On Wednesday morning at the Miami Beach Convention Center, well before the 11 a.m. start time, the lines to get into Art Basel’s VIP preview were already long at the fair’s multiple entrances, and they remained that way throughout the day. Inside, the fair was packed as people meandered about the aisles. The booths of the blue-chip galleries were crowded, just as you’d expect. Smaller galleries also managed to lure more modest groups of people.
As ARTnews reported yesterday, the fair seems to have its energy back. Mega-galleries like David Zwirner and Hauser & Wirth reported total sales of at least $12.9 million and $15.16 million, respectively, on the first day.
As a whole, though, this edition, the first staged under the direction of former dealer Bridget Finn, is a rather safe affair. Dealers seem to have brought large, easy-to-digest paintings. A few times, I heard fair visitors commenting on how much they loved seeing the colorful paintings—it was uplifting to them, they said. Maybe dealers just happen to know what people want in December 2024, though that’s a rather sad state of affairs, if you ask me.
For those who are looking to cut through the noise at this year’s edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, here’s a look at the best that the fair has to offer. The majority of these picks come from the fair’s curated sections. The Kabinett presentations, single-artist spotlights mounted inside a gallery’s regular booth, were particularly strong this year.
