Axios Miami

December 09, 2024
šŖ Hi, Monday! Another week of opportunities.Ā
āļø Weather: Mostly sunny, high near 78. Low around 73.
š¤ Sounds like: "Everyday Hustle" by Future, Metro Boomin and Rick Ross, who are performing at Rolling Loud this weekend.
š Happy birthday to our Axios Miami member Rob Hart!
Ā Today's newsletter is 932 words ā a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Miami's art party isn't over
Art Basel may be over but the art invasion is here a little while longer.
Why it matters: You can check out world-class pieces without sitting in hellish traffic or fighting through crowds of out-of-towners.
Here are some notable exhibitions you can still catch:
Miami Beach's "No Vacancy" is on display through Dec. 12. The site-specific works at 12 hotels include Josh Aronson's "Florida Boys" installation and those of other local artists.Ā
The ICA's new exhibits, which debuted last week, are on through March 30.Ā
- The museum and DMINTI also debuted "The Kaleidoscope (...Bigger) House," an immersive, modernist dollhouse. See it in the Design District through March 31.
"Invisible Luggage" at the Historic Hampton House Museum of Culture and Art features over 50 artists who explore "what is lost and what is maintained as we travel, migrate and carry on."
- Check it out through Feb. 15. Martin got a sneak peek!
"The Ghost in the Hallway" by Estefania Puerta at Nina Johnson gallery is here through Jan. 4. Sommer loved this exhibit!Ā
- It features a series of pieces, including scattered candle holders and works of mixed-media.Ā
Locust Projects in Little River held an opening on Saturday for two immersive installations by internationally recognized Miami artists Alexandre Arrechea and Alba Triana.Ā
- On display through Jan. 18.Ā
"Homecoming" by Jose Parla opened at the PĆ©rez Art Museum Miami last week. It's Perla's first solo museum exhibition in his hometown and is up through July 6.Ā
"Twin Habit" by L.A.-based painter Ross Caliendo is on display at Ross + Kramer Gallery's Miami Beach location through Jan. 18.
- Caliendo is known for his colorful, textured paintings of natural landscapes.Ā
2. šø What sold at Art Basel
Art collectors made it rain at Art Basel this year, spending tens of millions on prized pieces in a show of confidence amid slumping sales across the art world.
Why it matters: Basel was the first major art fair after the presidential election and some experts believe President-elect Donald Trump's economic policies could reenergize the market.
What they're saying: Art Basel Miami Beach director Bridget Finn said a "post-election moment" had boosted collectors' confidence, per Zarastro, and galleries reported "robust demand and outstanding sales," according to fair organizers.
- Basel felt like the Miami sunshine appearing from behind the clouds of a "dark and nervous season," Hauser & Wirth president Marc Payot said in a statement.
Here are some of the top sales reported to the fair by participating galleries:
"Untitled" (2014) by David Hammons (above) sold for $4.75 million. The piece is part of a series of painted canvases hidden by tarps to make fun of expressionism, per Basel.
"Harbor Nurse" by Richard Prince, an inkjet and acrylic painting, sold for $4.5 million.
The oil painting "Regina Terra (#179)" by Mark Ryden sold for $1.5 million.
"Necronom / Alien III" (1990ā2005) by the late H.R. Giger sold for $1 million. The menacing sculpture resembles the creature from the movie "Alien," which Giger also created.
"Whispering Wind" by Sam Gilliam also sold for $1 million.
"Untitled" (1984) by Keith Haring sold for $2 million.
"Triptych for Steven" (1974) by Suzanne Jackson sold for $1.5 million. The painting features birds and flowers with human faces.
3. Cafecito: Messi wins league MVP
š¬ The Dolphins beat the Jets in overtime yesterday, 32-26, on a game-winning touchdown catch from Jonnu Smith, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive. (Sun Sentinel)
š The University of Miami football team wasn't selected to play in the College Football Playoff but the Hurricanes will play in the Dec. 28 Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando against Iowa State. (Sentinel)
āļø Lionel Messi was named MVP of Major League Soccer with 20 goals in 19 matches. (ESPN)
šæ Nader Sculpture Park opened in the Design District last week, featuring 50 sculptures from artists like Fernando Botero and Yayoi Kusama.Ā
- It'll be a permanent public park, a spokesperson tells Axios.
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4. šØ Art Week memories
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š We had a ton of fun bringing you stories from Miami Art Week.Ā
Here were some of our favorite moments:
š„ļø Swiss artist Marck (above) blurs reality with his evocative video sculptures at Art Miami.Ā
- "Gear Nerds" shows a tattooed woman with an iron chain draped on her shoulders. A real life-chain dangling below the screen moves as the woman tugs on it in the video.
š Basel and bananas have been intertwined ever since "Comedian" by Maurizio Cattelan ā a plain banana duct taped to a wall ā debuted at Art Basel in 2019.Ā
- This year, banana imagery was everywhere, from the cover of Miami New Times to actual Chiquita banana stands around the Miami Beach Convention Center.Ā
- The most coveted bit of Basel swag might have been this yellow and blue Chiquita banana duffel bag.Ā
- The Basel gift shop sold $8 banana stickers and we saw some banana-inspired art, like Mr. Debonair's "Bang-nana," a banana-shaped grenade that poked fun at the art world.
āļø Talking up local artists at open-gallery events is low-key one of the best parts of Art Week.Ā
- Take the Bakehouse Art Complex's Baker's Brunch on Thursday or the City State Open House last Monday, where dozens of artists opened their studio doors.Ā

š³ These flexible paper sculptures by Li Hongbo were turning heads at Art Miami last week. ("Bust of Ben Franklin" was listed at $28,000 and "Portrait of a Woman" $18,000.)
- Handlers in white gloves manipulated the busts like Slinky spring toys.
State of pain
Join Axios' Caitlin Owens and Tina Reed tomorrow at 9:30am for an event about the challenges in today's treatment landscape and the current state of pain, featuring Spine and Wellness Centers of America CEO Dr. Christian D. GonzÔlez, NFL/NFLPA Joint Pain Management Committee co-chair Dr. Kevin P. Hill and U.S. Pain Foundation director of policy and advocacy Cindy Steinberg. RSVP here.
5. š 1 pic to go
Martin here! This Baseler's t-shirt at Untitled Art spoke to me. I think it's about knowing your worth ā or faking it until you make it.
- Thanks to David Landgraf, an event planner from New York, for stopping to say hi.
āŗļø Martin returned to yoga yesterday after a week of hour-plus-long drives in Basel traffic.
⨠Sommer is still recovering from the best art-and-music-filled week and weekend.
Thanks to Kristen Hinman for editing this newsletter.
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