Report from Art Basel Miami 2008

Grenada at Art Basel Art Fair—price tag of $70,000 USD

Report from Susan Mains

The biggest art event in the western hemisphere once again lapped the edge of the Caribbean Sea as the Art Basel Art Fair stages its 7^th edition in Miami on the first weekend of December. In the main event at the Miami Beach Convention center, over 200 galleries from around the world representing over 2000 artists exhibited their offerings of paintings, sculpture, photography, mixed media to the art collecting elite.

Some 40,000 collectors were expected, arriving in over 220 private jets, and filling the best hotels and crowding the best restaurants in the city. Beside the main event, 22 other art fairs presented their offerings during this weekend, showing innumerable works from countless artists. If art were a religion, this would have been Mecca.

With the economic recession, gallerists did not have high expectations of sales. However, the true art aficionados came through and purchased works priced from hundreds of dollars to millions. Apparently those with the money to spend still believe that art is a good investment.

Notably, the image of Barack Obama has now become instantly popular. Sold by the David Zwirner Gallery of New York, Chinese artist Yan Pei-Ming large painting (99” x 79”) was collected by a major American Foundation for $300,000 USD. Likewise very successful was the young artist Sheppard Fairy who created the very recognizable screen print of Obama before he was elected. Represented by the Jonathan Levine Gallery of New York at the SCOPE fair, the entire booth of his work, more than 30 pieces, priced from $1100 to $9000, sold out. Graphic Artist known as “Mr. Brainwash” was enhancing his posters of Obama dressed like Superman, and yet another artist was hand pulling screen prints of Obama in profile that were about 4 x 5 feet. We have a new visual icon.

 

The fair also afforded the opportunity to hear the theoretical exchange between the art elite of the world, museum directors, foundation administrators, writers and critics.

Presented by the organizers of Prospect New Orleans, we learned of the very successful launch of that Biennial. Over 80 selected artists presented work in a non commercial way in various venues of the city. The overall purpose was to help the economic revival of the city by encouraging international collectors to visit. Apparently the plan is working. Since opening in late October, over 12,000 visitors have come to New Orleans just to see the art. Local Galleries such as the Arthur Roger Gallery and the Gallery Bienvenu, both on Julia Street, commented that this has brought only positive energy to the city, and that they look forward to the coming editions of the Biennial, and for the accompanying surge in art economic activity in the city.

With such a world event there is tremendous organizational skill required. Art is shipped from all over the world to be shown here, and sometimes those systems failed. The YT Centre for the Art from Indonesia exhibiting in the Art Asia fair, late in the last day of the fair was still waiting for the arrival of some of the work of their artist. It had been shipped by DHL from Indonesia, and was waylaid in Alaska—a huge disappointment to the artist who had worked so long and hard to prepare the large ceramic display.

As usual, it is hard to discover the Caribbean represented in this milieu. Cuban art was shown by several galleries, including the Cernuda Arte Gallery at the Art Miami fair. Sergio Cernuda of that gallery commented that collectors were still looking for a different offering than the very “New York centered look that was the majority of the work at the Art Basel in the convention center”. By the second day, he had already sold over 14 works of Cuban masters and contemporary artists.

A pleasant surprise was finding at the Bridge Art Fair the Ian Patrick Fine Art Gallery of the Cayman Islands. This Gallery has taken the art of the Caymans to art fairs as far away as Berlin and Beijing.

At the Red Dot fair the Mexico Board of Tourism had taken a booth, and was highlighting very fine paintings from Mexico to encourage art collectors to visit Mexico--a good marriage. 

But the high-light of the fair was finding Grenada at the convention center, right in midst of Art Basel. Represented by the Sperone Westwater Gallery of New York, the very famous New York artist Julian Schnabel had completed a series of works last year that were being shown. These works, 49” x 38”, consisted of maps, mounted on linen, then slashed with a couple of swipes of bright coloured paint. In a series of 4, right in the midst, was an old map of Grenada with two bright swathes of red paint splashed across the field. The price tag--$70,000. USD. None of those dollars will benefit Grenada.

 It is time that Grenada makes the investment to start reaping the benefits of art as a sustainable resource. The Grenada Board of Tourism could sponsor a booth at one of those Art Fairs, highlighting the very fine art of Grenada, encouraging the collectors to visit Grenada, stay in our hotels, eat at our restaurants, visit our National Art Museum.

Of course, the investment of building a National Art Museum will have to be made.

If we build it—they will come.