Art Basel Miami in Review
Instagram Highlights
The months of November and December are usually when retailers are at their most flush and flashy, and the art world is no different. Set between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Art Basel Miami is not unlike a Black Friday sale. With reportedly very strong sales this year, Basel Miami is a like a sun-soaked shopping mall for rich and glamorous collectors.
With shaky politics at home and abroad (i.e.- the sentencing of Michael Cohen, the Yellow Vest protests in France, etcetera), Art Basel’s Miami edition felt almost like a party scene directed by Fellini. There were gallerists, Instagram influencers, museum-level artwork, rappers, models, and the rest of the art world’s eccentric cast of characters. However, even if one feels odd about the art fair in our current social climate, there still was many beautiful and impressive pieces on display. Works by a range of artists like Vik Muniz, Roger Brown, and Sarah Lucas were shown. There were of course the big players in attendance, too, like Pablo Picasso, Louise Bourgeois, and Andy Warhol. One of the most beautiful paintings scattered amongst the dozens of booths was the infamously expensive Untitled (Yellow, Orange, Yellow, Light Orange) by Mark Rothko from 1955. It was listed at $50 million, and is considered the priciest item to ever be shown at an art fair. It has yet to be confirmed whether it has sold or not, but either way, it was lovely that the public could catch a glimpse of Rothko’s masterpiece before it vanishes into the home of a collector.
Since Basel Miami wrapped up only a few days ago, we decided to put together some of our favorite works from the fair. Below we’ve included our top ten works from the Art Basel’s Instagram profile if you weren’t able to score that VIP ticket.
