The massive art fair has just released its list of exhibitors for the 2024 edition, which will be held December 6-8 this year, with preview days on December 4 and 5.
The fair invited a total of 283 galleries from 34 countries to exhibit this year, up slightly from last year. Nearly two-thirds are from the Americas, and 32 are participating in the fair for the first time (the most new additions since 2021). They include exhibitors from cities such as Shanghai, Seoul, San Francisco, Brussels, Zurich, New York, Paris, Sao Paulo, Bucharest, Buenos Aires, Portland, Singapore, and elsewhere. Romania and Indonesia will be represented at the fair for the first time.
Of the galleries invited to the fair, five are from Miami — the same five that participated last year.
- Basel regular Central Fine will move to the main Galleries section from Nova last year. It will present a solo show from longtime represented artist Costanza Schaffner. New Times recently profiled the gallery.
- David Castillo, another longtime Basel participant, is back in Galleries with a focus on abstract work. Cuban artists Belkis Ayón and Maria de los Angeles Rodriguez Jimenez, both of whom received solo shows from the gallery this year, will have work on view, as will the likes of Pepe Mar, Sanford Biggers, and Vaughn Spann.
- Spinello Projects in Allapattah will show work by Miami-based Argentinian artist Nina Surel in the Nova section. The ceramicist is known for friezes channeling ancient Greek art and feminine mystique. She currently has work on display in the Design District.
- Piero Atchugarry Gallery, which has locations in Little Haiti and Garzon, Uruguay, will stage a solo show for Linda Kohen in the Survey section. The 100-year-old Milan-born painter fled fascist Italy in 1939 with her family and eventually settled in Uruguay, where she embarked on an artistic career dominated by spare yet evocative paintings of realistic subjects.
- Finally, Fredric Snitzer Gallery rounds out the list of locals. It's presenting in the Galleries section, though its program has not been announced. Last year, the gallery showed work by Carlos Alfonzo, Marielle Plaisir, Lazaro Saavedra, and Rafael Ferrer, among others.
The fair comes amid a slump in the global art market, with sales at major auction houses down 18 percent from a year ago. Smaller and midsize galleries are especially feeling the slowdown, with many complaining about low sales and excessive exhibition fees. The fair has responded by introducing a new minimum-sized booth option, and five galleries have chosen to share a booth.
"It was incredibly important that we carve out a more equitable path to participation for small and mid-sized galleries entering the main sector of this show, and the proof is in the extraordinary number of newcomers joining this edition," Bridget Finn, director of Art Basel Miami Beach, said in a statement. This will be the first edition of Art Basel Miami Beach under Finn, a former gallerist who joined the organization in 2023.
Miami's art scene has also been rocked by turmoil this year, from the death of prominent collector Rosa de la Cruz to the ongoing censorship controversies at institutions such as ICA Miami and Oolite Arts. But most troublesome is Gov. Ron DeSantis' veto of the entire $32 million state arts budget, which has left local arts organizations scrambling for funding and even attracted sharp criticism from wealthy arts patrons.
The press release mentions a few local museum shows, including a show for artist Rachel Feinstein at the Bass. However, it remains to be seen how this will affect Basel itself. There may be less visible protesting after Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner passed a controversial resolution restricting public demonstrations after protests over the ongoing Israeli military operation in Gaza.
Now in its 22nd year, Art Basel Miami Beach is the only American outpost for the art fair operator, considered one of the most prestigious in the world. Art Basel operates fairs in Hong Kong, Paris, and Basel, Switzerland, in addition to Miami Beach. The Miami fair is the most widely known among the general public due in part to regularly attracting celebrities and billionaires who visit the city to party as well as buy art; in fact, some would say the partying has eclipsed the art in importance.
Find the complete list of exhibitors at artbasel.com.
Art Basel Miami Beach. Friday, December 6, through Sunday, December 8, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach; artbasel.com. Preview days on Wednesday, December 4, and Thursday, December 5.
