Everyone seemed to be a VIP at Art Basel Miami Beach 2015. Besides the stabbing, the rain, the floods, and traffic jams, collectors said they had a great time at the fair because the art was fantastic. In fact, there was so much material for sale, I wondered how it would all be absorbed?The most apparent trend this year was an emphasis on “women artists” who are being shown and highlighted in many of the private museums, private collections and commercial galleries. Pace Gallery showed Louise Nevelson‘s work, and many pieces sold immediately. The Rubell Family Collection focused on the women artists that were in their collection such as Janine Antoni, Rineke Dijkstra, Yayoi Kusama, and Isa Genzken.
Their open breakfast, where fiancées were working together to provide buttered bread for the throngs of visitors in Jennifer Rubell‘s Devotion, was a lot of fun. The man cut loaves of bread, and the woman buttered it and gave it to guests. The line was very, very long.
Ana Mendieta‘s work is always on view at the de la Cruz Collection. I think of her third floor space as more of a shrine than an art installation.
The most exciting new space was the Jeffrey Dietch and Larry Gagosian pop-up gallery showing figurative works by well known artists. Architecturally, the space was fascinating and beautifully curated. They also showed many women artists, such as Marlene Dumas, Elizabeth Payton, Jenny Saville, and Dana Schutz, whose works were figurative.
The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse was a knock out. Their new installation of Anselm Kiefer‘s work was museum quality and a “must see.”
As usual, there were too many auxiliary fairs, museum shows, and installations to see everything, but Art Basel Miami Beach 2015 was a high-quality experience, leaving art lovers feeling that they should have seen more.
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