The Art Basel Cheat Sheet: What you have to see

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BY JANE WOOLDRIDGE
jwooldridge@MiamiHerald.com
In this cranky economy, art dealers are largely sticking with the tried-and-true, which means there is plenty of art to enjoy this weekend, even if you don't consider yourself an artsy type.
An unusual suite of eight Andy Warhol sunsets, Dubuffets by the dozen, arresting Cindy Sherman photographs and splendid groupings of works by Lee Krasner and Richard Prince are among works on display at Art Basel Miami Beach at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Paintings by Alex Katz, Robert Motherwell and Wifredo Lam are available in Art Miami's tent at Midtown. And at nearby Scope Miami, art lovers can see works by contemporary Chinese master Su Xinping.
''I think the quality this year is very high, better than last year,'' said Miami artist Sebastian Spreng.
The fact that there's so much to see results in the so-little-time dilemma. To help, here's a selection of don't-miss works:
ART BASEL
Famed pop artist Robert Rauschenberg, a Florida resident, was a regular visitor to Art Basel before his death earlier this year, and it's no surprise that a number of galleries are offering his works. The Washburn Gallery, booth H17, is offering seven Rauschenbergs that haven't been shown since they were created in the 1980s and purchased by actress Lily Tomlin. Prices run from $150,000-$550,000. (Catch another Rauschenberg retrospective at Gemini, F18.)
For pure beauty, stop by the Landau Gallery, booth J8, and commune with Rene Magritte's ethereal doves on a cerulean field in the painting, Les Graces Naturelles. Price: $11.5 million.
Rooftop Routine, a 4-minute DVD by Christina Jankowski at the London-based Lisson gallery, booth E8, features women performing joyful hula hoop routines on rooftops -- the kind of unadulterated exuberance not often seen in serious art. Price: 30,000 euros (about $38,300.)
At the PaceWildenstein gallery, H10, check out Tim Hawkinson's Laocoon, a surprisingly delicate sculpture crafted from the remains of an oversized truck tire.
Two of the weightiest works of art come from land artist Michael Heizer. You can see his Negative Wall Sculpture, #5, at five tons, and his Negative Wall Sculpture, #6, at six tons -- both masses of natural rock edged in ''boxes'' that sit above the floor, so the stone looks like it's floating. These are Heizer's first new works to be shown in a decade and sell for $700,000-$800,000 at the Freeman Gallery, H14.
At Moeller, J12, is an intriguing paper labyrinth by German artist Hubertus Gojowczyk, $85,000, that made the ''favorite'' list of several collectors.
Luis Camnitzer's Last Words appear on a series of massive panels at the Alexander Gray Gallery, N36. The spellbinding testimony of love for friends and family are presented as a Death Row inmate's last words. Price: $65,000.
Another exploration of life, death and the power of words: Obit, Gabriel Orozco's series of five mammoth prints, $27,000, featuring a floating collection of obituary headlines gathered from The New York Times is on display at Marian Goodman, E9.
Fans of Dubuffet won't want to miss the Helly Nahmad booth, J6, where 26 works -- most from the artist's late period -- are displayed. Prices range from $75,000-$2.5 million
Getting a lot of buzz is fenceMiami, the 24-karat chain-link fence by Aaron Young at Bortolami, booth N51. The fence appears to have been ''vandalized,'' and fairgoers seem to delight in slipping through the gaps. The gallery discloses the price only to ``serious buyers.''
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