Art Basel Miami Beach 2009, Day 6 - Final Day

The final day of Art Basel I revisited the main show to see what I had missed from the opening night. I love viewing art in person that I have only seen on the internet or in books. One key element to understanding art is seeing the scale and the quality of the production firsthand. Unlike some of the side fairs, the big show in the convention center is filled with consistently well produced art. It is really a pleasure to experience it.

I realize putting 600 pixel wide pictures up here doesn't do them much justice. Hopefully, it serves as a record of what caught my eye. This year's Art Basel was a step up from 2008. As we move toward 2010 I hope this is a positive sign of things to come. Enjoy.

Kehinde Wiley, "Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II," 2009. Oil on canvas: 122.375 x 138.375 inches. at Deitch Projects, New York, NY.

Jon Kessler, "Mob Scene," 2009. Mixed media with motors, cameras and LCD screens. LCD Array: 66.5 x 53 x 24 inches, Mechanism: 84 x 57 x 20 inches. at Deitch Projects, New York, NY.

Kader Attia "Satellite Dishes" 2009. Light Box at Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna, Austria.

A pairing of older and newer works from Thomas Struth. The left two are from 1978 when Struth was shooting in New York. The top is "115th Street and 2nd Avenue, New York / Harlem, 1978" and the bottom images is "99th Street at 1st Avenue, New York / Harlem, 1978." They both were printed in 2002. The right large piece is "Museo Del Prado 3, Madrid" 2005. C-print. 80 5/8 x 97 5/8 inches at Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, NY.

Andreas Gursky "Dubai World III" 2008 c-print 93 5/16 x 134 13/16 inches (incl. frame) at White Cube, London, UK.

Just around the corner from there was another Andreas Gursky this one I had seen before in a book is called "Copan" 2002. C-print 81 x 103 inches at Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, NY.

Across from Gursky was a Thomas Demand "Fotoecke / Photobooth" 2009 C-print 70 3/4 x 78 inches at Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, NY.

Robert Longo "Untitled (Men in Cities)" Black and White photos, 1976 - 1982 / 2009 at Metro Pictures, New York, NY.

Andrea Robbins and Max Becher, from top: "Black Cowboys:Bill Pickett Rodeo 09 no.1" and "Black Cowboys:Bill Pickett Rodeo 09 no.2" both 1999 archival ink jet prints at Sonnabend Gallery, New York, NY.

Elger Esser, "La Grande Be, France" 2009 C-print 72 1/2 x 78 3/4 inches at Sonnabend Gallery, New York, NY.

Bernd and Hilla Becher, "Winding Towers (Anlagen)" 2007 (photographed from 1968-1997) 9 black and white photographs at Sonnabend Gallery, New York, NY.

Beate Gutschow "S#2" 2005 Light jet print, 57 3/8 x 49 1/2 inches at Sonnabend Gallery, New York, NY.

Mario Garcia Torres "The Improbability of Common Sense" 2009 Acrylicand silkscreen ink on linen.

Kader Attia "Rochers Carres", 2009 at Galeries Christian Nagel, Berlin and Galerie Graesslin, Frankfurt, Germany.

Scott McFarland "Sugar Shack, Caledon Ontario" 2009 Digital C-print 72 x 105 inches at Regen Projects, Los Angeles, CA.

Doug Aitken "Free," 2009 at 303 Gallery, New York, NY.

Florian Maier-Aichen "Untitled (Passo Stelvio) 2009 C-print 70 3/4 x 98 1/4 inches at 303 Gallery, New York, NY.

Yinka Shonibare, MBE "Willy Loman: The Rise and Fall (Paradise)" 2009 C-type print 90 x 70 inches) at Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK.

Yoshitomo Nara at Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan.

Mikhael Subotzky at Goodman Gallery, Capetown, South Africa.

Mikhael Subotzky at Goodman Gallery, Capetown, South Africa.

Ernesto Ballesteros from the series "Covered Light Sources" Permanent black marker on photography, at Galeria Nara Roesler, Sao Paulo, Brasil.

Paul Pfeiffer "Fragment of a Crucifiction (after Francis Bacon)" 1999 at carlier | gebauer, Berlin, Germany.

Robin Rhode "8 Ball," 2007, 16 digital prints at carlier | gebauer, Berlin, Germany.

Quite possibly my favorite piece of the day was this Paul Pfeiffer gold chromed TV in the front left of the booth. "Caryatid (Wrestling)" 2009 at carlier | gebauer, Berlin, Germany.

It seemed like everyone in the media mentioned this Roxy Paine piece, "Maelstrom" 2009 at James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY. I had seen a different version of it on the roof at the Met but I still enjoyed it in the indoor environment. Maybe indoors is a better home than the roof where it competes with the sprawling views of central park.

Duane Hanson, "High School Student," 1990 at Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris, France.

Ryan McGinley "Wes (Scarlett Split)," 2009 at Team Gallery, New York, NY.

Caio Reisewitz, "Guanabara," 2009 C-print 70.8 x 90.5 inches at Luciana Brito Galeria, Sao Paulo, Brasil.

Mitch Epstein "Recreation: American Photographs 1973-1988" 2004 Dye Transfer 16 x 20 inches at (?)Sikkema Jenkins and Co., New York, NY.

missing info (please email me)

Rineke Dijkstra from Left, "Amy, Liverpool, England, December 22, 2008," and "Beth, Liverpool, England, December 22, 2008" both Archival inkjet prints 2008 at Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, NY.

Final stop of the night was a big group birthday bash for me and my early Sagittarius friends. Which was caped off with the best group birthday cake ever!!! Thanks to master baker and artist Jen Stark.

Art Basel Miami Beach 2009, Day 5

Beg Borrow and Steal" Catalogue front cover.

The First stop of Day 5 Art Basel Miami was the Rubell Family Collection. Each year they curate a new show timed for the Basel festivities this year the show is called "Beg Borrow and Steal" and it will run through May 29, 2010. If you're in Miami around then I highly recommend checking it out.

RUBELL FAMILY COLLECTION, Beg Borrow and Steal 2009

Jennifer Rubell "Old-Fashioned," 2009. 1,521 Dunkin Donuts Old Fashioned Donuts.

I ate some "Old-Fashioned"

They tasted "Old-Fashioned"

Nate Lowman, "More or Less," 2003. Mixed media installation.

Foreground: Peter Coffin, "Sculpture Silhouette (J. Koons ‘Balloon Dog’ 1994-2000)," 2009. Powder coated aluminum. Background: Richard Prince, Untitled (joke 7), 1987
Powdered graphite and gesso on canvas.

Jason Rhoades, Untitled (Chandelier), 2004. Glass, wire, neon, Plexiglas, fabric and plastic.

Left, Peter Coffin, "Untitled (Designs for Colby Poster Co. # 5, 9, 33, 19, 51)," 2008. Letterpress ink on five coated cardstocks. Right: Dan Flavin, "Untitled (Monument for V. Tatlin)," 1964-1965. White flourescent lights, Ed. 1/5.

Peter Coffin, "Untitled (Designs for Colby Poster Co. # 5, 9, 33, 19, 51)," (detail) 2008. Letterpress ink on five coated cardstocks.

Maurizio Cattelan, La Rivoluzione Siamo Noi, 2000. Polyester resin figure, felt suit and metal and plastic coat rack.

Second Floor installation at "Beg Borrow and Steal."

Stephen G. Rhodes, "Interregnum Repetition Restoration (Upholstered)," 2008. Single-channel video and mixed media.

Steven Shearer, "Puffs," 2006. C-print mounted on aluminum.

Steven Shearer, "Puffs," (detail) 2006. C-print mounted on aluminum.

Damien Hirst, "Dance Naked," 1997. Stainless steel, glass, surgical equipment and plastic skeletons.

Rashid Johnson, "Promised Land," 2008. Spray enamel, mirror and wood.

Aneta Grzeszykowska, "Untitled Film Stills," 2006. Seventy C-prints.

Aneta Grzeszykowska, "Untitled Film Stills," (detail) 2006. Seventy C-prints.

The Miami landscape near the Pulse Art Fair.

Khaela Maricich aka the blow played at the Pulse Art Fair.

Khaela Maricich aka the blow played at Pulse.

Khaela Maricich aka the blow playing in Lindsay Lohan mode. Here is the scoop from Pitchfork..

Khaela Maricich aka the blow playing in Lindsay Lohan mode, shoe detail. Maricich really did finish the show by saying, "Could you imagine Lindsay actually performing that? Could you get an idea? Now take that image and subtract it from what I just did. The sum of that is the difference between a girl like me and a girl like Lindsay." perfect.

Induce at Freegums and Poplife Sky's the Limit event held at the Electric Pickle.

at Electric Pickle

Dr. Jay at the Freegums and Poplife Sky's the Limit event held at the Electric Pickle.

Art Basel Miami Beach 2009, Day 4

I took it a bit easy on the Friday of Art Basel and only ventured out to see some of the satellite fairs starting with a very sad Photo Miami. I'm not 100% sure but they were inside of a old Circuit City location and the wold building just dropped with Bankruptcy. I really don't think separation of a medium in an art fair as a very sustainable model.

Sure I enjoy photography more and I look for it when I am at an Art fair. But walking around in an all photography fair felt flat to me. Maybe it was just the overall quality of everything there was weaker then normal? Either way I only ended up taking a few pictures of work I liked. Also my friends who were with me and didn't have a press pass had to pay the insane price of $20 to get in. They were not happy nothing in there was worth a $20 entrance fee just to look at it.

PHOTO MIAMI 2009

Photo Miami cover photo by Sean Higgins, Raga Jog, 2009, courtesy of Collette Blanchard Gallery.

Rinko Kawauchi at Mountain Fold Gallery, New York, NY.

After that sad experience we drove off to the NADA Art Fair. This Year's NADA fair was in the Deauville Beach Resort in North Miami.

NADA 2009

Daniel Gordon's "Flying Pictures" at Leo Koenig Inc., New York, NY

Tony Matelli's Weed, painted bronze at Leo Koenig Inc., New York, NY

Jacob Dyrenforth at Renwick Gallery, New York, NY.

Jacob Dyrenforth (detail) at Renwick Gallery, New York, NY. I love this detail. Do you think I could have plugged in my iPhone?

Another Daniel Gordon. This is from at Callicoon Fine Arts / Photios Giovanis, Callicoon, NY. Its not surprising that was everywhere at this years fairs. Reciently he was included in the 'New Photography 2009,' MoMA show reat the 'NY Times Review here. What does surprize me is how different his two bodies of work look.

Daniel Gordon at Callicoon Fine Arts / Photios Giovanis, Callicoon, NY.

Jasper Niens' installation piece "5 ROOMS" at Galerie West, the Netherlands. Consisted of a small maze of hallways and doors, echoing Dan Graham a little.

Zipora Fried at On Stellar Rays, New York, NY.

Zipora Fried at On Stellar Rays, New York, NY.

The best booth of all the fairs goes to twenty twenty projects, Miami, FL. Believe it or not but the book was turned into a FM transmitter / low power radio station. Re-broadcasting a famous Miami pirate radio station that has since been shut down.

Hanging at the pool, Deauville Beach Resort in between looking at art.

Ellen Harvey, "The Room of Sublime Wallpaper II," 2009 at Stephan Stoyanov Gallery, New York, NY.

Ellen Harvey, "The Room of Sublime Wallpaper II," 2009 (detail)

SVA MFA Alum Yamini Nayar was showing these great built enviorments this one entitled "BY A THREAD," 2009, 30 x 40 inches at Thomas Erben Gallery, New York, NY.

Brendan Fowler, on the left side - "Fall 2009 (Flowers Outside Silk Flowers Show in LA 1, Fall 2008 West Coast Tour Poster - C, Flowers on Walk With Andrea/Terry/Cindy 1, 2 Screen Flower Print), 2009, Digital C prints, silk screen ink on paper, frames, plexi, 46.5 x 49 x 5 inches (variable) at Rental Gallery, New York, NY