Art Basel Miami….. Puff gone!
Copyright Vladimir Kagan, December 13, 2013
Christopher Eitel, my "wing man" and me at the Miami Convention Center
I go to these events out of curiosity – They are hardly worth writing about. I feel sorry for professional Art Critics, who are obliged to cover these events and write with a measure of enthusiasm… I went because Ralph Pucci, who represents me, was opening his spectacular new gallery in the Wynwood Art District of Miami.
OK, Art Basel was big; it covered thousands of square feet in the Miami Beach Convention Center with 258 galleries from all over the world exhibiting in eight sectors. There was something for everybody. For me it was the usual farcical chutzpah… Yes, there were items that interested me, but who am I to judge? Art’s true value is the cost of the paint and the canvas… all else is in the eye of the beholder and its creator. We did the “four minute Louvre tour” cruising down three of the eight block-long sectors and assuredly missed a lot, but got the flavor. One of our stops was a visit with my friend, Alexander Gray. His gallery features strictly abstract art. Alex explained artist Jack Whitten’s motivation and techniques. A cerebral subject one can discuss at infinitum. … Ignorance is bliss! Unfortunately once you understand the working of an artist’s mind you become less hypocritical.
A few of the more outrageous examples of chutzpah art
The hanger is supposed to be the work of art... I found the wall much more interesting
Evicted out of a college dorm??? And an old fashioned tin bathtub
I can understand a headless lady, but what's the bucket for???
This was not a work of art - but it might as well have been one!
Here are a few examples of art that I liked - Now it's your turn to judge me!!!
I always have a soft spot for Fernando Botero's art.. I love the way he humanizes over-sized people
getting a lesson in abstract art from my friend, Alexander Gray
Artist Jack Whitten preparing to attack a blank canvas with his extraordinary "paint brush"
The end results of Jack Whitten's textural scrolling with his "paint brush"
Next we explored Design Miami, a category that I am more familiar with!
The exhibit’s entrance was obstructed by a huge sand dune conceived by Formlessfinder: Garrett Ricciardi and Julian Rose... the ultimate in jaded installation art.
The Audi that dominated the entrance to the show
Design Miami is dedicated mostly to extreme furniture, ceramic, lighting and a sprinkling of jewelry. Audi snuck in as a heavy-hitter sponsor and dominated the entrance with two spectacular concept cars to woo the audience… The show was tame by previous standards. None-the-less there are always a few gems to entice you. I loved Christina Grajales’ discovery of Sebastian Errazuriz, who at 35, is the most versatile and gifted designer/artist I have met in years. His provocative graffiti paintings that concealed storage cabinets were a blast of fresh air…At Carpenters Workshop I loved the spoof on the traditional grandfather’s clock; in its casing stood the image of a man, diligently wiping out the dial numbers every few minutes as the time changed. Fendi introduced Maria Pergay, a well know French artist turning her talent to outrageous furniture and Swarovski used their space to amuse the audience with a funky lighting display…(no crystals in sight.)
When function isn't the absolute criteria, Bae Sehwa, a Vietnamese craftsman created these fascinating bent-wood pieces of furniture shown by the Seomi Gallery of Los Angeles California
My choice for the most original designer goes to Sebastian Errazuriz of Christina Grajales gallery. His sayings on the large black and white canvases are hilarious and the cantilevered steel chaise is brilliant.
I thought this peacock chair was dazzling - created by Eiriota and Irene Gradpoit Chan of UUfie at the Galleria Rossana Orlandi in Milan.
Rubber framed mirrors shown by Carpenters Workshop were most original
A pair of Grandgather's Clocks with an animated image of a man wiping out the hour hand was a hoot
at Carpenters Workshop of Paris and London
Fendi introduced French artist Maria Pergay who wooed us with funky fur and lion's head arm-rest
In the same space, Pergay created a pair of wonderfully mixed media graphic cabinets.
Swarovski enertained the audience with a walk-in dazzling light display
Surrounded by friends at the Design Show
Sadly missing from this year’s show was the colorful figure of Barry Friedman, with his well-groomed beard and extravagant clothing, a bigger than life fixture at these events. Barry retired from the gallery world this fall after spending nearly fifty years turning furniture design into a collectable art… What’s there to do when you’ve done it all?
A short walk south from the Convention Center’s madness and discover the Wolfsonian Museum. This is no ordinary museum… It’s the brainchild of Mickey Wolfson, an eccentric collector of “all things” related to Fascist and Nazi art and artifacts. His collection became too overwhelming for his house so he stored it in warehouses around old Miami Beach - ultimately turning one into a museum. This is no makeshift museum; it was founded in 1986 and has a director, curators, a gift shop, coffee bar, and is a perfect place to escape the hassle of Art Basel. We were invited to a private tour by Silvia Barisione, the curator of the powerful current exhibit: Echoes and Origins: Italian Interwar Designs, The Birth of Rome, Rendering War: the murals of A.G. Santagata…Go visit it next time you are in Miami.
Tourism was a major goal of the Italian government
Brutal art was a favorite propaganda tool of the fascist government
Heroic architectural schemes were developed to bring back the glory of Rome
In my next instalmnet of the Miami-Basel Blog I will take you to the Wynwood Art distric, Miami's hippest go-to location; the new Ralph Pucci Gallery, the Design District , dinner in a fabulous estate on Sunset Island and a visit to the Fiarchild Tropical Botanical Garden .