Welcome to the Art Angle, a podcast from Artnet News that delves into the places where the art world meets the real world, bringing each week’s biggest story down to earth. Join us every week for an in-depth look at what matters most in museums, the art market, and much more with input from our own writers and editors as well as artists, curators, and other top experts in the field.

Last week, fresh panic spread around the globe as a new COVID variant of unknown power called Omicron came into view, threatening to plunge society back into lockdown just as we were beginning to emerge from pandemic life.

Also last week, throngs of art loving party animals from 72 countries converged on Miami for a week-long bacchanal of art collecting, champagne-soaked soirees, nonstop socializing, and celebrity-studded VIP events that stretched into the night.

Very weirdly, both of those things are actually true. The latest edition of Art Basel Miami Beach was, by all counts, a massive success, with 60,000 people in attendance, booths selling out in nanoseconds, and boundless enthusiasm about both traditional art (remember that?) and NFTs.

And that’s just the main fair. The entire city was lit up with art events, from fairs to incredible museum shows to crypto-art conferences galore.

So what was it like to hit Miami art week for this totally surreal, discombobulating affair? To answer that question, we’re thrilled to be joined by none other than Annie Armstrong (author of Artnet News’s beloved gossip column, Wet Paint), who tackled the whole party thing down there with an almost alarming degree of gusto.

Listen to Other Episodes:

The Art Angle Podcast: Where Do NFTs Go From Here? An Interview With Christie’s Noah Davis

The Art Angle Podcast Re-Air: How High-Tech Van Gogh Became the Biggest Art Phenomenon Ever

The Art Angle Podcast: How an Art Collective Brings Artworks From the Past Back to Life

The Art Angle Podcast: How the CryptoPunk OGs Lit the Fuse for the NFT Boom

The Art Angle Podcast: How a Fiery Breakup Sparked the Biggest Art Auction in Decades

The Art Angle Podcast: Why Horror Movies Keep Haunting the Art World

The Art Angle Podcast: Judy Chicago on How to Build a Lasting Art Career

The Art Angle Podcast: 5 Technologies That Will Transform the Art World by 2030