21 Must-See Attractions at Art Basel Miami 2019
Including exhibitions, installations and artist-led events by Yayoi Kusama, Virgil Abloh and Fendi.
One of the art world’s most anticipated annual events, Art Basel, returns to Miami Beach from December 5 to 8. The yearly spectacle sees a host of buzz-worthy exhibitions, large-scale installations and artist talks take place in the city’s beachfront locale. Sister show Design Miami runs concurrently, rounding out Art Basel with design-focused programming.
From Yayoi Kusama‘s All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins to Sasha Bikoff’s installation of Versace furniture, we’ve rounded up a selection of exhibitions, installations and artist-led events to help you navigate this year’s Art Basel Miami.
All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins by Yayoi Kusama Presented by ICA Miami
Yayoi Kusama & David Zwirner
Dates: Through January 31, 2020
One of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s famed Infinity Mirror Room installations, All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins, will be on view at Miami’s Institute of Contemporary Art. The artist’s now-emblematic spotted pumpkins cover the floor of a mirrored room, creating the illusion of a never-ending field. Color-changing LED lights illuminate the space, making for a moment that will surely be Instagrammed by many attendees.
Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami
61 NE 41st St
Miami, FL 33137
“Art After Stonewall” Presented by The Frost Art Museum
Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc.
Dates: Through January 5, 2020
One of several exhibitions The Frost Art Museum will present during Art Basel, “Art After Stonewall,” is a collection of over 200 works exploring the impact of the LGBTQ movement on visual culture. Referencing the groundbreaking Stonewall Riots of 1969 in its title, the show surveys works by artists including Diane Arbus, Keith Haring and Andy Warhol made during the two decades following the uprising.
The Frost Art Museum
10975 SW 17th St
Miami, FL 33199
Artists’ Influencers: Moderated by Hans Ulrich Obrist
Dates: December 5, 10 – 11:30 a.m. EST
Brooklyn-based poet Precious Okoyomon and multimedia artist Rirkrit Tiravanija will participate in a conversation, moderated by curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, centered on their creative relationship and individual practices. The talk is part of a series that Obrist originally started to introduce emerging artists to their major influences.
Miami Beach Convention Center
1901 Convention Center Dr
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Cerith Wyn Evans Presented by White Cube
Cerith Wyn Evans & White Cube
Dates: Through December 8
Leading contemporary gallery White Cube is set to exhibit an off-site project by multimedia artist Cerith Wyn Evans. One of his seminal works, The Illuminating Gas…(after Oculist Witnesses), will be included in the show, which spans installation and sculpture.
Cerith Wyn Evans Presented by White Cube
3802 NE 1st Ave
Miami, FL 33137
“Chance Encounters V” Presented by the Loewe Foundation
Loewe Foundation
Dates: Through January 31, 2020
Loewe will present the fifth chapter of its “Chance Encounters” series, an installation bringing together artists of varying disciplines. This year, a work by British artist Hilary Lloyd spanning textile, sound and video will be presented alongside large-scale sculptures by the late James Ewen Henderson.
Miami Design District
110 NE 39th Street, Suite #102
Miami, FL 33137
“#designforall” Presented by Instagram and Swine Studio
Dates: December 4 – 8
A collaboration between Instagram’s @design account and Swine Studio, “#designforall” spotlights four creators who embody simplicity, craft and community, core values at Instagram. Swine Studio, a collective established in 2011 by Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves, created a bubble-like dome made of 100 percent recycled PVC that will house works included in the exhibit. Themes including adaptive design and female empowerment will be explored through art by ALLELES Studio, Deva Pardue and more.
Design Miami
Convention Center Drive (between 18th and 19th Street)
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Dollar a Gallon III by Virgil Abloh
Paseo Ponti
Dates: Through December 2020
Off-White™ and Louis Vuitton designer Virgil Abloh will return to Miami’s Design District with Dollar a Gallon III, a towering sculpture of a sinking Sunoco sign. The installation is a never-before-seen update of a similar work previously shown at Abloh’s “PAY PER VIEW” solo exhibition at Kaikai Kiki Gallery in Tokyo.
Paseo Ponti
156 NE 39th Street
Miami, FL 33137
Duck Duck by Harmony Korine Presented by Snapchat and Gucci
Snap Inc.
Snap Inc.
Dates: December 5 – 8
Cult filmmaker Harmony Korine will debut his new short film, Duck Duck, the first-ever movie shot on Snapchat Spectacles. The film, which is in 3D and should be viewed using Snapchat‘s updated version of the glasses, features AR overlays that create a fully immersive experience. As for the Spectacles themselves, Gucci partnered with Korine to incorporate its GG logo into the design.
The Melin Building
3930 NE 2nd Avenue, Ste 200
Miami, FL 33137
“Exhibition Two” by Slumpy Kev Presented by Cartoon Network & Depop
Devin Christopher
Dates: December 5 – 8
21-year-artist Slumpy Kev, known for his renditions of popular cartoon characters, will make his Art Basel debut with “Exhibition Two.” The artist, who counts Billie Eilish among his fans, will unveil nine life-sized sculptures, paintings and prints featuring popular Cartoon Network characters such as the Powerpuff Girls and Courage the Cowardly Dog. Accompanying merch, as well as the works themselves, are available for purchase on his Depop shop.
Address
2127 NW 1st Avenue
Miami, FL 30138
M/Marbles Stool by Miu Miu
Miu Miu
A limited-edition furniture project by Miu Miu and M/M Paris, the M/Marbles stool will debut at Miu Miu’s Design District boutique during Art Basel. The high-fashion seat, constructed of palm wood and crepe rubber, features drilled slots that can be customized with colorful hand blown pegs made of Murano glass.
Miu Miu Miami Design District
190 NE 39th St
Miami, FL 33137
My Body, My Choice: A Conversation with Marilyn Minter
Dates: December 5, 1 – 2 p.m. EST
Leading female artists Marilyn Minter and Nandipha Mntamb will join Planned Parenthood‘s Alexandra Natale and curator Catherine Morris for My Body, My Choice, a conversation on the intersection of art and politics. The talk will address how artists have responded to and continue to fight increasingly oppressive legislation — such as restrictive abortion laws — and which organizations the art world can align with to effectively support women’s reproductive rights.
Miami Beach Convention Center
1901 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33139,
Museum of Graffiti Opens in Miami
Museum Of Graffiti
Dates: Opens December 5
The first-ever museum dedicated to its genre, the Museum of Graffiti has found a home in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood. Works spanning 50 years by pioneers including Lady Pink, Rammelzee and Blade will be displayed alongside a special opening exhibit of art by Niels Meulman, a.k.a. Shoe. The gift shop is also set to feature several limited-edition artist collaborations.
Museum of Graffiti
299 NW 25th Street
Miami, FL 33127
“Objets Nomades” Presented by Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton
Dates: December 4 – 8
Louis Vuitton will return to Design Miami with its famous “Objets Nomades” collection of limited-edition, travel-inspired furniture and objects. Since the collection’s inception in 2012, collaborators have included the Campana Brothers, Marcel Wanders and Atelier Biagetti. This year’s installment is sure to equally impress.
Design Miami
Convention Center Drive (between 18th and 19th Street)
Miami Beach, FL 33139
One Drop Can Make a Rainbow by Virgil Abloh Presented by Evian
Evian
Dates: December 4 – 8
Following the release of Virgil Abloh’s glass water bottle for Evian, his second collaboration with the water brand, the designer’s creation will be on view at Design Miami alongside new collaborative items. The exclusive SOMA bottle will also be available at select Miami hotels and restaurants including Swan, Komodo, OTL, Planta, Nautilus, SLS South Beach, Delano, Bagatelle, Bâoli, Kiki on the River, Mandrake and Novikov.
Design Miami
Convention Center Drive (between 18th and 19th Street)
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Pierre Jeanneret presented by Kris Van Assche and Berluti
Dates: December 4 – 8
Kriss Van Assche, Creative Director of Berluti, has partnered with gallery founder François Laffanour to present a collection of furniture by Swiss designer Pierre Jeanneret. 17 pieces, all created during the ’50s, have been restored by Laffanour and re-upholstered in Berluti’s signature Venezia leather. Jeanneret’s famous “Base Building” desk, “Easy” chair and more notable pieces have been rendered in 18 different colors — no two are the same.
Design Miami
Convention Center Drive (between 18th and 19th Street)
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Palm Tree I by Thom Browne
Thom Browne
Dates: Opens December 5
Designer Thom Browne, known for his experimental take on classic men’s tailoring, will debut his first large-scale installation at this year’s Art Basel. A 21-foot-tall palm tree taking over the atrium of the Moore Building, Palm Tree I is fabricated with yellow, green and pink seersucker as well as pin cord and gingham oxford textiles. Incorporating fabrics commonly found in suiting, the piece aims to highlight the similarities between work and vacation.
Moore Atrium
4040 NE 2nd Avenue
“Roman Molds” by Kueng Caputo Presented by Fendi
Dates: December 4 – 8
Fendi has invited Swiss design studio Kueng Caputo to create a series of objects inspired by the fashion house’s headquarters at Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, a landmark spearheaded by Benito Mussolini in the ’30s. The collection of furniture including stools, benches and tables celebrates the Palazzo’s neoclassical architecture. Design Miami visitors will have a chance to experience the pieces up close in “a hang-out area with the feeling of an outdoor space, like the loggias at the palazzo,” Kueng Caputo told Wallpaper.
Design Miami
Convention Center Drive (between 18th and 19th Street)
Miami Beach, FL 33139
“South Beach Stories” by Sasha Bikoff and Versace
Sasha Bikoff
Dates: December 6 – 8
Interior designer and Versace collaborator Sasha Bikoff has teamed up with the Italian fashion house to create a series of three vibrant, enveloping rooms. The maximalist spaces are furnished by Versace Home and also showcase unique pieces of art. Dubbed the “go-to decorator for Manhattan’s well-heeled millennial set” by the New York Post, Bikoff’s latest work is sure to give visitors serious home improvement inspiration.
Palm Court
140 NE 39th Street
Miami, FL 33137
UNKNWN Miami
Unknwn
Dates: Opens December 5
Streetwear boutique UNKNWN will open a new Miami store to accompany its Aventura, Florida location. Founded by LeBron James, Jaron Kanfer, and Frankie Walker Jr., the multi-label store offers streetwear, sneakers and accessories, as well as its in-house brand. The new space, boasting 10,000 square feet, will also unveil an adjacent courtyard slated to host mural installations by acclaimed artists.
UNKNWN
261 NW 26th Street
Miami, FL 33127
Untitled (Kiss) by Barbara Kruger for Artek
Todd White
Dates: December 4 – 8
Legendary artist Barbara Kruger has teamed up with Finnish furniture company Artek for a new work. Untitled (Kiss) merges Kruger’s signature block text with Artek founder Alvar Aalto’s famous Stool 60 design. The result is a graphic seat proclaiming “KISS” in red lettering.
Design Miami
Convention Center Drive (between 18th and 19th Street)
Miami Beach, FL 33139
VB88 by Vanessa Beecroft
Dates: December 5, 5:30 – 8 p.m. EST
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Kappa‘s iconic “Omini” logo, artist and frequent Kanye West collaborator Vanessa Beecroft will interpret the visual in fifty different iterations with VB88, a performance piece curated by Neville Wakefield. Sure to be an unorthodox spectacle, the performance will highlight the history and form of the instantly recognizable emblem.
Lot 11 Skate Park
348 NW 2nd Street
Miami, FL 33128
