Despite concerns that the recent Zika virus scare would weaken interest in Art Basel and other events during Miami Art Week, show organizers reported strong attendance, and stars such as Madonna turned up for showstopping events.
The brand-centric, multi-genre events drew massive crowds around neighborhoods such as Miami Beach, Midtown Miami, and Wynwood from November 29 to December 4.
For Art Basel Miami Beach’s 15th edition, held December 1 to 4 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, organizers reported an attendance of 77,000, on par with last year. New this year was a multi-venue film program curated by Marion Masone, and the Art Basel Public sector’s 20-piece installations in Collins Park offered anyone an opportunity to interact with the rarified art world. Art Basel Miami Beach also announced that, as of 2017, Philipp Kaiser will be the new curator of the event's public sector. He replaces Nicholas Baume, who curated the sector from 2013 to 2016.
Madonna Presents an Evening of Music, Art, Mischief—a benefit headlined by the pop icon—was one of the week’s most-anticipated events. The show, held December 2 at Faena Forum, was a star-studded, circus-theme affair. Inside a velvet-draped ballroom lined with black and white chairs, The Late Late Show host James Corden acted as the emcee, while Paddle8 co-founder Alexander Gilkes served as auctioneer. The 23-item auction included artwork by Ai Weiwei, a trip to Malawi, and Madonna's personal wedding photos with her first husband, Sean Penn, who was in attendance at the event. Other celebrity guests who made on-stage appearances included Ariana Grande (who performed), Chris Rock, Alex Rodriguez, and Dave Chappelle.
Following the auction, Madonna took the stage wearing a pink clown costume to perform a 10-song set. The event, which raised more than $7.5 million, was produced by Josh Wood Productions and AAB Productions.
Click through the slideshow to see more of Miami Art Week’s most eye-catching events.
The #RitzRainbow, a 25-mile laser light-beam art installation, was commissioned by Lionheart Capital to promote its Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach, development. Designed by artist Yvette Mattern, the installation originated from the company’s headquarters in the Design District. At a November 28 V.I.P. viewing, guests were escorted to the property’s private marina where they boarded Van Dutch yachts to watch the unveiling from Biscayne Bay. The #RitzRainbow was on display until December 3.
One of the week's most coveted tickets was to Madonna Presents an Evening of Art, Mischief and Music, held December 2 at Faena Forum. The pop icon headlined the benefit, which raised more than $7.5 million for her Raising Malawi charity. The event was produced by Josh Wood Productions and AAB Productions.
Faena Forum was also decorated with artwork showcasing various time periods in Madonna's career, such as during the early 1990s when she went on her Blond Ambition World Tour and released her book Sex.
From December 1 to 3, Public School celebrated the launch of WNL radio and the station's residency at the Confidante during Art Basel. Events included a private dinner at the hotel's Bird & Bone and an after-party on December 1, with performers such as DJ Twin Shadow (pictured). On December 2, there were two parties: one in the afternoon with performer Gucci Mane, and one in the evening with Pulse Miami Beach and National YoungArts Foundation. There was also a brunch at the hotel's Nina's House on December 3 with a performance by Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def.
Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet unveiled "Reconstruction of the Universe," an immersive artwork by Chinese artist Sun Xun, as the second Piguet Art Commission. The large-scale installation, which spanned a city block on the Miami Beach oceanfront, was open to the public December 1 to 3. The piece included 3-D and 2-D animation, scroll paintings, ink drawings, sound, and various architectural and design elements.
Nautilus South Beach was the site of an interactive installation series called Artxtra, a new arts initiative presented by bottled water brand Perrier to support emerging contemporary artists. The series was unveiled November 30 during an event co-presented with Interview magazine and produced by Mirrorball in the Nautilus Cabana Club Beach Tent.
The illuminated culinary pop-up Night Market at Pao by Paul Qui took place at Faena Hotel from November 29 to December 4. At the opening-night event at the Pao Terrace, guests sampled Bombay Sapphire elixirs and hand-held, street market-inspired bites from the Night Market Carts. The event, produced by 2R Creative/2R Productions, also included live music, hand-sculpted Buddhas—such as a Love Buddha sculpture from Michael Benisty—and rows of Asia-inspired hanging lights.
MM6 Maison Margiela, a contemporary women’s line that opened up a pop-up show in the Design District, held an event November 30 with artist Aaron De La Cruz. The artist created a limited-edition collection of bags onsite, which stood alone as 60 hand-painted works of art or could come together to form a mosaic. Monochrome denim was injected with splashes of bleach and further transformed with black acrylic paint in the artist’s graphic mural art prints.
Artist Alec Monopoly unveiled a 50-foot wall "tag" on the exterior of Mondrian South Beach Hotel for Tag Heuer. Named by Tag Heuer as the watch company's new Art Provocateur, Monopoly was joined by Tag Heuer C.E.O. Jean Claude Biver at the November 30 event. The installation will be displayed for the next year.
Design Miami, a global forum for design, held its 12th annual fair from November 30 to December 4 in Miami Beach. The fair included gallery exhibits such as one from Giovanni Beltran, a Miami-based design agency founded in 2015 by the gallery Noguchi Breton. The exhibit's designers included Jonathan Gonzalez, Jonathan Nesci, Lex Pott, and Deon Rubi.
Designed by Tabanlıoğlu Architects, the Flamingo Lounge was a respite for collectors, gallerists, and others at Design Miami. The essence of tropical Miami—and a nod to Pink Flamingos film director John Waters—was a central feature in this lounge, which was decorated in pink throughout its 328-square-foot space. The floor and the furniture were cast in the same candy-pink resin, giving the appearance of being carved from the same block. Each zone in the long rectangular space had a unique piece of furniture that the design firm hoped would serve as a symbol open to interpretation by guests.
At Design Miami, first-time sponsor Dean & DeLuca unveiled Stage, a new food concept. The prototype, designed by Ole Scheeren, was presented in the main exhibition tent as a “theatrical platform” before the launch of Stage in markets across North America in 2017. “I think food is a very important social and sensual experience, and Stage is a powerful tool to amplify that,” Scheeren said.
Airbnb presented Sobremesa, an installation that paid homage to the Mexican concept of lingering at a table following a meal. Inside a vibrant red lounge area, visitors sipped Mexican beers over a lively communal table and listened to traditional entertainment. Mimicking the design of the space, guests could also affix “tiles” to the exhibit’s interior and exterior. The project was done with Mexico City-based design studio Pedro & Juana.
Art mogul and real-estate developer Eduardo Costantini unveiled an art collection at his new residential development Oceana Bal Harbour on December 2. The evening's guest of honor was artist Jeff Koons, who revealed the exhibit "Ballerina and Pluto and Prosperina" at the event. The collection on view in the residence’s north and south lobbies is composed of works by contemporary artists such as Koons, Callum Innes, An Te Liu, Jorge Mendez Blake, Taryn Simon, Juan Usle, and Garth Weiser.
About 4,500 people attended PAMM Presents, an event produced by Poplife and held at the Pérez Art Museum Miami on December 1. The performers included Cashmere Cat, Jillionaire (pictured), and Uncle Luke. At the beginning of the evening, museum director Franklin Sirmans led a Veuve Clicquot Rich toast that included a tribute to Miami-based artists.
Miami Supercar Rooms, an auto art gallery and restaurant, hosted automotive collaborations and pop-up activations from December 1 to 4. They included the second annual Miami Supercar Rooms Promenade Auto Wynwood, which showcased more than 66 uniquely artful automobiles. Â
Miami’s longest running contemporary art fair, Art Miami, celebrated the opening of its 27th year at a pavilion located at 3101 NE First Avenue in Wynwood. The fair, which ran from November 29 to December 4, showed art from more than 234 international exhibitors, 450 artists, and 40 countries. According to event organizers, more than 10,500 people attended the V.I.P. preview event, which was held on November 29, and was sponsored by Christie’s International Real Estate and benefited the PĂ©rez Art Museum Miami.Â
The fifth edition of Context Art Miami, held November 30 to December 4, relocated to a standalone 65,000-square-foot pavilion on 34th Street between NE First Avenue and Buena Vista Boulevard, just one block from sister fair Art Miami. The new location allowed attendees to travel easily between the two fairs. About 78,500 people attended both fairs this year, according to event organizers.
The Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series finale, hosted by Bombay Sapphire and the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation from Russell Simmons and Danny Simmons, took place on December 1. The annual party celebrates the 16 finalists of the Artisan Series before announcing the program’s winner. This year's victor was Darius Frank, who won a solo exhibition at next year's Scope Miami Beach; he will collaborate with New York-based nonprofit arts organization Creative Time on a public arts project scheduled to be unveiled in spring 2017. Now in its seventh year, the Artisan Series party, produced by Epsilon, moved from a beachside tent to the 1111 Lincoln Road's seventh-floor garage, allowing for a more vast, industrialized experience framed by skyline views. Guests danced to beats by Jermaine Dupri, who was the event's DJ.
On November 29, Perrier-Jouët celebrated the opening of its lounge L'Eden by Perrier-Jouët in partnership with Vanity Fair at Casa Faena in Miami Beach. The event included performers who literally danced on Perrier-Jouët bottles. In addition, Sarah Jessica Parker surprised guests as she appeared on stage in a performance created by Simon Hammerstein, the theatrical director and owner of New York's Box nightclub. Other celebrity guests at the party included Katie Holmes, Petra Nemcova, and Lady Victoria Hervey.
Dujour Media, Gilt, and JestSmarter hosted an event November 30 at the Confidante to celebrate DuJour cover star Kris Jenner and the book release of All-American Volume XVI by Nan Bush and Bruce Weber. Hollie Watman showcased her swimwear line poolside, and Alexa Greenfield displayed her men's tie accessory, the Tytin, by the V.I.P. cabanas.
The event also had a JetSmarter-sponsored lounge that showcased the company's merchandise and services. Guests could enjoy bites from Japanese restaurant Kuro, located at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The event also had live performances from the Extortionists featuring Ibe Soliman, as well as Public School's Dao-Yi and Maxwell Osborne.
Fashion designer Patricia Field (pictured, left, with Lady Bunny) made her first foray into Miami Art Week with a December-long pop-up shop and gallery inside Wynwood’s White Dot Gallery. On December 1, Field celebrated the colorful confluence of photography, clothing, and installations with a fashion show and party that included DJ services from Lady Bunny and performances from artists Sharaya J and Coby Koehl. Drinks were provided by sponsors Dobel Tequila, Rekorderlig Cider, and W Fort Lauderdale.
On December 1, budget hotel chain Super 8 brought its "When the Art Comes Down: Works From the Super 8 Collection" event to a commercial space in the Wynwood neighborhood. During the event, Super 8 senior vice president Mike Mueller oversaw a ping-pong ball lottery in which winners could choose a work of art from the collection that was previously displayed at various Super 8 hotels. According to Super 8, the entire collection, which consisted of more than 100 art pieces, was given away at the event. Guests could also take a "Paint Like Bob” class led by certified Bob Ross instructor Bernie Oropallo.
