Art Basel stages art shows for Modern and Contemporary works, sited annually in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong. Each show has participating galleries, exhibition sectors, artworks and parallel programming produced in collaboration with the host city's local institutions.
Art Basel provides a platform for galleries, giving them access to an international audience of collectors, museum directors and curators. The shows attract people with an appreciation of modern and contemporary art who experience Art Basel as a cultural event.
Art Basel was founded in 1970 by Basel Gallerists Trudi Bruckner, Balz Hilt and Ernst Beyeler. Three years after its launch, Art Basel welcomed 281 exhibitors and over 30,000 visitors. While other emerging art fairs partnered in the 1970s, specifically in Cologne and Düsseldorf, Art Basel remained independent. This year's Art Basel will be between December 4th and 7th.
In 2002, Art Basel was launched in Miami Beach, as the art show in the Americas and the winter meeting place for the international art world – celebrating its 13th edition this December. Each year the Art basel attracts 70,000 visitors, leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa show historical work from the masters of Modern and contemporary art, as well as newly created pieces by emerging stars. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, photographs, films, and editioned works of the highest quality are on display at the main exhibition hall, while ambitious artworks and performances become part of the landscape at nearby beaches, Collins Park and SoundScape Park.A record number of fifty thousand collectors, artists, dealers, curators, critics and art enthusiasts - including 150 museum and institution groups from across the globe - participate in this show.
Nine show sectors offer a diverse collection of artworks, including pieces by established artists and newly emerging artists, curated projects, site-specific experiential work, film and video. For an introduction to each sector. The show's sectors allow visitors to explore the many dimensions of Modern and contemporary art including museum-caliber paintings, sculptures and classical photography, as well as works of an outsized scale, precisely curated projects, and site-specific artworks which take advantage of the unique Miami Beach landscape.
Every year, Miami’s leading private collections – among them the Rubell Family Collection, Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, the De la Cruz Collection Contemporary Art Space, World Class Boxing, the Margulies Collection and the Dacra Collection – open their homes and warehouses to guests of Art Basel. Additionally, the museums of South Florida organize exhibitions including shows at the Miami Art Museum, Bass Museum of Art, Norton Museum, Wolfsonian-FIU and MOCA North Miami.
Over the past twelve years, Art Basel Miami Beach rapidly developed from a vibrant newcomer on the global art scene to the leading international art show in the Americas.The Art Basel effect has a significant impact on Miami's economy during the month of December. From a business perspective, the numbers are outstanding. Last year “Just in the non-profit art world it’s $1.1 billion a year that gets produced in Miami-Dade County,” said Michael Spring, director of the county’s Department of cultural affairs. “I think you can conservatively double that number if you took into account all the commercial activity that goes in here as well. I would estimate more than $2 billion of economic activity attributable to the arts and cultural events”, he said, opinion that gives great relevance to Miami.
Four years ago, Jason Loeb, Chairman of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce said some wise words about the Art Basel, "We understand the value of Art Basel because cultural impact has a direct economic impact. Art Basel has taken Miami Beach from a resort and tourism destination to a destination for art and culture - which means big business for the City. The 5-day event is bringing international visitors, with a huge number from Latin American, into the city filling hotels to capacity while shopping and eating at our world renowned restaurants. The estimated US$500 million in impact is leading Miami Beach from recession to resurgence".
This art fair has helped establish Miami as a major city of cultural substance. This art fair's yearly exposure has made Miami an oasis for culture and art. With miles of sandy beaches dotted with classic Art Deco architecture, world-class art museums, and a glittering nightlife, Miami Beach ranks among America's most iconic cities. During Art Basel, it embraces the art world with special exhibitions at museums and galleries across the city, transforming the week into a dense and dynamic cultural event.