Art Basel Miami

One of the largest annual events in Miami kicks off Thursday with Art Basel Miami. About 70,00 people are expected to attend in a city which embraces Art Deco architecture and hosts world-class art museums and galleries.

This year, 267 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa will exhibit significant work from the masters of Modern and contemporary art, as well the new generation of emerging stars. Paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs, films, and editioned works of the highest quality are on display in the main exhibition hall. Ambitious large‐scale artworks, films and performances become part of the city's outdoor landscape at nearby Collins Park and SoundScape Park.

One aspect which will set this year apart is the high number of female artists. The Mary Boone Gallery will be featuring five: Judith Bernstein, Sarah Charlesworth, Nancy Dwyer, Barbara Kruger and Laurie Simmons.

On Dec. 3, the artist Jennifer Rubell will present a food-based installation. “Using bread, butter and a couple engaged to be married as her media,” a news release says, “Rubell will transform the simple act of cutting and buttering bread into a poetic exploration of repetition as devotion.”

One of the most exciting sectors is Public. Over 20 large-scale sculptures and installations by leading and emerging international artists will be installed in Collins Park. Public is again curated by Nicholas Baume, Director and Chief Curator of Public Art Fund, and select works from the exhibition will remain on view through February 2016. This is the fifth year Art Basel and the Bass Museum of Art have collaborated to produce Public.

The Film sector will present a dynamic program of films. Outdoor screenings take place at SoundScape Park, where works are shown on the 7,000-square-foot projection wall of the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center; and inside the Miami Beach Convention Center. In addition, New York-based film curator Marian Masone selects a feature-length film for a special screening at the Colony Theatre

On the fringes of Art Masel Miami, several receptions and exhibit openings are taking place. On Monday evening, for example, Nina Torres Fine Art exhibited the works of Italian collector Lorenzo De Medici. He exhibited 27 paintings from his Renaissance pop collection and a few world art premier pieces.

Greece, 2015. By Chloe Wise and Claire Christerson (courtesy of the artists).