Your Essential Guide to the 2013 Miami Art Fairs

It’s that time of year again, when the art world industry convenes for their annual pilgrimage to Miami for art, parties, and gossip (December 1–8, 2013). Hyperallergic will be flying down for the weeklong festivities, and we’ve prepared a guide to what you should check out if you’re in the area.

One notable change this year is that there are fewer fairs in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami (no Fountain or Seven this year), but it is home to Art Miami, Pulse, and all the great private collections. There will be more art fair concentration than ever in South Beach — Scope has even moved to a tent on the beach.

Formlessfinder’s design for the entrance to the 2013 Design Miami fair (via miami2013.designmiami.com)

Art Fairs

Art Basel Miami Beach (1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida) — The mothership. This is what the week is named after, and you can see the machinations of the art world’s party dynamic in full swing here. The closer to the center (where the food is) the gallery is, the more blue chip it is.
Aqua Art Miami (1530 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL) — Appealing to collectors interested in emerging and mid-career artists, this friendly fair around an attractive courtyard is a good place to find new names and discover galleries you may not have heard from.
Art Miami (3101 NE 1st Ave, Miami, FL) — Miami’s oldest fair includes lots of Florida-based galleries mingled with international spaces of all types. This wide-ranging fair features 125 international galleries, and it’s popular with locals and visitors alike.
Brazil Art Fair (3501 NE Midtown Boulevard – Old NE 1st Avenue – and 36st Street, Miami, FL) — The Brazil ArtFair is the first fair dedicated to Brazilian galleries during Miami Art Week. It will host 15 galleries from the country, a curated exhibition of Brazilian art, and a show of Brazilian designers.
Bushwick Gone Basel (2805 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL) — I’m not sure I get the concept for this pop-up (not sure if it is really a fair), since a quarter of the artists on display at Miami Art Fair week seem to have some sort of connection to Bushwick, but hey … the more the merrier.
Context Art Miami (3201 NE 1st Avenue, Miami, FL) — The sister fair to Art Miami, Context is dedicated to the “development and reinforcement” of emerging and mid-career artists.
Design Miami (Meridian Avenue & 19thStreet, Miami Beach, FL – adjacent to the Miami Beach Convention Center) — A design lover’s dream come true, this year’s edition will include an exhibition about Soviet luxury, Interior Design for the Soviet Elite 1930–1940, that sounds like a must-see, and the entrance commission is by Formlessfinder, a Bronx-based group that has created a “Tent Pile pavilion.”
Ink Miami Art Fair (Suites of Dorchester, 1850 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL) — Many people adore this art fair devoted to contemporary works on paper. The exhibitor list is small, but if you have a paper fetish, may we suggest stopping by.
Miami Project (NE 29th Street and NE 1st Avenue, Miami, FL) — This rather new fair is showcasing 65 contemporary and modern art galleries from around the world. Last year it was notable for having lots of work by female artists. Hyperallergic readers can get complimentary tickets here.
NADA Art Fair (The Deauville Beach Resort, 6701 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL) — Imagine the Lower East Side gallery scene in one art fair. Do you have that image in your mind? Good, now open your eyes, and what do you see? NADA.
Pulse Art Fair (The Ice Palace, 1400 North Miami Avenues, Miami, FL) — A solid fair with good galleries from around the world, it’s also a nice place to hang out and see lots of work from mid-career artists of all stripes. Hyperallergic readers can get complimentary tickets here.
Russian Pavilion (Kavachnina Contemporary, 46 NW 36th Street, Miami, FL) — A newcomer to Miami Art Fair week, the website explains that it is a “juried exhibition showcasing emerging, mid- career and established artists from Russia, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Baltic regions during leading international fairs of contemporary and modern art. The Russian Pavilion is envisioned as a forum for critics, collectors and connoisseurs to view the works and to have a unique possibility to meet some of the artists in person.”
Select Art Fair (The Catalina Hotel, 1732 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL) — A street art–heavy hotel fair, I know little about this one but am curious to find out.
Scope Art Fair (9th Ave and Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL) — This staple of the art fair scene has moved to the white sands of South Beach, where their tent will be full of galleries of uneven quality — but hey, it’s on the beach.
Untitled Art Fair (Ocean Drive and 12th Street, Miami Beach, FL) — An upstart art fair, Untitled was nice last year but didn’t seem like it had a lot of selling going on. Let’s see if things change, particularly since they appear to have lured away lots of NADA’s galleries.

Museums & Private Collections

Bass Museum of Art (2100 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL) — It’s hard not to like the Bass, even though its collection is small. Their temporary shows often feature major and emerging talents.
Wolfsonian-FIU Museum (1001 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL) — A lovely but small museum with a great gift shop. The shows are always good but not great, and they tend to be small.
Pérez Art Museum Miami (101 West Flagler Street, Miami, Florida) — Formerly the Miami Art Museum, the Pérez is Miami’s big museum, and during art fair week it will feature Ai Weiwei’s traveling retrospective, a show about Christo & Jeanne-Claude’s “Surrounded Islands,” and Caribbean: Crossroads of the World.
MOCA, North Miami (770 NE 125th St, Miami, FL) — North Miami’s own MOCA will be featuring the first US museum exhibition dedicated to British artist Tracey Emin, and it will focus on her works in neon (it is Miami, after all). Something tells me there will be a bunch of Emin’s neon for sale down the road at Art Basel Miami Beach.
Rubell Family Collection (95 NW 29th Street, Miami, FL) — Last year it was 30 Americans, and this year it’s 28 Chinese (中华廿八人). To call the Rubells power collectors would be an understatement. Donald and Mera’s collection always drives some of the chatter during the Miami art fair week. While the works they collected decades ago are usually very, very good, the more recent purchases tend to be more hit or miss.
De la Cruz Collection (23 NE 41st Street, Miami, FL) — Oh, to be rich and have your own museum … This year’s show features 37 artists, including Mark Bradford, Felix Gonzales-Torres, Jacob Kassay, Ana Mendieta, Dana Schutz, and Christopher Wool.
The Margulies Warehouse (591 NW 27th St, Miami, FL) — A big-ass collection in a 45,000-sq.-ft. warehouse (which is strangely the same size as the Rubell Collection warehouse) that features shows of Anselm Kiefer, Arte Povera, and Song Dong for this art fair season.

Calendar

Since some events and final details are still being announced, we will update these daily listings as the information becomes available. If you have a suggestion for an event to add, please post it in the comments below. Please be advised that most art fair opening nights are for VIPs only; check each fair for details.

Sunday, December 1

2013 International Sculpture Symposium (Hyatt Regency Miami, Japango Room 400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL) — I’d never heard of this four-day event before, but it sounds fascinating, even if the $200 cost is pricey. There are artist talks with Ursula von Rydingsvard, Guerra de la Paz, and topics include 3D printing and other hot issues.

Tuesday, December 3

12–6pm — Opening Event for Design Miami

3–7pm — Opening Event for Untitled Art Fair

3–9pm — Opening Event for the Scope Art Fair

4–9pm — Opening Night members’ event at Perez Art Museum

4:30–10pm — Opening Night for Miami Project

5–10pm — Opening Night for the Brazil Art Fair

5:30–10pm — Opening Night for Art Miami

5:30–10pm — Opening Night for Context Art Fair Miami

7–9pm — MOCA & Vanity Fair Opening Party for Tracey Emin Exhibition

8pm–late — Opening Night for Faile/Bast Deluxx Fluxx Arcade (1604 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL) — This unusual art project includes specially designed consoles (not to mention pinball games and foosball) and video games by artist duo Faile and Bast. This pop-up is open daily (3pm–1am) from Thursday to Saturday.

Wednesday, December 4

4–11pm — Opening VIP Preview Event for the Aqua Art Miami

6–9pm — Vernissage for Art Basel Miami Beach — This VIP event “officially” kicks off the art feeding frenzy. But if you can’t get in, don’t worry, you can gawk at the art starting Thursday, December 5, at noon. Just remember that day tickets are $42.

6pm–3am — A Portrait of Marina Abramović at YoungArts (Jewel Box on the YoungArts Campus, 2100 Biscayne Boulevard) — YoungArts will present the world premiere of the new short film installation “A Portrait of Marina Abramović” by Matthu Placek. Free public screenings will be held during Art Basel in Miami Beach every 15 minutes beginning at 6pm. And when you visit, make sure to check out Olafur Eliasson’s Little Sun project next door.

Thursday, December 5

9am–1pm — Opening Brunch for Pulse Art Fair

10am–2pm — Opening Event for NADA Art Fair

12:30pm — Wendy White’s Curva exhibition (The M Building, 194 NW 30th Street, Miami, FL) — The Savannah College of Art (SCAD) presents this solo show of recent work by artist Wendy White. The artist will conduct a walkthrough of her exhibition at this time.

2–7pm — VIP Preview for FrIDgE ArT FAiR NyC: The Miami Popsicle Project (PAX [Performing Arts Exchange], Little Havana, 337 SW 8 Street, Miami, FL)— It sounds like a fun project, but we’re not sure what to expect; the website is a little web 1.0, which scares us.

5:30–7:30pm — Opening Night for Ink Miami

Friday, December 6

6–9pm — Hyperallergic sunset cocktails at Aqua Art Fair — Artist Grossmalerman will be the event photographer, and this is always a great way to start off your Friday night. RSVP here.