On our second day in Miami we went over to the Miami Beach side of the Art Fair scene.  We made a quick stop on Lincoln Road near South Beach.  I wanted to see The Art Center, an artist’s studio venue that will be moving in April.  The artists are quite sad to lose this great location but progress is moving big stores into the valuable real estate. Apple and J Crew are replacing this eclectic space.

Had some great conversations with artists here wondering where to go next. Finding a spot near patrons who buy art, with studio space an artist can afford is a common dilemma.

Then it was on to the massive 2014 Art Basel art fair at the Miami Convention Center around the corner and down the street.

Eric Fischl’s new works portraying art fair visitors were scattered through the gallery displays. They intrigued me.  He had started this series sometime around the time I was just getting in to my gallery/city series. It is interesting to see a different take on the art scene, so much a part now of modern life.

Another artist that was prominently shown whom I admire was David Hockney.

His English landscapes can be hauntingly familiar from my travels.

My Beloved Brit and I had seen the start of this Yorkshire countryside series on a trip to London several years ago, so it was like visiting old friends.

Many of them are printed from iPad renderings, and the colors are vivid. Hockney is always playing with new techniques and new technology.

But, moving on, one thing I noticed this year, were how many monochromatic and black & white pieces there were.  Very diverse in subject and style, but black & white none-the-less. This was one of my favorites of the day.  Each bit of straw had a wonderful quote or saying on it. You could stay for hours just reading the bits of wisdom.

The monochromatic nature theme persisted. This huge piece is charcoal on paper (with me reflected in the glass).

Sometimes an accent of color was added.

 

Is this trend a reaction to climate change?  I am not sure.

There were of course classics and Fairfield Porter is one of my favorites. It was a joy to see a room with several of his works I had never seen before.

That’s the beauty of Art Fair.  You see the new work, but you also discover older pieces that the galleries are trying to sell, and even classics.

There was this little minimalist gem that caught my attention right at the end…

Basel also had rows and rows of unfathomable art that I couldn’t begin to comprehend.  But I still gravitate to the pieces that relate directly to my world.  I know there is a place for the other, but these are the ones I connect to.

All in all it was a very full day. These two galleristas agree.