Annette Schönholzer and Marc Spiegler
 An exhibition from Sean Kelly Gallery at Art Basel Miami Beach 2008 |
Considered by many to be the country’s most important art show—punctuated by an unparalleled social scene—Art Basel Miami Beach (artbaselmiamibeach.com) has proven itself a glowing sibling to the original Art Basel held each year in Switzerland. Celebrating eight years with this winter’s installment (December 3 - 6), ABMB continues its tradition of bringing cutting-edge art to the fore. Annette Schönholzer and Marc Spiegler, codirectors of Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach, talked to us about art-world crowds, the next international hot spot and the secret to the Miami institution’s success.
GOTHAM: Who makes up the collecting crowd for Art Basel Miami Beach?
Annetttte Schönholzer: Collectors come from all over the world to Art Basel Miami Beach. Of course, at Art Basel in Switzerland the crowd is more European and in Miami Beach there are more collectors from the US and Latin America. But the really passionate collectors—and there are many—often travel to both shows. And let’s not forget that Miami is the first or second home of many renowned collectors, who have given the show their support from the very beginning.
G: How has that crowd changed or grown in the last couple of years?
Marc Spiegler: In the second year, many more people came from all over the world once art lovers realized that there was a world-class show in Miami Beach. And many visitors from Latin American countries who came for “social” reasons in the beginning are now serious collectors, [a trend] which we are really proud of having pushed along.
G: Why is Miami the ideal host city?
AS: Miami is the nexus between Latin and North America, a multicultural and cosmopolitan city that offers all that one needs to put together a successful art show: direct flights from all over Europe, a broad array of hotels and restaurants in close proximity and strong support from the Miami community. The local museums line up great exhibitions in December and many magnificent private collections open their doors during Art Basel Miami Beach. The mild winter climate is particularly appreciated by East Coasters and Europeans, as is the architecture of the Art Deco District.
G: Where is the next hot art center?
MS: There are various very important new scenes for the art world. In the past year we’ve visited many different cities and countries to see their galleries, artists and collectors. Of course we hit the obvious ones, such as New York City, Berlin, Paris and London. But we also investigate the lesser-known emerging scenes on the art-world map, such as Tokyo, Bombay, Delhi, Istanbul, Shanghai, Mexico City and many more. Each has its special flavor and dynamic players.
G: To what do you attribute the success of Art Basel Miami Beach?
AS: The strength of [it] originates from the tradition of 40 years of Art Basel, the most prestigious art show in the world. But when Art Basel Miami Beach was created, Art Basel’s DNA was not simply cloned but rather adapted to its new location by taking in more galleries from the US and from Latin America, and connecting to Miami Beach’s cultural sources and tropical spirit. This combination works perfectly for us—bringing high culture and high energy together.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF MCH SWISS EXHIBITION (BASEL/ZURICH) LTD. (PORTRAIT); MATHIAS STICH (GALLERY)
