Art & Commerce

04 December 2011
by Art Rubynstein

If you noticed, there were more notable fashion folks lurking around open bars of Art Basel Miami Beach than big artists. Still, there were some highlights. Brits Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin both made rare pilgrimage to South Beach. German stars Anselm Reyle and Josephine Meckseper both hosted bashes for Dior. Julian Schnabel quietly made rounds, and Richard Phillips presided over a party for his Exhibition A cocktail. Here are some of other notable art cameos.

Convention Wisdom!

02 December 2010
by Art Rubynstein

If there’s one word that could perfectly capture yesterday’s VIP preview, optimism would be a good one. Collectors were more eager than usual, gallery owners seemed more relaxed, and the art seemed to be opulent in terms of its fearless gold and scarlet motifs. Perhaps White Cube’s gilded Hirst revealed everything you need to know about the current economy: make it gold and make it bold. Equally as impressive as Hirst was a tremendous silver Anish Kapoor eye candy at Barbara Gladstone. As you enjoy our photo highlights, here are some other highlights to keep in mind.

Most devoted bride buyer: Naomi Campbell who made it to Basel for the second straight year…and just mere days before her Egyptian wedding

Most devoted designer buyer: Calvin Klein, who never fails to skip all the action in Miami. Marc Jacobs was in Paris but still got all the best stuff sent to him live via a trusted source.

Least wall text: Gagosian of course. But who needs it with all that Koons?

Best artist cameo: Aaron Young who checked out his work at Resh and three other spaces

Most devoted seller: Tony Shafrazi, who sold, sold, and sold for hours and refused to sit down. “But now my feet hurt,” he told us at 6 PM.

Best jock cameos: Lance Armstrong and Alex Rodriguez who took a baton from John McEnroe who hit Basel last year. The Yankee especially spend at least three hours hunting for latest and greatest for his W South Beach residence with the help of his manager, Guy Oseary.

Most elaborate booth: Lehmann Maupin’s intergalactic universe

Most elaborate booth (runner up): Galerie Gmurzynska and their Zaha Hadid designed space

Your Comprehensive Art Basel Miami 2009 A-Z Memory Box!

13 December 2009
by Art Rubynstein

It took us a whole week to process four fairs, fifty-six events, and hundreds of faces we’ve encountered in Miami during this year’s Basel. Here’s your complete A-Z guide to places, works, and names you should keep in mind until the next craze fest kicks in.

Altmejd, David. The Canadian (!) delivered and we all wanted to keep staring at that strange Glasswalker mutant.  Well done, Andrea Rosen.

Ben & Jerry’s. Yes, the ice-cream maker finally joined the performance art derby by having thousands of people peacefully dancing on the beach to a John Lennon number curated by Natalie Kovac. Cherry Garcia lovers were rewarded for their efforts with sweets.

Chow, Eva and Michael. Most diners went into for lobster with ginger and left with a pocketful of business cards. Deals were made, every big name artist paid a visit to a brand new eatery, and Larry hosted his own big dinner on Mr. Chow premises.

Deitch, Jeffrey. Sure, we enjoyed the booth (Shepard Fairey and Miranda July were very strong) but it seemed like everyone had an even better time at Jeffrey’s Santigold concert at The Raleigh. Could the music promoter be his next big job title?

Efron, Zac. Yes, the High School Musical icon made it to Basel thanks to Richard Phillips’ Five Most Wanted Men series. It was sold almost immediately.

Fernández, Teresita. One of Maupin’s brightest stars and a Miami native had a strong week: cocktail party in Setai in her honor, strong reviews, and good Chelsea show momentum.

Geers, Kendell. That “F&%!” disco ball was pretty cool to look at.

Hirst, Damien. You might have heard of this fella.

Irwin, Robert. Two strong works (at Pace and White Cube). At 81, he can still knock it out of the park.

Most Awesome Vending Machine You’ll Ever Encounter in Your Life!

23 November 2009
by Art Rubynstein

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To celebrate its big 40th Anniversary, Interview Magazine has stocked a Semi-Automatic vending machine at The Mondrian Miami with 40 things almost everyone in the world wants or needs. The machine was created exclusively for the Morgans Hotel Group but the magazine has stocked it with their own pop culture items such as Keith Haring condoms, Warhol Chanel poster art, tank signed by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, and Mark Ronson’s Gucci sneakers. All purchases can be made with a credit card and shoppers can preview the items on the machine’s big screen. The participapnts and items for the Semi-Automatic are below and can be found in an online gallery at interviewmagazine.com. All images can be sent upon request.