1. Art Basel Miami Beach
Miami Beach
More than 200 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa participate in Art Basel Miami Beach, the American offshoot of the prolific art show that began in Switzerland in 1970. Roughly 83,000 artists, art appreciators, critics, and curators are expected at the Miami Beach Convention Center for this year’s event, which will include the debut of Meridians, a new sector presenting ambitious, large-scale sculptures, installations, films, and video projections, paintings, and live performances. Next: December 5-8, 2019
See more: Art Basel 2018: Events, Parties, and Installations You May Have Missed
More than 200 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa participate in Art Basel Miami Beach, the American offshoot of the prolific art show that began in Switzerland in 1970. Roughly 83,000 artists, art appreciators, critics, and curators are expected at the Miami Beach Convention Center for this year’s event, which will include the debut of Meridians, a new sector presenting ambitious, large-scale sculptures, installations, films, and video projections, paintings, and live performances. Next: December 5-8, 2019
See more: Art Basel 2018: Events, Parties, and Installations You May Have Missed
Photo: Scott Rudd
2. The Armory Show
New York
New York’s premier art fair celebrated its 25th anniversary this year with a five-day show that featured 198 galleries from 38 countries. Some 57,000 visitors were in attendance at Piers 90, 92, and 94 to view some of the world’s foremost 20th- and 21st-century art. Complementary programming included the fair’s second annual closed-door Curatorial Leadership Summit and the Armory Live, a series of talks with internationally renowned players, including Melanie Gerlis of the Financial Times, gallerist Sean Kelly, artist Paul Anthony Smith, and ARTnews editor in chief Sarah Douglas. Next: March 5-8, 2020
New York’s premier art fair celebrated its 25th anniversary this year with a five-day show that featured 198 galleries from 38 countries. Some 57,000 visitors were in attendance at Piers 90, 92, and 94 to view some of the world’s foremost 20th- and 21st-century art. Complementary programming included the fair’s second annual closed-door Curatorial Leadership Summit and the Armory Live, a series of talks with internationally renowned players, including Melanie Gerlis of the Financial Times, gallerist Sean Kelly, artist Paul Anthony Smith, and ARTnews editor in chief Sarah Douglas. Next: March 5-8, 2020
Photo: Teddy Wolff
3. Burning Man
New to the list
Black Rock Desert, Nevada
For nine days each year, tens of thousands of people erect a temporary city in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert for this festival, which began in San Francisco in 1986 with just 35 participants. Today, Burning Man is a cultural phenomenon where imagination is the only limit when it comes to art and self-expression. A kinetic light sculpture activated by collaboration between participants, a bee hive temple for interactive theater, and a hand-powered carousel ride were among the most ambitious works constructed at this year’s event. Next: September 5-13, 2020
Black Rock Desert, Nevada
For nine days each year, tens of thousands of people erect a temporary city in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert for this festival, which began in San Francisco in 1986 with just 35 participants. Today, Burning Man is a cultural phenomenon where imagination is the only limit when it comes to art and self-expression. A kinetic light sculpture activated by collaboration between participants, a bee hive temple for interactive theater, and a hand-powered carousel ride were among the most ambitious works constructed at this year’s event. Next: September 5-13, 2020
Steve Jurvetson/Creative Commons
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License
4. Diffa Dining By Design
National
The Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS hosts this annual event in conjunction with the Architectural Digest Design Show. This year, more than 30 brands and designers created 24 extraordinary, high-concept dining vignettes that provided inspiration to more than 12,000 guests. The five-day showcase raised approximately $1 million for HIV/AIDS organizations. While the main event took place at Pier 92, the concept is replicated throughout the year in Dallas, Chicago, and San Francisco. Next year’s New York show will unveil several major changes, including a new location and a new name to be announced. Next: March 2020
See more: 18 Dining and Tabletop Ideas From Diffa's 2019 Dining by Design
The Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS hosts this annual event in conjunction with the Architectural Digest Design Show. This year, more than 30 brands and designers created 24 extraordinary, high-concept dining vignettes that provided inspiration to more than 12,000 guests. The five-day showcase raised approximately $1 million for HIV/AIDS organizations. While the main event took place at Pier 92, the concept is replicated throughout the year in Dallas, Chicago, and San Francisco. Next year’s New York show will unveil several major changes, including a new location and a new name to be announced. Next: March 2020
See more: 18 Dining and Tabletop Ideas From Diffa's 2019 Dining by Design
Photo: Alan Barry
5. Expo Chicago
New to the list
Chicago
At the eighth annual Expo Chicago, 135 art galleries from 24 countries took over 150,000 square feet of exhibition space at Navy Pier. Several of the most buzzed-about pieces touched upon topical issues, like the 35-foot-long inflatable sculpture Ship of Tolerance, which provided a space for attendees to reflect about peace and tolerance, and Kameelah Janan Rasheed’s diagrammatic representations of racial and social inequality. Athena Art Finance, NetJets, Louis Vuitton, and Lalique were among the sponsors. Next: September 2020
Chicago
At the eighth annual Expo Chicago, 135 art galleries from 24 countries took over 150,000 square feet of exhibition space at Navy Pier. Several of the most buzzed-about pieces touched upon topical issues, like the 35-foot-long inflatable sculpture Ship of Tolerance, which provided a space for attendees to reflect about peace and tolerance, and Kameelah Janan Rasheed’s diagrammatic representations of racial and social inequality. Athena Art Finance, NetJets, Louis Vuitton, and Lalique were among the sponsors. Next: September 2020
Photo: Kevin Serna
