Jeffrey Deitch Compares ‘Remarkable’ Miley Cyrus to Mike Kelley

At the Hauser & Wirth booth at Art Basel in Miami Beach, artnet News spotted gallerist Jeffrey Deitch, who organized Wednesday night’s Miley Cyrus concert party with Tommy Hilfiger and V magazine. Deitch was handing out wristbands for the hot invitation-only event at the Raleigh Hotel (see “Inside Miley Cyrus’s Exclusive ABMB Concert“).

And while he did so, he was talking up the 22-year-old pop star’s art, assuring collectors that “she’s the real deal.”

Deitch reportedly visited Cyrus at her home in LA, where he apparently fell in love with her colorful assemblages made of toys and trinkets thrown onstage by fans during her tours. Roadies sweep it all up and ship it back to LA where Cyrus gets down to work.

Miley Cyrus.
Photo: © 2014 Patrick McMullan Company, Inc.

“It’s southern outsider art,” Deitch said. “Very close to Mike Kelley,” he added, agreeing with a collector’s comparison. “We have a remarkable situation where someone channels her vision through music, art, theater, and fashion.”

The former LA MOCA director promised a huge opening number tonight and advised arriving at least a half hour early to ensure entry.

When artnet News asked if we might snag a wristband, Deitch claimed that if he let anyone else come “the city’s going to shut us down.”