Art Basel Miami Beach 2009
By Daedrian McNaughton
Razzle dazzle it’s time for Art Basel! Miami Beach has been the cultural playground for Art Basel since it first came to our city in 2002. On December 3 – 6, 2009 Miami welcomes the eight edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the most recognized art shows in the Americas, featuring works of established and respected artists as well as emerging talents. This year, the Miami Beach Convention Center will house more than 250 galleries, works of 2,000 international artists, around 40,000 visitors, including art collectors, artists, curators, critics, dealers, academics, art professionals and connoisseurs. The international art show will feature private and public events, these programs will include recent artworks, currated exhibitions, video and sound based works, performances and art in public places.
Each year, on the eve of Basel opening, the prestigious art show hosts the exclusive and invitation only Vernissage with attendees from all around the world. Carefully selected galleries from 33 countries will showcase all forms of artistic expressions (paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations, photography, editions and videos) priced from a few hundreds to millions for museum quality masterpieces.
As a new addition, Art Basel will launch their new the Oceanfront Area. Formerly home to Art Positions, the area has been created as a platform for Art Basel Miami Beach’s supplemental cultural activities, and is situated directly on the beach. Creative Time curator Meredith Johnson commissioned Los Angeles artist Pae White to design the central element of this space, and commission an artist DJ to provide music for this site of public interaction.
Visitors will have free access to the Oceanfront area. There will be a morning session with discussion panels of the Art Basel Conversation Series, featuring prominent figures from every corner of the art world. An evening session will feature a special art event. The series of events will be inaugurated by the annual Art Loves Music concert on the beach, followed by the Art Perform program curated by Jens Hoffmann of the Wattis Institute; the Art Video program curated by Creative Time and the Art Film evening curated by This Brunner. The Oceanfront Cafe will also be open to visitors offering light meals and refreshing drinks.
Admission
One Day Ticket $35
Two Day Ticket $55
Permanent Pass $75
Evening Ticket (valid from 4 p.m.) $20
Reduced One Day Ticket (Students with ID, Senior Citizens aged 62 and above, Groups of 10 or more) $20
Chaperoned School Class (per student and accompanying adult) $8
Admission is free for children under 16, when accompanied by an adult.
For advanced group sales call:
Telephone: +1 786 276 26 11
Tickets are available for sale at Ticketmaster:
Permanent Pass
Two Day Ticket
One Day Ticket
December 3 – 6, 2009
For more information on Art Basel Miami Beach 2009, visit http://www.artbaselmiamibeach.com/go/id/ss/
All photos are courtesy of Art Basel Miami Beach.
Miami Beach Convention Center
1901 Convention Center Dr.
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Tel: 305.673.7311