MIAMI, Sept 22 – Art Basel is thinking big for the 20th edition of Miami Beach, which will be held December 1-3 in the American city. In its main section, it will bring together 213 galleries – the highest number of exhibitors in the fair’s history.

On the schedule are event regulars such as Gagosian, Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth, Pace, Lisson Gallery, Thaddaeus Ropac and White Cube Gladstone Gallery. Others such as Galeria Raquel Arnaud, Karma International, Galerie Barbara Thumm and Marlborough will be making their comeback at Art Basel Miami after a break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In addition, some 30 companies will participate for the first time this year in the Florida edition of Art Basel. Alexandre Gallery, Queer Thoughts and Bridget Donahue based in New York, Edel Assanti in London and P21 in Seoul are among this group.

Marc Spiegler, Global Director of Art Basel, emphasized the diverse range of exhibitors, which, according to him, will make for a new edition of the art event “richer in discoveries than ever before.”

“‘Over the last two decades our show has not only reinforced its pivotal position in the region – uniquely bridging the art scenes of North and South Americas, Europe, and beyond – but also played a galvanising role in [Miami’s] profound cultural transformation,” he said in a statement.

Some 60,000 people visited the event known as the biggest art fair in the Americas in 2021, 25 per cent less than its usual attendance. This drop is directly linked to a sharp decline in European attendees, a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the travel restrictions in effect at the time. However, the drop in visitors didn’t stop some seven-figure sales from being made, such as the sale of an abstract painting by Julie Mehretu for US$4 million (RM18.25 million) and a multi-panel collage painting by Robert Rauschenberg for US$1.5 million. – ETX Studio