Exclusive art events are coming to luxury condos on the eve of Art Basel. Here’s why

Luxury condo towers across Miami are prepping for Art Basel by hosting meet and greets with famed artists and exclusive showings.

It’s all part of what buyers expect these days, organizers said.

“More buildings are doing this,” said Alex Martin, vice president of Doral-based KW Property Management & Consulting. “People are buying at these places for the experience. They buy into these buildings to become the residents that never check out.”

In 2018, for instance, Oceana Bal Harbour hosted a reception with artist Jeff Koons, whose sculpture, “Seated Ballerina,” resides on the grounds. This year, residents at Brickell City Center and Portofino South Beach will have the chance to mingle with artists over a glass of wine. Those at Portofino and Brickell City Center will have the opportunity to chat with a variety of artists, yet to be announced.

All of the events are exclusive to residents and their guests. “It adds to that exclusivity value,” Martin said.

The events also help build community, said Marcella Novela, founder and president of the Miami Beach-based Art Conductor. She is curating a rotating art collection with Massachusetts-based art gallery Cynthia-Reeves for the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach.

Novela and Allison Greenfield, a partner at Lionheart Capital, covered in mid-November all of the common spaces at the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach, or about 25,000 square feet, with approximately 50 artworks by a variety of artists, including Allison Gildersleeve, Stephen Schaub and collaborators Sam Stubblefield and Joshua Borsman. Residents can purchase the artworks — some already have, Greenfield said — which are priced between $2,000 to $110,000 per artwork.

“What happens is you have a new condo open but over time the style gets old. With the gallery rotating artwork, you’re constantly seeing new art and new ideas,” Greenfield said.

Novela and Greenfield also established an artist in residence program, in which a local talent spends three months working from a studio at the residence and working with homeowners on any of their creative projects. The first artist to participate, Magnus Sodamin, will start operating from the space this week. Based in Miami, Sodamin developed his painting practice from the Nansen Academy in Lillehammer, Norway.

“We are creating this ambiance where you feel engaged. Some of these new buildings have no activation and we want people to feel like they’re at home from the start,” Novela said.

The events are happening days away from Art Basel as snowbirds return to South Florida. Art Basel Miami Beach will take place at the Miami Beach Convention Center from Dec. 5-8, 2019.

“It’s becoming part of our culture and is expected by residents,” Martin said.

This article was updated to remove references to an event at Oceana Bal Harbour that occurred in the past.

This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 4:30 AM.