A second hand view
Copyright Vladimir Kagan, December 7, 2011
Wisdom prevailed and I chose not to go… and according to all reports, I missed nothing BUT parties, parties, parties.
Though the grape-vine I learned that sales of mediocre art was brisk… Really high-end stuff stagnated with the dealers and predictable pastiche sold to the wanabees and gullible.
I’m really sorry to have missed the Design Pavilions and am told that sales were vigorous…. So the demise of the ABMB is not nigh and everyone is going to have to do this charade one more year.
As I am not able to give you my own succinct overview of this dim-witted event, here are some quotations from a reliable source (Lance Esplund, art critic for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg)
“We were at the W South Beach Hotel’s VIP welcoming reception hosted by Ruinart Champagne, an official sponsor of Art Basel Miami Beach, the 10th incarnation of the U.S.’s largest contemporary-art fair.”
“A-Rod Cages Owen Wilson Amid Ugly Art, Hookers at Miami Basel”
“Guests dipped giant communion wafers into fountains of white and dark chocolate that streamed from the penises of two gleaming silver putti in Angel Otero’s sculpture “Pissing Contest.””
“Miami’s fair -- where everything is not only permitted, but encouraged -- has always been more Art Bacchanal than Art Basel”
“By day, hung-over dealers scrambled to make sales to hung-over collectors.”
“When I returned in the wee hours to the Fontainebleau Hotel, bleached-blond girls -- perched on cushioned benches under inverted wedding-cake chandeliers, each her own private paradise -- shone like amber beacons floating in the pink-and-blue glow of the lobby….. There were usually about a dozen prostitutes on duty.”
For a full review of Lance Esplund's hilarious report, Google esplund, bloomberg, a-rod, owen wilson, hookers
...OK, my faithful readers, had I written this earlier, those of you who attended, might have saved a packet of money missing this Non-art-event.
A bit of devastating Miami news is that Louis Vuitton and its parent company LVMH group have partnered with Craig Robins, the developer of Miami’s Design District and are planning to turn it into a luxury retail environment with 40 to 50 fashion stores and tenants like Sephora, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy and Fendi. This will be the death knell for the wonderful independent design boutiques that have given the district its flavor and panache. Remember what happened to SoHo (In New York} - Fashion moved in and creativity moved out!)
This is great for the real estate guys but lousy for the design industry. Ground floor rents will jump from $25 per square foot to $125, effectively knocking out the core businesses that made the place a destination.
The sixty-four dollar question: Where will the next Design District spring up?
So glad I didn't go, either... The Emperor still seems to be using the same tailor for his New Clothes... and he doesn't look that good bared up... C.
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Posted by: Anthony | 12/18/2011 at 08:11 AM
It's time to set first things first! This is in avoidance of putting down your reputation.
Posted by: ccna training | 02/12/2012 at 11:05 PM
Thanks for the Christmas car, the light of life and congratulations to your son for his paintings.
Posted by: Gérard | 03/09/2012 at 02:49 PM