Art Basel Miami Beach fair moving forward ‘full tilt,’ organizers say
Art Basel’s Miami Beach fair slated for December is still on, said Noah Horowitz, Art Basel Director Americas.
Fair organizers have just finalized the selections of gallerists for the Miami Beach show. “We’re planning full tilt on the basis and expectation that we can hold a fair in Miami in December,” he said.
“It feels far enough out that this can work. That’s what we’re focused on.”
An April 27 memo from Art Basel to its global gallerists led to speculation that the December art fair’s 2020 edition might be in limbo. The fair is the centerpiece of Miami Art Week, which draws tens of thousands of collectors and enthusiasts to South Florida.
The letter said, “Throughout 2020, if we are forced to cancel a fair due to the COVID-19 crisis, whether in Basel or in Miami Beach, we will fully refund any fees already paid by exhibitors.”
The letter was sent to assure exhibitors that they would not be on the hook financially should the virus crisis drag on, Horowitz said.
The pandemic led Art Basel’s organizers to cancel its March 2020 fair in Hong Kong; at that time, it withheld 25% of exhibitors’ payments for expenses. Organizers have said those exhibitors can apply that money toward fees at another Art Basel fair.
Organizers also delayed their fair in Basel, Switzerland, moving from the usual June dates to Sept. 17-20.
While plans for both Miami and Basel are moving forward, organizers are proceeding with the caveats that have become standard amid the fast-changing pandemic.
“None of us has a crystal ball,” Horowitz said. “We can’t predict how governments are going to act. We don’t know when our clients are going to feel safe traveling. We don’t know what social distancing will mean.”
