Art Basel Miami Beach attracts more than 50,000 people each year. The halls of the Miami Convention Center fill with glamorous collectors, dealers and art world mavens. Cutting through the glam, you find some of the best art in the world! Here are our picks from the 2013 show.
Ai Weiwei (Chinese, b. 1957), Marble Chair, 2008 at Neugerriemschneider
Photo courtesy of Artinfo.com
The artist actually carved this yoke-back chair out of a single block of marble. The image of an empty chair, a frequent metaphor for the artist, also serves as our reminder of his detainment for more than 80 days by the Chinese military police in 2011. Historic design, material and concept come together in this iconic piece as a sign of our times.
Francesca Pasquali (Italian, b. 1980), White Straws, 2013 at Tornabuoni Art
This artist works with everyday materials to create a sculptural installation that is simple and beautiful.
She creates site specific installation and sculptures in a variety of materials – from 10,000 balloons to rubber bands. Her work makes us think of American artist Tara Donovan, whose work in everyday materials also takes up the discourse of minimalism. Francesca lives and works between Bologna, Florence, Brescia and Paris, and is currently exhibiting at the Museo d’Arte della citta di Ravenna.
Tracey Emin (British, b. 1963), The Passion of Your Smile, 2013 at Lehmann Maupin
An epigram transcribed into neon from the artist’s own writing, Emin’s neons are often love poems not being sent to one individual, but to many. Like other artists with a long dialogue with this medium (Bruce Nauman, Jenny Holzer, Keith Sonnier, Dan Flavin), Tracy Emin has been working with neon for 18 years. The first ever museum exhibition to focus on Emin’s work in neon opened concurrently at MOCA Miami with Art Basel Miami this year.
Marina Abramović (Yugoslav, b. 1946), Places of Power, Waterfall, 2013 at Sean Kelly
Photo courtesy of www.skny.com
Art world icon and performance art pioneer, Abramović is one of the most important artists of our time. As art advocates and collectors we are lucky that Sean Kelly has worked with the artist to create these large format photographs to document her powerful performances. The title says it all – her arms outstretched, the artist presumably reaches a place of “suchness”, or full emptiness. Powerful, beautiful, iconic.
Isaac Julien, The Abyss (Playtime), 2013 at Metro Pictures
Photo Courtesy of artspace.com
This still from the Isaac Julien’s three-part video features a housekeeper caught in a moment – trapped in an immaculate apartment in the middle of the desert. His current Metro Pictures Exhibition Playtime as well as his MoMA Exhibition Ten Thousand Waves are a must see!