The good, bad, ugly and bizarre

It’s been six years since we reported on our excursion to the bewildering world of Art Basel Miami Beach. We just reviewed our writings from that time and — with no fear of being charged with plagiarism — will borrow freely from those opening paragraphs. Art Basel in Switzerland is one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious art exhibitions in the world. The “son of” Art Basel is now a 10-year-old spin-off that continues to change. An article in the Wall Street Journal notes that today’s event “stealthily evolved from a simple trade fair into a holy gathering on the annual pilgrimage route of the super rich.” There is a question whether there are more private jets or $200,000 sports cars in attendance.

The Miami locale is the perfect home for such an event and is a kaleidoscope of languages, smells, colors and every manner of visual excitement. Serious collectors and exhibitors from all over the world were attracted but, surprisingly, a majority came from the Americas this year. Although the original show is held in June in Basel, Switzerland, the neophyte takes the stage during the first days of December, giving both shows the advantage of lovely weather for indoor and outside venues. We returned last month to Miami and found that it still provided a full palette of fun. Good, bad, ugly and bizarre abounded. Every possible material and form was represented. As reporters tend to do in any field, we admit to enjoying some of the astounding “ugly” as much as admiring the “good” and relishing the “excellent.” We were fortunate on this tour to be accompanied by some friends who are serious collectors; they tried to explain that some bedraggled creation was really worth a few hundred thousand dollars.

Indeed, another remarkable feature was the price range. Our rule of thumb quickly became that everything was four times as expensive as our highest guess. The majority of works that we priced ranged from $60,000 to $400,000. However, a small glass display case measuring perhaps 8 inches by 17 inches and filled with a half-dozen dusty shot or wine glasses by Joseph Cornell raised our eyebrows to a new level with a $580,000 price tag. Although we somewhat understand the high prices of masterworks, it is harder to put a price on corrugated cartons, bricks, paper boats, wastebaskets, broken mirrors, paving stones, wood scraps and similar materials that were fashioned into “art.”

We were intrigued by the amount of installation art, for which the creator or artist must come to your home to install the wall pieces or arrange stones on your floor or any number of similar personalized creations. One such art piece featured more than 100 paper boats spread around a small broken wooden end table (“Sadie, turn off the fan!!”). Many others looked like the back lot storage area behind the MGM studios. Street art and graffiti were starting to be exhibited with new respect.

We did find many magnificent art pieces, although some failed to excite our personal taste and all were beyond our budget for the month. Feasts for the mind and eye continued from one aisle to another. Calder mobiles soared overhead. Works by Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, architect Frank Gehry, Joan Miró and Andy Warhol were scattered like confetti. Almost lost in the mind-boggling array of fine and foolish was one wall in a booth near the entrance that featured genuine works of three true masters: Miro, Picasso and Fernand Léger. The spectacular array at ABMB enticed collectors from all parts of the world and varying interests. The difference of dress was another form of art show. Sales were significant and belied the weak economy. It was reported that actor Michael Douglas spent $17 million (yes, million) there. Our collector friends did buy two items for considerably less.

The main stage for Art Basel Miami Beach is in the centrally located Convention Center, a large and slightly tired building. The adjacent Design Miami exhibition provided another enticing venue of new and varied designs of all types. However, the city of Miami is home to another large area that features slightly less costly and sometimes more interesting art. Art Basel Miami Beach is now one of the major presentations on the American and international art scenes. This annual event is highly recommended for both avid enthusiasts and anyone interested in seeing what is really good, bad and ugly. Of course, when it comes to art, one person’s good is another person’s ugly.

Stuart and Lois Scheyer bracket the 80-year mark and are residents of Longboat Key. They each log more than 100,000 air miles a year. They will be pleased to answer any travel questions and can be reached by email at [email protected]. Travel Easy – Travel Light – Travel Now