Miami Art Week has returned like a shock to the system of long isolated art lovers. After the significantly scaled-back events of last year, this year’s fair is operating at its full freight, with a mind-boggling 250 galleries from over 36 countries. More than 40 of the exhibitors are making their Art Basel Miami Beach debut, too, meaning lots of new voices are there to check out (and that’s before NADA, Untitled, and a bevy of additional satellite programming).
Suffice it to say, a bustling convention center brimming with art may be a tad overwhelming to the senses after the past two years. To ease the pressure of seeing it all, we’ve put together our list of eight of our favorite Art Basel Miami Beach gallery booths. Check them out below!
Galerie Karsten Greve
Lucio Fontana, Arlecchino. Courtesy of Galerie Karsten Greve.
Over the decades, Galerie Karsten Greve has built a reputation for showcasing an eclectic mix of artists across mediums and styles, and for cultivating the broader appreciation for artists now considered canonical, including Cy Twombly, Lucio Fontana, and Louise Bourgeois. Works by all three artists make an appearance in this year’s booth—particularly noteworthy are a lovely grouping of Fontana’s ceramics. Oh, and some impressive sculptures by Joel Shapiro and John Chamberlain.
Galerie Karsten Grave, A05
GRAY
David Hockney, The Eighteenth V.N. Painting, 1992. Courtesy Gray, Chicago/New York. Artwork © David Hockney Studio.
GRAY showcases historically significant work by many of the most important names of the 20th and 21st centuries. Here, the gallery brings together a mix of such high-quality works by artists including Harry Bertoia, McArthur Binion, Jean Dubuffet, Theaster Gates, Adolph Gottlieb, and Susan Rothenberg among many others.
GRAY, B2
Pace Gallery
Leo Villareal, Diffused Color (Large A) (2021). Courtesy of Pace Gallery.
If your interest is in art at the forefront of technological experimentation, make your way over to Pace’s booth where light, sound, video, and software-based artists are the focus. Here, you’ll find works by DRIFT, JR, teamLab, and Leo Villareal. These artists are also involved with the artist network Superblue, an enterprise dedicated to experiential artists with a presence in Miami. If that’s not your thing, the gallery is also offering works by Beatriz Milhazes, Maya Lin, Jules de Balincourt, Wifredo Lam, and William Monk, among others.
Pace Gallery, F08
Miles McEnery Gallery
Enrique Martínez Celaya, The Great Explorer, (2021). Courtesy of Miles McEnery Gallery.
Miles McEnery Gallery’s unabashed love affair with painting is evident in this engaging booth which showcases works by an intergenerational cross-section of artists including Emily Mason, Robert Motherwell, and Enrique Martínez Celaya. The very different works on view each harness an energy and visible passion for painting that makes the booth a pleasant surprise.
Miles McEnery, G4
Galerie Thomas
Sigmar Polke, Untitled. Courtesy of Galerie Thomas.
Museum-quality works are on view at Munich’s Galerie Thomas. Here you’ll find works by heavy-hitting names like George Condo, Lucio Fontana, Sam Francis, and Sigmar Polke. The gallery’s strong grounding in the 20th-century European avant-garde is particularly evident in truly remarkable offerings by Egon Schiele, August Macke, Wassily Kandinsky, Alexej von Jawlensky, and Jean Arp.
Galerie Thomas, A2
Almine Rech
Huang Yuxing, Untitled. Courtesy of Almine Rech.
Almine Rech represents and showcases a wide variety of artists, but this year’s Miami presentation underscores that the gallery really has its finger on the pulse of contemporary art. Here’s where you can find works by artists changing the field today, including Genesis Tramaine, Genieve Figgis, Daniel Gibson, and Vaughn Spann, among others.
Almine Rech, D10
Salon 94
Yukultji Napangati, Untitled (2020). Courtesy of Salon 94.
Salon 94 presents one of the most well-curated and cohesive booths, with works by a selection of contemporary gallery artists. Marina Adams’s immersively scaled, jewel-tone abstractions and Kennedy Yanko’s evocative, even sensual sculptures of scrap metal and paint skins are two very good reasons to swing by.
Salon 94, J05
David Zwirner
Noah Davis, Phantom Painting. Courtesy of David Zwirner.
David Zwirner has put together a grouping of high-quality works by Donald Judd, Alice Neel, Marcel Dzama, Dan Flavin, Rose Wylie, and many more. For Noah Davis fans, the booth also features an absolutely mesmerizing work by the late artist.
David Zwirner, F7