Art Basel shifted its December dates. You’ll need to go elsewhere on Art Week Sunday
Reset your calendars. Art Basel Miami Beach is shifting its dates, leaving more hours for VIPs and fewer hours for regular fair goers.
For weekend art lovers, that means you’ll be spending your Sunday art-viewing hours elsewhere.
The Art Basel fair will now open Tuesday, Nov. 30 — but for VIPs only, giving two full days of exclusive access to VIPs “to reduce crowding and ensure a safe delivery of the show,” according to an Art Basel spokesperson.
The Meridians sector of large-scale installations will open to VIPs on Monday, Nov. 29.
The fair will open to regular ticket buyers Thursday, Dec. 2 through Saturday, Dec. 4.
Sister fair Design Miami/, run by separate organizers, will retain Sunday hours, a spokesperson said Thursday.
“In this environment of some still uncertainty, our job is first and foremost to protect the health and safety of our clients in the halls,” said Noah Horowitz, Art Basel Director for the Americas, in an interview.
“Our galleries are investing a substantial sum to come to the show. It is the most important fair of its kind in the U.S. market, especially coming out of COVID,” he said. “Collectively, we need to instill confidence in their clients, who are art world professionals and collectors.”
The influx of monied new residents from the Northeast and California has increased interest in the fair, he noted — creating an additional incentive to “create the right atmosphere .... it gives our gallery clients a further afternoon to be in the hall and know that everyone else in the hall at that time is an art world professional or collector.”
The move follows similar measures implemented at Art Basel fairs in its home city of Basel and in Hong Kong, he said.
No decision has been made whether the new opening hours will continue in future years, he said. The rental period for the Miami Beach Convention Center remains the same, he said. The fair and Miami Beach are in the third year of a five-year contract and currently are discussing a built-in five-year extension, he noted.
In timing that Horowitz called “coincidental,” Horowitz announced this week that after six years in the post, he is leaving Art Basel for an opportunity that, he said, he is not yet ready to discuss. The change should have no significant impact on the December show, he said, as all major fair decisions — including participating galleries and the show’s architecture — will already be set.
“For my part, it’s really been an extraordinary six years. The fair is such an extraordinary platform for the great galleries and works of art. And see how impactful Art Basel has been on the city of Miami Beach and Miami’s cultural scene is truly rewarding,” he said emotionally.
Sister fair DesignMiami/ will maintain its regular hours, organizers said Thursday. The fair will be open to VIPs by invitation only from Monday, Nov. 29, through Dec. 1. Public hours begin at 3 p.m. Dec. 2 and run through Saturday.
The largest December fair, Art Miami, still plans to be open on Sunday, Dec. 5.
“Currently the Art Miami fair is scheduled for Nov. 30 to Sunday Dec. 5,” wrote Art Miami Director Nick Korniloff in an email. “At this time we have no intention to change our date pattern. Sunday at Art Miami has always provided a substantial amount of business for our participating galleries and more leisure time for those visiting Miami during Art Week.
“Our organization remains committed to Miami and the overall South Florida Market with the shows we produce. The consistent historical schedule will provide our exhibiting galleries ample time to acquaint themselves with the seasoned and aspirational collectors who are now calling Miami and South Florida home for the first time while continuing to service our long-standing local and international loyal collectors that have been attending the fair for 30 years.”
This story was updated to include comments by Noah Horowitz and clarify opening hours for Design Miami/.
This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
