CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK

The tradition of the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, began in 1933, it marks the beginning of the holiday season for many New York City visitors and residents. It was set aglow this year, with 30000 colored lights, by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, singer, Lionel Richie and stars, Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey. Martina McBride, John Legend, Christina Aguilera, Sting and Bette Midler performed during the lighting ceremony. And, you'll get quite a thrill skating there in the evenings as the golden god Prometheus looks on just below the tree. I’ll be home for Christmas, so I better get going. Happy Holidays to you all.
www.rockefellercenter.com

CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK

The highlight of my forty-eight hour stop over in New York was my visit to Engine Three, Ladder Twelve firehouse at half past midnight. I had noticed that the fire engines in New York have wreaths on the engine and wanted to get a picture. Immediately, Robert Costa and Robert Zucal invited me in and willingly posed for a photograph. They were so kind and friendly. I found more Christmas spirit inside the firehouse than anywhere else in the city. Did you know the motto for FDNY firefighters is, New York’s Bravest?
http://ufalocal94.org

CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK

John Derian himself peeps from behind the Christmas tree in his shop laden with the most beautiful ornaments, especially created from antique ones for his store. This is my favorite store in New York, there are one thousand goodies to discover, beginning with John’s decoupage-ware. The store was packed with celebrities, and you know they know where to shop. “I love Christmas because it's the day following the busiest few weeks of the year at my shop. I love being able to collapse into the metaphorical arms of my friends and celebrate the joyous holiday with them." John Derian
www.johnderian.com

CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK

Am I back in Miami Beach? As I mentioned below, in the Miami blog, Andy Warhol was the most represented artist (in twenty two galleries) at Art Basel Miami Beach. The Barney’s Christmas windows called Happy Andy Warhol-idays, take you through Andy Warhol’s life from the 1950s to the 1990’s and though they are not at all traditional, they are great fun. On the side window there are portraits of Warhol, created by the children of The East Harlem School, the proceeds of these will benefit the school. “Art is what you can get away with.” Andy Warhol.
www.barneys.com www.artbasel.com www.eastharlemschool.org

CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK

A forty eight hour stop-over in New York for a little bit of Christmas spirit and shopping. I was looking for a New York City Father Christmas, to balance the South Beach one, but I just didn’t come across one, not even in the department stores or on the streets; Uptown, Downtown, Eastside, Westside, nothing. This Christmas Bunny is the best I can do, isn’t she sexy? She is the Dreamgirl on a life-size poster at Ricky’s NYC. Ricky’s is a funky drugstore that caters to everyone from teenagers to Hollywood celebrities, their stylists and the fashionistas. It’s a fun store, it is also great for little unusual gadgets. Their motto is “Beauty is what you make it!
www.rickys-nyc.com

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Miami Beach. It is strange to see Father Christmas on the beach. After all the parties and the overdose of art, design, photographs, the sun, the summer clothes and sandals. It’s difficult to come back to reality and realize that Christmas is just two weeks away. So let me end the Miami segment with this unusual “postcard” of Father Christmas A.K.A. Mike Russo on the beach. Each year after Halloween Mr. Russo grows a beard and parades up and down the streets, with his sugar candy canes as walking sticks. His fondest memory of Christmas is of a Victorola phonograph playing a scratchy record of I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus Underneath the mistletoe last night....

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The Moore Space - Design District. Clamor, is the name of the exhibition by Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla at The Moore Space. Allora and Calzadilla have taken up the genre of war music as the basis for a new body of work. This large sculptural form serving as a hybrid chamber resembles, perhaps a bunker, a meteorite, a ruin, a cave and or a sound booth which accommodates musicians playing war songs.
www.themoorespace.org

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Design Miami - The Moore Building. Blurred Boundaries:Design as Culture, was the title of the final talks during Design Miami. Cooper Hewitt’s, Barbara Bloemink moderated artist, Michele Oka Doner, designer Tom Dixon and architect, Zaha Hadid.
www.designmiami.com www.ndm.si.edu www.micheleokadoner.com www.tomdixon.net www.zaha-hadid.com

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Design Miami - The Moore Building. Seen at the Moore Building, Mickey Wolfson. Mr. Wolfson is the founder of The Wolfsonian-Fiu Museum in Miami. Asked about Art Basel, he commented “It’s the world’s fair of human endearing in the arts.”
www.wolfsonian.org www.artbasel.com

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The Comunidad Warehouse - Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Comunidad Warhouse, The Cut-Out Army, 2006, an installation by Puerto Rican, Miami based artist, Carlos Betancourt. The one hundred and one, life size, cut out photographic portraits of local personalities, remind me of the ancient Chinese terracotta warriors.
www.carlosbetancourt.com

Photograph by Barbara Hulanicki
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Miami Beach. My hostess, Barbara Hulanicki’s apartment is silver grey with shots of orange and shocking pink. Very Miami. Above is a detail of the kitchen with her collection of promotional 1950s glass vases from Sears. I will miss her when I leave tomorrow. We had a wonderful time together. Thank you very much.
http://www.barbarahulanickidesign.com/
www.barbarahulanickidesign.com www.sears.com

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Nada – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Cereal Art, Philadelphia, booth, a multiple by Turner Prize finalist, Phil Collins. The Wrong Gallery Installation, 2006, a limited series of 500 pieces, $750. It depicts doll like figures of Maurizio Cattelan, Ali Subotnick and Massimiliano Gioni who have been running The Wrong Gallery since 2002, a miniscule exhibition space in Chelsea, New York, a no budget, non profit, exhibition space.
www.newartdealers.org. www.cerealart.com www.mauriziocattelan.org www.tate.org.uk

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Nada - Wynwood Art District. After all the art, it was so refreshing to see a performance. The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York and Altoids presented Classic Readings in American schlock. The New Museum curated a dose of subversive humor and contemporary critique into the go-go market drtiven culture of the art fair. A roaster of cutting edge artists, curators, collector, critics and art world personalities read aloud classic lowbrow works of American letters. Above, Henrietta Huldisch and Sue de Beer read from The Valley of the Dolls by Jaqueline Susann.
www.newartdealers.org. www.newmuseum.org www.altroids.com

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Nada – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Momenta Art, Brooklyn, an installation called Transmigration of the sold, 2006 by Yoko Inoue. Inoue, utilizes cheap souvenirs from Asian markets with which she calls attention to the evolution of consumer production and the deep meaning even the most mundane objects can convey. Momenta Art is a non profit organization whose mission is to promote the work of emerging artists.
www.newartdealers.org. www.momentaart.org www.yokophoto.com

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Photo Miami - Wynwood Art District. Seen in the Bernard Toale Gallery, Boston, Martin Schoeller's gigantic brutal portraits of Valentino (see above) and an unrecognizable Micky Rouke, 2006, $6,700. Schoeller is known for his stripped-down faces, straightforward portraits of the famous and unknown. However, I doubt, after this unflattering portrait, he will ever be asked to photograph a Valentino advertising campaign.
www.artfairsinc.com. www.martintoalegallery.com www.Valentino.com

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Photo Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen in the Charles Guice Contemporary gallery, Berkeley, Carrie Mae Weems’s In De Sica’s Light, from the Roaming series, 2006, $30,000, an edition of ten photographs. I loved the elegance and the spirituality of this photograph.
www.artfairsinc.com www.charlesguice.com

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Photo Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen in the Galerie f5,6, Munich, a take on the controversy about anorexic models, a photograph by Olaf Martes, entitled, Ballett 240 Tonnen, Natasha, Sveta, Ulyana, Vika, Shuvalovski Dvorets, 2003, $ 5.500. There are only two left of in the edition of ten photographs.
www.artfairsinc.com www.f56.net

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Photo Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Stephen Cohen Gallery, Los Angeles, Tseng Kwong Chi’s Rome, Italy (Coliseum, Night), 1989, photograph, $ 6,500. This photograph brought back memories of the 1980’s in Milan of Kwong Chi photographing Keith Haring. During the ‘80s Kwong Chi shot over 50.000 photographs of Haring.
www.stephencohengallery.com www.haring.com www.artfairsinc.com

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Photo Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen in the Brancolini Grimaldi Arte Contemporanea gallery, Florence, booth, Italian photographer, Massimo Vitali’s Coney Wheel Horizontal, $ 24,000, gigantic photograph. Massimo’s work is coveted by movie stars, amongst whom; Rupert Everett and Cameron Diaz.

www.artfairsinc.com www.brancolinigrimaldi.com www.massimovitali.com www.cameron-diaz.com

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Pulse Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen in the Impulse section of Pulse Miami at the Bitforms Gallery, New York, Lincoln Schatz’s Cluster, 2006, $ 50,000. Cluster, is a big computer screen that daily accrues thin slices of video from its environment and store them onto a computer. On-screen, time is reorganized. It is like living with another person and seeing your life through their eyes.
www.pulse-art.com www.bitforms.com www.lincolnschatz.com

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Pulse Miami – Wynwood Art District. Though the Pulse Miami fair got really good reviews for my untrained eye and tastes I have to agree with the sign outside the tent that says "Je ne regrette rein”!
www.pulse-art.com

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Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Magnan Emrich, New York, Cuban artist, Francis Acea’s Money, 2006, $ 15,000. The painting also comes in a small and medium size. Acea, works with other icon signs like the plus sign, the AOL person and the bomb. The dollar painting represents “Whatever the collector wants.” Acea explains.
www.scope-art.com www.magnanemrich.com www.francisacea.com www.aol.com

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Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, New York, Alan Rath’s digital video sculpture entitled, Optical Cylinder II, 2006, $35,000. Rath commented on his electronic works "I don't know why people are so alienated from machinery. The next Freud will figure out why we perceive that stuff as external and different."
www.scope-art.com www.brycewolkowitz.com www.alanrath.org

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Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at Jack the Pelican Presents gallery, Brooklyn, Eric Doeringer's, 2006, Art Basel VIP Pass, $500. This silk screened edition of fifteen bootleg, fake ID passes was the most talked about and coveted piece of art this week.

www.scope-art.com www.jackthepelicanpresents.com www.ericdoeringer.com

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Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Dam, Stuhltrager Gallery, Brooklyn, Urban Development, 2006 an installation by Brose Partington. The card towers or packs of cards inflate and deflate at random. Sold as an installation $16.000.
www.scope-art.com www.damstuhltrager.com www.brosepartington.com

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Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Moti Hasson Gallery, New York, Shirley Shor’s Terra Infirma, 2005, new media installation. Abstract lines are projected in real-time motion on sand, creating an organic architecture. For Shor, the idea of space is politically charged: to draw a line is to divide, to include and exclude at once.
www.scope-art.com www.motihasson.com www.shirleyshor.net

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Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Angell Gallery, Toronto, booth, Jakub Dolejs, The Tribune, 2006. Photography records history in one way and painting records it in another. This large photographic work is called The Tribune (Louvre Remix), $16,000. Like Djs mix music tracks using digital technology, Dolejs uses photoshop to paint his photographs.
www.scope-art.com www.angellgallery.com www.jakubdolejs.com www.louvre.fr

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Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at The Proposition gallery, New York, director, Ronald Sosinski. Is he more interestingly dressed than the art works? He is wearing a Dries Van Norton suit, Emma Hope sneakers, an embroidered shirt bought in St. Barths and a pin by Mark Titchner, short listed for the Tuner Prize, that reads, Why Not!
www.scope-art.com www.theproposition.com www.emmahope.co.uk www.tate.org.uk

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Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. One of the other thirteen art fairs going on during Art Basel Miami Beach is Scope Miami. Situated in the Wynwood art district, Scope promotes up-and-coming dealers, curators, and artists. At the entrance, alongside Range Rover’s new Land Rover jeep is an installation by Augustina Woodgate called Where The Wild Things Grow, 2006, it is presented by the Spinello Gallery, Miami.
www.artbasel.com www.scope-art.com www.agustinawoodgate.com www.spinellogallery.com www.landroverusa.com

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Seen at the Jack Pierson’s book signing party at The Raleigh Hotel. Icon photographer, Bruce Weber is also in town to promote his latest book, Sex and Words, photographs inspired by the work of D.H. Lawrence, with drawings by Frank Stanley and, published in a limited edition by Visionaire.
www.raleighhotel.com www.bruceweber.com www.visionaireworld.com

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Seen at the Jack Pierson’s book signing party at The Raleigh Hotel. Italian, book publisher, Giuseppe Liverani from Charta. Giuseppe has just opened an office in New York’s Tribeca. He launched his latest book, Vito Acconci, Diary of a Body, 1969-1973 at the Convention Center during Art Basel Miami Beach. Three years in the making, this book which is about body art, is sure to be a best seller.
www.raleighhotel.com www.chartaartbooks.it www.artbasel.com

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Seen at the Jack Pierson’s book signing party at The Raleigh Hotel. Miami’s stylish cultural affair’s manager, Gary Farmer. Gary is organizing the first nuit blanche, all night event in Miami for the first Saturday in November, 2007. Everything will be free and open from sunset to sunrise: transportation, museums, concerts, theatres, art, etc. Nuit Blanche first started in Paris in October, 2002. Artists interested in participating with video art are invited to submit their work to Mr. Farmer at:

garyfarmer@miamibeachfl.gov www.raleighhotel.comwww.rizzoliusa.com

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Seen at Jack Pierson’s book signing party at The Raleigh Hotel. Artist, Hugo Guiness is fooling around with Andy Spade, Kate Spade’s husband and CEO. Hugo has just designed a bag for Kate Spade which is being sold at The Deitch/Paper Art Store in the Design District during Design Miami.
www.raleighhotel.com www.designmiami.com www.katespade.com www.papermag.com

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Jack Pierson’s book signing party at The Raleigh Hotel. Despite the drizzle and the cold, a big crowd turned out for photographer’s Jack Pierson’s book signing party. I think Rizzoli sold out of copies of Desire/Despair, because Jack never stopped signing.
www.raleighhotel.com www.rizzoliusa.com

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Seen at The Raleigh Hotel. Superstar designer, Marc Newson. Design Miami is presenting Newson with the Designer of the Year Award 2006. Wearing, a map of the world, paper bomber jacket. The global designer commented on the recent sale, at auction, of his Lockheed Lounge,1985 chair, which sold for $1.000.000 “The market has gone crazy, just like the art world.” Marc is having a show at the Gagosian Gallery in January, which is something to look forward to.
www.designmiami.com www.marc-newson.com. www.gagosian.com

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Seen at The Raleigh Hotel. Italian Art critic, Mariuccia Casadio and Italian video artist, Francesco Vezzoli. “Art Basel is even more crowed this year. My favorite work in the Convention center is the Mike Nelson installation.” Mariuccia observed. Whilst, Francesco’s favorite piece is “That cute guy having lunch over there!”
www.raleighhotel.com www.artbasel.com

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At The Raleigh Hotel. Laughter, laughter, laughter was the mood at The Raleigh for designer, Barbara Hulanicki's birthday party lunch. Allison, Celia, Cookie, Carlo, Barbara, Sarah, Nally, likrish and Romana, had a wonderful time which continued on until tea time.
www.barabarahulanickideisgn.com www.raleighhotel.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – The Raleigh Hotel. Seen at The Raleigh poolside, Kenny Scharf’s 1960s Cadillac called Astral Cumulo Nimbus Uber Express or ACNE for short. Owned by a group of private collectors, the 1960 Cadillac Coupe De Ville has only 4,000 original miles and is in mint condition This, unique mixed media pop culture installation is worth in the region of $1,000,000, unfortunately, it is not for sale!

www.artbasel.com www.raleighhotel.com www.kennyscharf.com www.cadillac.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Buena Vista Building - Design District. Deitch Projects presents E.V. Day’s ambitious Intergalactic Installations. A post-feminist futurist, Day creates an outer-space where biology and technology meet science fiction fantasy. Days suspended sculptures explore the edge of scientific reality, creating a loaded dialogue between the authoritative power and control of scientific definition and the sensual allure of the unknown.E.V. Day is photographed in front of her Red Streak construction of a red garter belt rocketing through space.
www.artbasel.com www.deitch.com www.evday.net

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Design Miami – Buick Building. The Paper $99 Art Store – Paper Magazine has curated a “cultural shop” filled with inexpensive - 99c, to $9,999,999.99 – goods. All items for sale, for four days only, represent collaborations between artists endorsed by Deitch Projects. Shown above, Gold Bike by Three as Four, $ 5,555.
www.designmiami.com www.papermag.com www.deitch.com www.threeasfour.com

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Design Miami - Moore Building. Seen at the Phurniture, New York, booth, Shlomo Harush’s crumpled aluminum furniture. Prices range between $ 20,000/45,000.
www.designmiami.com www.harushshlomo.com www.phurniture.com

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Design Miami - Moore Building. Seen in the Moore Building, Interview's Ingrid Sischy and owner, Sandy Brant. They are everywhere in every continent and never stop working. While Ingrid is on the phone, Sandy tells me that the best show in town is the Elusive Signs: Bruce Nauman Works With Light at Moca. And, she should know.
www.designmiami.com www.interviewmagazine.com www.mocanomi.org

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Design Miami – Moore Building. Seen at Smart Deco, a collaboration between Barry Friedman Ltd, New York and Droog Design, Amsterdam, Barry Friedman sitting in Marcel Wanders’s Crochet Chair, 2006. He is very happy because he has already sold twenty chairs out of a series of forty at $40,000 each. Smart Deco represents an authentic expression reflecting the zeitgeist of cutting-edge design, as well as, timeless necessity. Smart Deco intends to build a platform for designers creating art and artists creating design.
www.disignmiami.com www.barryfriedmanltd.com www.droogdesign.nl

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Design Miami - Moore Building. Seen at the Galerie Italienne, Denim Armchair by Mattia Bonetti, 2006. This cool asymmetrical armchair is made out of vintage jeans, belts, as well as, Bonetti's house keys on a chain, it is published by Galerie Italiennene in an edition of eight pieces, $36,000.
www.designmiami.com www.pron.it

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Design Miami – Moore Building. Seen at the David Gill Galleries, London, Barnaby Barford photographed beside his What Did You Say Your Husband Did, 2006 poetic porcelain sculpture. He uses mass-manufactured or antique ceramics figurines, which he cuts and re-sticks together providing a clever way of getting people to look again at something that they would on principle have dismissed.
www.designmiami.com www.barnabybarford.co.uk www.davidgillgalleries.com

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Design Miami - Buena Vista Building. Seen at The Moss Gallery, New York, Russian, Constantin Boym’s The Coffee Table (The Swing), 2006, after the work of Jean-Honore Fragonard. In response to the art world’s appropriation of design, Boym reverses the process. Art is torn fro the wall, ripped from its frame, and wrought – albeit most respectfully and sensitively – into what we now experience as a chair or a table. Unique piece $ 14,300.

www.designmiami.com www.mossonline.com www.boym.com

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Design Miami - Buena Vista Building. The Moss Gallery, New York, presents the Sonia Diniz chair, 2003 designed by the Brazilian brothers, Fernando and Humberto Campana. It is made out of sushi rolls composed of felt, textiles and synthetics rolled into tight concentric rings and mounted onto a wooden structure with steel legs. It is produced in a limited edition of 12 pieces, $ 38,000.
www.designmiami.com www.mossonline.com www.campanabrothers.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Art Positions. Seen at Harris Lieberman – New York – Container # P1 Aaron young’s untitled installation which takes it’s cue from the san and sea environment. The artist has drilled a hole into the container’s roof, turning it into a sculptural sieve. The open container will be filled day after day throughout the show, until, on the last day, it is full. $45,000.
www.artbasel.com www.harrislieberman.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Art Positions. Seen at Art Positions, collectors, Don and Mera Rubell. The Rubell Family Collection is hosting guided tours every morning from 9am to noon of the new exhibition called Red Eye: L.A. Artists from the Rubell Family Collection.
www.artbasel.com www.rubellfamilycollection.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Art Positions. Seen at The Courtyard Gallery – Beijing – Container # P19, Lu Hao’s, (two of a set of four) photographs, called Flowers, Birds, Insects, Fish, 2006. $16,000, the set. Hao is known for his conceptual photos using traditional Chinese symbols of architecture which are rapidly disappearing in Beijing.
www.artbasel.com www.courtyard-gallery.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Art Positions. Seen at Art Positions, Miami based Argentinean artists/architects, Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt. They are known in Miami for their public art projects. Currently, they are working on The Peace Project, opening on March 30th, 2007, at the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art.

www.artbasel.com www.mcartdenver.com rrstudios@bellsouth.net

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Art Positions. Seen at the KBK – Mexico - container # p11, Guatemalan artist, Dario Escobar’s untitled, ink spots on paper, 2006. $8.500. KBK’s director Ubaldo Kramer said “They are selling like hot cakes.”
www.artbasel.com www.kbkart.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Art Positions. Seen at Art Positions, artist, Kenny Scharf. He was promoting his performance art, which will take place, one night only, at The Raleigh poolside. It’s called The Astral Cumulo Nimbus Uber Express and The Vomidinglberry Movement Troupe doing The Rectal Romp Troglodite Starshow!
www.artbasel.com www.kennyscharf.com www.raleighhotel.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Art Positions. Art Basel Miami Beach provides twenty-two young galleries with exhibition spaces in converted shipping containers, Art Positions, is on the beach at Collins Park. Seen in the Grace Li Gallery – Zurich – container # P5, Chinese, Zheng Guogu’s conceptual paintings called Miami, Miami, Miami, 2006. $ 60,000. There are three paintings in this series. The paintings are taken from the photography of the official website of Art Basel Miami Beach.
www.artbasel.com www.graceligallery.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach - Collins Park. Sometimes nature is more beautiful than art. This tree trunk looks just like an elephant's foot, it is located at Collins Park and 21st Street in front of the Bass Museum and two art installation for Art Projects: Erwin Wurm's Ufo, 2006 and Tea Makipaa's 1:1 (one to One), 2004.
www.artbasel.com www.bassmuseum.org

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Convention Center. Seen at the Peter Kilchmann – Zurich – Booth C2, Italian TV presenter and art journalist, Michela Moro. She is standing in front of one of her favorite artists, Santiago Sierra’s photograph entitled, 89 Huicholes, 2006.$ 30,000. “I love Sierra’s work because it is very political and radical in a moment when many artists think only about aesthetics.” She is wearing a Missoni top and is sporting an Alan Journo tote.
www.artbasel.com www.peterkilchmann.com www.santiago-sierra.com www.alanjourno.com www.missoni.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Convention Center. Seen at the 303 Gallery – New York – Booth # D6, Rodney Graham’s Paradoxical Western Scene, 2006. $200,000.
www.artbasel.com www.303gallery.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach - Convention Center. Ironically, I met Food Cultura Museum's Montse Gillen and Antoni Miralda at the Convention Center restaurant. The Food Cultura Museum is an organization established with the objective of exploring, collecting, documenting and presenting the connections among food, culture and art. They are currently researching their latest project Tastes and Tongues, establishing an itinerary of thirteen Spanish cities.
www.artbasel.com www.foodculturemuseum.org.

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Convention Center. The most talked about work of art can be seen at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise – New York – Booth # D1. In the empty booth, suspended by a motor on the ceiling, a packet of Camel cigarettes spins round and round at random! The artist Urs Fischer has called his installation, Nach – Jugendstiel Kam Roccoko, 2006. $160,000.
www.artbasel.com www.gavinbrown.biz www.camelsmokes.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Convention Center. Seen at the Gagosian Gallery – New York – Beverly Hills – London – Rome – Booth # E 14, Miami based, British designer Barbara Hulanicki of Biba Fame. She is looking at the untitled cigarette cabinet, 2006 by Damien Hirst (already reserved), fascinated by the way he put the sequence of the cigarette brands side by side.
www.artbasel.com www.gagosian.com www.barbarahulanickidesign.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Convention Center. Seen at Mary Boone Gallery – New York - Booth # F13, this rare beach painting by Eric Fischl, Beach Scene with pink Hats, 2006. $1.200.000. It is the first time that the Boone Gallery has shown at a commercial art fair. Everyday, inside the booth they will be presenting a different artist; Wednesday: Barbara Kruger. Thursday: David Salle. Friday: Eric Fischl. Saturday: Ross Bleckner and on Sunday there will be a group show of young artists.
www.artbasel.com www.maryboonegallery.com www.ericfischl.com www.barbarakruger.com www.rbleckner.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Convention Center. Seen walking around the Convention Center, wearing identical Andy Warhol T-shirts, artists, Daniel and Geo Fuchs and toy collector Selim Varol. They are promoting their photo series of Toys at Photo Miami - Soho Building. Everyday they will be sporting different outfits, from Che Guevara to Batman. They are significantly standing in front of Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe ten print portfolio, 1967 $ 1.500.000 at the L & M Arts – New York - Booth # F 8. Note that Warhol is the artist most represented at the fair, in at least twenty booths.
www.artbasel.com www.toygiants.com www.lmgallery.com www.warhol.org

Soho Building - 2136 NW 1st Avenue at 21st Street - Wynwood

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Convention Center. Paul Kasmin of the Paul Kasmin Gallery – New York - Booth # J16, has only time to talk on his mobile. I am particularly fond of Paul’s father Kas, who employed me in Bond Street when I left school. My first show when I was working at the Kasmin Gallery was the legendary David Hockney swimming pool exhibition. I noticed, with affection that Paul still handles Frank Stella, one of his father’s artists from the good old days. The Andy Warhols of Baroness Thyssen, 1973 and Juliana Sui, 1982, $ 650,00 – 850,000.

www.artbasel.com www.paulkasmingallery.com www.davidhockney.com www.warhol.org

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Seen at: Art Basel Miami Beach - Convention Center. Director, actor, artist and art collector, Dennis Hopper and his wife Victoria. Hopper is at ABMB for a special screening of his legendary 1969 road-movie Easy Rider. He is also exhibiting one of his paintings at the Galerie Hans Mayer - Dusseldorf - Booth # G 4. He will be having a one man exhibition next year at The Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, scheduled for July 4th, 2007. And, Taschen is producing a whopper one thousand page coffee table book of his works. Concluding Victoria said "Dennis is my favorite artist."
www.artbasel.com www.dennis-hopper.com/ www.galeriemayer.de www.taschen.com www.hermitagemuseum.org

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Convention Center. Seen at the Edwynn Houk Gallery – N.Y. Booth # J1. This unusual photograph by Robert Polidori entitled Portrait of Madame de Bourbon, Versailles, 1985 is very Now. $ 19,000.
http://www.artbasel.com/ http://www.houkgallery.com/

Miami

Seen at: Art Basel Miami Beach – Convention Center. Surrounded by art consultants, not bodyguards and trying to keep a low profile, Keanu Reeves still could not make up his mind on the art around him.
www.artbasel.com www.keanu-reeves.net

MIAMI

Art Basel Miami Beach – Convention Center. The preview to the preview or First Choice to Art Basel Miami Beach, 6-10th December, has begun as you can see by the line of black limousines and chauffeurs waiting outside the Convention Center. The VIPs are inside searching frantically to be the first to spot the best works of art on sale. The celebrated international art show is in its fifth edition. The fair also incorporates crossover events linking art and film, music and design, visits to Miami’s private collections and museums, as well as, twelve other separate events and art fairs. Art Basel Miami Beach is the highlight of the international and cultural social calendar.
www.artbasel.com

MIAMI

Art Basel Miami Beach - DESIGN - The Swarovski Party. One of this year’s new designs from the Swarovski Crystal Palace chandelier collection is this stunning Rock Crystal chandelier designed by Iranian born and New York based Hariri and Hariri sisters. “We decided to take the idea of a cut stone as the concept of our chandelier. The form is, however, not symmetrical and changes from different angles and point of views and is more sculptural. The crystals were made in Austria and the metal parts in Italy, the lighting in New York. There was no time to see it before it was assembled. But, miraculously the thousand of pieces came together like clockwork.’” Morjgan Hariri explained.
www.artbasel.com www.swarovski.com www.haririandhariri.com

MIAMI

Art Basel Miami Beach - DESIGN - The Swarovski Party. The DJ was the beautiful Donna D'Cruz, who is as sexy and as shapely as a Playboy Bunny. Donna only DJ's at private parties, here is her schedule for the week: Tuesday - the Swarovski party in Miami. Wednesday - plane to Istanbul for Thursday's Vakko party for Suzy Menkes. Friday - back in Miami for the Harper's Bazaar party. Saturday - Puerto Rica for the Alliance for a New Humanity party........etc., etc., etc.

www.artbasel.com www.swarovski.com www.rasamusic.com www.anhglobal.org www.harpersbazaar.com www.vakko.com www.iht.com www.playboy.com

MIAMI

Art Basel Miami Beach - DESIGN - seen at the Swarovski party. Pioneering architect, Zaha Hadid is in town to promote her Aqua Table for British design company, Established & Sons.
www.artbasel.com www.swarovski.comwww.zaha-hadid.com www.establishedandsons.com

MIAMI

Art Basel Miami Beach - DESIGN - The Swarovski Party. Nadja and her designers at the Paris Theater in South Beach celebrate this year’s new additions to the Crystal Palace Chandelier collection. Pictured above, Natasha Zupan, Morjan Hariri, Yves Behar, Gisue Hariri and Nadja Swarovski. Talking about his collaboration with Nadja, Yves Behar commented “We need brilliant women in design to unleash creativity.”

www.artbasel.com www.swarovski.com www.natashazupan.com www.haririandhariri.com www.fuseproject.com

MIAMI

A Cafe. No, this is not a piece of art but the sign of the Ice Box Cafe, a cool and casual restaurant for the Miami Beach cognoscenti. The owner, former New Yorker, Robert Seigmann started his career as a pastry chef for Martha Stewart. The history of the café is about deserts or “The Best cakes in America” as Oprah Winfrey says, who put the Ice Box “on the map”. Just off the busy Lincoln Road, Ice box serves real and eclectic comfort food. But, don’t forget to leave room for the deserts that are as beautiful as they are delicious. Their best sellers are 1- The Bomb (cheesecake, chocolate brownie and chocolate mouse). 2- Strawberry Shortcake. 3- Cinnamon Butter Cake (Oprah’s favorite). 4- Carrot Cake. You'll probably will need a sugar fix, after all the walking around Art Basel Miami Beach. Enjoy.
www.icebox.com www.marthastewart.com www.oprah.com www.artbasel.com
Ice Box – 1657Michigan Avenue – tel: 305 538 8448

MIAMI

Art Basel Miami Beach - preview opening. Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen “Uses chickens as a painter uses colors.” states Adriano Berengo whose gallery, Berengo Contemporary presents The Accident exhibition at Palm Court, Miami Beach (until February 28, 2007). The Accident is the artistic expression of major works, in various techniques, involving art and science that Keon Vanmechelen has been pursuing for over twenty years. The core of the project is the chicken, and its product, the egg, which the artist considers as a metaphor for the human condition. Shown above is the Who's Calling.
www.berengocontemporary.com www.artbasel.com
Palm Court - 309 23rd Street _ Miami Beach

MIAMI

Art Basel Miami Beach - preview opening. Berengo Contemporary presents The Accident, a project with deep ethical and aesthetic connotations by the Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen. The exhibition, curated by Agnes Husslein, the recently appointed director of the famous Belvedere Museum in Vienna can be viewed until February 28th, 2007 at Palm Court, Miami Beach. Above, Agnes Husslein presents frock coated, Koen Vanmechelen, photographed by his installation of hand-blown glass eggs called The Battle, 2004 (dimensions variable, chicken lamp, glass, DVD-loop) she comments "Keon is a very interesting artist and his work touches the essential details of human life."
www.berengocontemporary.com www.belvedere.at www.artbasel.com
Palm Court - 309 23rd Street - Miami Beach

photograph courtesy Luminaire
MIAMI

Art Basel Miami Beach - Preview. From December 6-10, Christie’s and Miami-based design retailer Luminaire, will present the Puppy Love project, a charity auction of plastic puppies for the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Thirty five of the world's biggest architects, designers, sculptors, painters, and product designers were challenged to take a bare plastic puppy and transform it into something new. The purpose, according to event organizers is "To fuse the whimsical world of art, design and fashion to present a unique perspective on humanity, which exists to provoke ideas, fantasies and most importantly, to contribute to a important charitable cause." . Shown above, Flower Puppy by Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt. Chapeaux to Luminaire’s Nasir and Nargis Kassamali for thinking about the Puppy Love project for such a worthy cause. Bidding will start at $5.000.

www.luminaire.com www.christies.com www.sylvester.org www.artbasel.com

MIAMI

Art Basel Miami Beach - Preview. Seen at the Artcenter/South Florida Gallery, Colin Christian's Spaced Out # 1 unique multiple 3D sculptures. Christian finds his inspirations in old sci-fi movies, pinup girl/supermodels, anime and ambient electronic music. He achieves his goal of true cartoon realism through the use of silicone and fiberglass. Christian's work is part of a group exhibition curated by Francesco Locastro called We'll make a Lover of You, open until January 27th, 2007.

www.artcentersf.org www.hotboxdesigns.com www.artbasel.com

MIAMI

Sunday Brunch. The Beach Bar of The Setai Hotel, the ninety foot poolside bar stretching virtually the entire length of the pool deck, offers a quintessential atmosphere. This beautiful little English girl was enjoying her French fries and ketchup which were elegantly served in a bamboo steamer.

www.setai.com

MIAMI

Sunday Brunch. Former world number one tennis player, Boris Becker was also enjoying a poolside brunch at The Setai Hotel. With lunch, he was sipping acqua San Pellegrino and he was not alone as you can just glimpse the tanned knee coming into the picture…

www.setai.com www.sanpellegrino.it

MIAMI

Sunday Brunch. Sunday brunch overlooking the three pools on one side and the beach on the other side, was very relaxing at The Beach Bar of The Setai Hotel. We chose The Setai after going into three of the other well known hotels on Collins Avenue. The Tranquil, atmosphere of this Asian-inspired resort was refreshing in comparison.

www.setai.com

MIAMI

I’m in Miami for Art Basel Miami Beach. The biggest art fair in America hasn’t started yet and it’s a good chance for me to get over jet lag and feel my way around Miami. Coming in from the airport on Route 836 East, I spotted these desert palm trees, the bark of which so remind me of the towers of Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona. After a mild European winter, it’s so good to be in the Sunshine State.

www.artbasel.com www.miami.com