Art Basel Miami Beach Opens its Doors, all images via Art Observed

The doors have opened for Art Basel Miami Beach 2014, the 12th edition of an art fair that has since become synonymous with big events, bigger celebrities, and even bigger price tags serving as a year’s end bacchanal for the contemporary art market.

Work by Christopher Wool at Helly Nahmad (more…)

The Art Los Angeles Contemporary Fair will open its doors once again in late January, and has released its exhibitor list this week for the sixth edition of the fair.  Attendees among the 60 gallery list include The Hole, CANADA, Standard (Oslo), and Francois Ghebaly. (more…)

Ed Ruscha, Mind If I… (2014), via Gagosian Gallery

As the year winds into its final weeks, the art world is heading south once again, preparing for the annual festivities and fairs surrounding the 13th edition of Art Basel Miami Beach.  The weeklong event will feature a near endless stream of parties, nightlife events, and of course, art exhibitions across the city, from major fairs to hotel pop-ups. (more…)

Duane Hanson at Karma, all photos via Art Observed

Spanning two separate weekends this November, the Independent Projects fair is an interesting take on the the art fair as an exhibition opportunity.  Rather than rely on an initial rush of collectors, the fair is spread out over two separate weekends, allowing collectors an initial crack at the works offered before they go on public view the next week.  Combining this with a small selection of forty galleries and exhibitors, the Projects fair offers a considerable opportunity to expand the concept and execution of the fair environment.

Independent Projects (Installation View) (more…)

Artist Ryan McNamara will bring his 2013 Performa Commission to Miami Beach this year for Art Basel’s U.S. fair.  The piece, MEÆŽM 4 Miami: A Story Ballet About the Internet, explores notions of information conveyance and data clutter.  “I saw Ryan’s stunning performance at the Performa Biennale in New York last November and was astounded by the way in which MEÆŽM redefines the audience experience,” says Director Marc Spiegler, “making physical the virtual experience of link-clicking, and simultaneously incorporating many decades and styles of dance.”  (more…)

Outside the Grand Palais for FIAC, all photos via Art Observed

As the doors to one fair close, another set has opened on the opposite side of the English channel.  Paris’s FIAC is now in full swing after opening its VIP preview yesterday at the Grand Palais, packing in guests to view the fair’s deep selection of works from Europe and abroad.  (more…)

Alexandrea Da Cunha at Thomas Dane, all photos via Andrea Nguyen for Art Observed unless otherwise noted

The last hours of Frieze London have come and gone, with a sizable portion of the $2.2 billion in works on sale changing hands over the course of the week, with a number of noteworthy sales, performances and events capping the fall art staple. (more…)

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (1981), via Sotheby’s

This past Friday, Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening Sale concluded the week of auctions during Frieze Week in London, with a £28,203,200 final tally.  Following the results of the previous two evenings, the sales were relatively staid affairs, with few works exceeding their original estimates.

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Joe Bradley, Untitled (2011), via Christie’s

Last evening, Christie’s auction house closed its first auctions of the fall season in London, a successful affair that saw only 5 of the 46 lots on sale go unsold, with a final sales tally of £40,344,500, settling firmly into the auction house’s estimated £32 million to £47 million sales range. (more…)

Outside the Frieze Fair, via Art Observed

As Wednesday winds down, the 2014 edition of Frieze London is well underway, starting another fair off with strong sales and impressive attendance.  As the VIP preview opened, a number of prominent celebrities could be seen browsing the aisles.  Famed German footballer Michael Ballack was seen wandering the aisles, as was writer Salman Rushdie, joining MOCA’s new director Philip Vergne and his DIA successor Jessica Morgan.

Erwin Wurm, via Andrea Nguyen for Art (more…)

Art Basel Miami Beach has announced its selections for the 2014 edition of its special section, Kabinett.  Focusing on special curated shows and group exhibitions, Kabinett this year will feature  a solo exhibition of work by Mickalene Thomas by Kavi Gupta, and an installation by James Turrell at Mexico’s Galería OMR, among others.  The fair will open on December 1st. (more…)

The Guardian profiles painter Eric Fischl’s recent series of works documenting the peculiar, occasionally surreal landscapes and politics of the modern art fair circuit.  “The big collectors do this kind of speed-dating thing,” the artist tells The Guardian. “They try to get in and out before anyone buys what they are after and certainly before the hoi polloi gets to look. And then you’ve got people who are just there for the social scene. So you have people texting or not paying any attention at all. But when you stop the moment you can see this weird world that is taking place. They are being regarded and judged by the work itself in some ways.” (more…)

Carsten Höller, Dice (2014), via Gagosian

After a summer pause, the major art fair circuit will look to get back up and running this fall, as collectors, dealers and artists flock to Regent’s Park in London for the 2014 edition of the Frieze Art Fair. (more…)

Frieze co-founder Matthew Slotover has responded to characterizations of his wildly successful event as “Ikea for millionaires,” noting the impact the fair has on broader art institutions and critiquing the often vapid personifications of collectors. “Most don’t see art as purely a display of wealth. For many, there is a genuine engagement and they want to support the culture, and enrich their lives and engage in lifelong learning,” Slotover says. “They could go and buy planes or yachts or cars, which wouldn’t do any of those things. It’s a minority of the wealthy that decide to buy art. If you look through the Sunday Times Rich List, most are not art collectors.” (more…)

Eric Fischl is in the New Yorker this week, taking writer Emma Allen on a tour of the Art Southampton fair in Long Island while he captures photographs for the artist’s newest series of paintings depicting the wealth and society of the world’s most prominent art fairs.  “They’re all art fairs,” he says of his work.  “All people in various relationships to each other or to the art, usually ignoring it, sometimes looking at their phones.” (more…)

The ADAA Art Show has announced the 72-gallery list for the 2015 edition of its fair, the longest running in the United States, running March 4 through March 8, 2015.  Exhibitions include a special booth dedicated to Nam June Paik at Carl Solway, and one for Wade Guyton at Petzel.  “The ADAA broke new ground when it created The Art Show in New York City 27 years ago,” adds Chairman, Adam Sheffer.  “Visitors from around the world are able to connect with our esteemed members, view extraordinary presentations and acquire exceptional works of art.” (more…)

Art Basel has unveiled its exhibitor list for the 2014 edition of its Miami Beach fair, which will run December 4th through the 7th.  The fair is also launching a new exhibition section titled SURVEY, which will feature art historical projects and special exhibitions. (more…)

The New York Times reports that Brooklyn Bridge Park will play host to the third annual Photoville, a fair that will present 60 photography exhibitions in repurposed shipping containers. The fair, which goes from September 18th to the 28th, is the brain-child of United Photo Industries, a photography cooperative based in Brooklyn that is known for their installation “The Fence”, which will also be included in the exhibition. In addition to the shows, Photoville will feature talks, panels, and presentations from artists and authors as well as food and drink venues.  (more…)

Andy Freeberg, Two Palms (2011) (Mel Mochner, Eizabeth Peyton, Armory Show), all images courtesy Andrea Meislin Gallery

On view at Andrea Meislin Gallery is Andy Freeberg’s second solo exhibition at the gallery, a series of photographic works that mark the continuation of his investigation into the intersections between art, commerce and personality.  Entitled Art Fare, Freeberg’s newest show targets the moments of banality inherent in the blue-chip world of major international art fairs.

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FIAC has announced a new event set to take place during the larger fair this October, titled (OFF)ICIELLE, and focused around promoting young galleries and artists on the international circuit.  The event will present 50 galleries from around the world in Paris, opening for a private viewing on October 21st. (more…)

The New York Times takes an inside look at the selling techniques and strategies galleries are embracing during massive art fairs like last week’s Art Basel, including massive mailings of available works (“jpeg bombing”) and pre-selling works before the fair opens.  “‘First Choice’ V.I.P. access is no longer the priority as most of the major pieces at fairs are bought in advance,” says collector Kamiar Maleki.  “But still, nothing beats coming to the fair.” (more…)

Zhang Wan, Artificial Rock at Art Unlimited photo by Art Observed

As Sunday winds down, the 2014 edition of Art Basel in Switzerland is drawing to a close, concluding another week that saw the small Swiss city at the center of the art world for one dizzying week of sales, projects and installations.  The wealth of collectors, dealers and curators saw dealers bringing big-ticket works to the table across the board, and the steady stream of sales for blue-chip works and high priced works continued well beyond the VIP days early last week.

Andra Ursuta, Orthodoctrinator at Art Unlimited (more…)

Panterapantera’s Zerzura (2014) outside Messe Basel, photo by Maria-Anna Goess for Art Observed

The doors have opened at Messe Basel for the VIP preview of Art Basel this year, launching the sales of the franchise’s flagship art fair into full swing. Despite the crowded schedule of major fairs this year (Basel Hong Kong closed less than a month ago), the first hours of the fair were as packed as expected, as all-star dealers and collectors vowed for the works on sale. Tico Mugrabi, Dasha Zhukova, Steven Cohen, and the Rubell family could all be seen wandering the aisles of the fair, and the brisk pace of sales seemed to match the star power of those in attendance. (more…)

Outside Art Basel, via Art Observed

The works are hung, the location is set, and the doors will soon open on the 2014 edition of Art Basel’s flagship art fair in its namesake city, bringing an estimated $4 billion in art to the Swiss city alongside an enthusiastic flock of collectors, dealers, artists and visitors.

Paola Pivi, Titled to be determined (2014) at Galerie Perrotin (more…)