A Week in Miami – Art Basel

It has been almost a week since Ingrid and I returned from Miami.  It is snowing right now and the warmth of Florida seems far away.  What an amazing trip that was.  Let me share a little with you.

We arrived late Monday afternoon at our friend\’s, the Pathman\’s magnificent home in Miami Beach.  The art arrived about an hour after us.  The Pathman\’s were hosting a reception for Ingrid\’s work the following evening.  We didn\’t know what to expect.  It was \”Art Week\” in Miami, an insane number of art fairs and shows swarm the city, thousands of galleries, artists showing their work.  Would Ingrid\’s private show get overlooked in the plethora of choices?  On Tuesday evening, the show was hung and the first guests began to arrive.  Before we knew it, our host\’s spacious home was filled with art lovers, well over 120 we were told the next day.  We were too busy to count.  Past collectors and viewers seeing Ingrid\’s work for the first time shared their mutual enthusiasm for her art.  It was a glorious evening we wont soon forget.  Thank you Wayne and Leslie.

But the week had only begun.  The next evening we went to the grand vernisage (reception) for Art Basel.  This is the art fair that Miami is known for, and brings many of the world\’s best galleries to Florida.  It is a who\’s who of art and collectors at the Miami Convention Center.  The art is, well, let\’s say just say very challenging sometimes.  Some galleries bring traditional masterpieces from the Twentieth Century, but the majority bring cutting edge contemporary.  It is clearly not for every taste, but it is pretty exciting to see such enormous creative spirit.  If you are an art lover, go to Miami during \”Art Week\” you are sure to be inspired.

We had been discussing representation with Unix, Fine Art, a Miami gallery before we arrived.  Ingrid met with the gallery owners on Thursday evening.  They were exhibiting at Art Miami and took time out of their crazy schedule to see Ingrid\’s work.  Of course they fell in love with Ingrid\’s work and insisted on showing it as soon as possible.  In fact the next morning, they had a truck arrive and pick up several of Ingrid\’s works.  One went immediately into their booth at Art Miami.  Very exciting.  Art Miami has grown to become one of the most important fairs in Miami.  In some critics\’ opinions, on par with Art Basel.  In any case, Ingrid\’s works were now in front of tens of thousands of art lovers.  Thank you Alex and Daniela, the owners of Unix Fine Art.

Now that would have been enough for the week, but we weren\’t done yet.  Coincidentally, the Wynwood Art District\’s monthly art walk fell on that Saturday.  Unix Fine Art Gallery is in the Wynwood Art District.  They dedicated almost half of their expansive gallery to Ingrid\’s work.  I\’ve been to art walks in several cities, but I\’ve never seen anything like this.  Some estimates are that 30,000 people fill the area.  I was there and would say that might be a low estimate.  It was nuts.  Miami loves a party, and clearly art too.

Well, finally we headed home after a wonderful week in Miami.  Our hosts treated us like royalty.  Unix gallery treated Ingrid\’s work like treasure.  We made some new friends and will remember the week in Miami with a tropical warmth.  Thank you Wayne and Leslie, Alex and Daniela for a terrific week!