend before Art Basel Miami opened.
Her exuberant collection of contemporary art found a perfect home in surprise, West Palm Beach. Just like her other homes, this two story museum is jam packed with art, even in the elevator, restrooms and broom closet.
Art looking at Art Basel Miami takes a lot of work.
One has to plot a course for each day. You must study maps to see where your favorite galleries are located, at which fair and on what day that fair opens. Geographically you are going back and forth from South Beach to the Wynwood area and then to the design area. Besides the art fairs and the museums one also must visit the private museums and venues that are always exciting.
This is how I did it:
We drove from Palm Beach to Miami but first stopped at the Four Seasons at the Surf Club, before checking into our hotel in South Beach. Lunch at Le Sirenuse was elegant and delicious.
Our first stop in Miami was the newly opened ICA, an exciting new museum. Their motto is “Free And Open Access To Innovative Art”. The ICA has a wonderful location almost next to the fantastic De La Cruz Collection.
The Gagosian/Dietch art popup is always exciting. This is the 3rd year that these art-showmen have joined together to curate a spectacular exhibition.
The Art Basel Miami 2017 fair was as exciting as ever. The new floor plan made it easier to enjoy the galleries and it felt more spacious.
There was tremendous art energy coming from the satellite fairs also. Art friends loved Untitled and I even bought a bench from an adorable design couple who were thrilled to show their playful designs at this fair.
Before the 10:00 AM opening time, art buyers lined up to get the first crack at NADA. These galleries show interesting new works by emerging artists. Seasoned art collectors buy a lot from this fair.
One must always visit the Rubell Family Collection. This year, artist-in-residence Allison Zuckerman’s works were highlighted. Her large paintings are a mash up of art historical figures presented in comic book style, tumbling off the canvasses with a larger than life vibe. These works are unique and a lot of fun. I read that she posted her art on Instagram and that is how the art world saw her paintings and fell in love with her work. A real Cinderella story!
The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse shows off fun Pop Art as you walked into this enormous space. Margulies’ Anselm Kiefer “rooms” are amazing and worth going to his warehouse just to see this fantastic collection.
There is an extraordinary Frank Stella retrospective at the NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale and certainly worth the short drive from Miami. Director Bonnie Clearwater curated a beautiful show and it is very exciting to see so many of his early works.
And Art Basel Miami starts all over again on December 5th, 2018!
