Picture Perfect South Beach

	From the ShanghART Gallery, Shanghai
	MCH Swiss Exhibition (Basel/Zurich) AG

South Beach, Fla., the town renowned for its decadent hotels, club scene and beautiful people, is transformed during the second weekend of December.

From Dec. 7-10, this section of Miami turns into a massive art party, and art enthusiasts, collectors, dealers, critics and curators travel from around the world to attend.

Art Basel Miami Beach is the sister event of Art Basel in Switzerland, one of the most prestigious art fairs in the world for the last three decades.

Founded by Sam Keller, the director of Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach, the showcase is located in the Art Deco district of Miami, mere walking distance from all the other main attractions of South Beach.

The festival, now in its fifth year, features a wide array of art, from visual to performance; in addition to viewing the art for sale, there are panel discussions, multimedia shows and movies.

The art ranges widely in price, from a few hundred dollars to works in the millions. The estimated total value of art sold at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2005 was $2 billion, according to AXA Fine Art Insurance.

Over 200 galleries from around the world are featured at the prestigious event.

"We come because Art Basel Miami Beach is one of the key international venues for showing contemporary art. Our intent is to always put our artists in the best possible venues and bring the public awareness of what they do," says Arthur Solway, director of the James Cohan Gallery in New York, who has been attending the festival since 2002.

The works from the Cohan Gallery range in price from $3,500 to $3 million, Solway says, and the booth is different from other galleries in that it is designed to be more of an exhibition than one of commerce. Here, different artists are paired to give viewers an understanding of each one's commonalities.

Some of Cohan's highlights this year include Bill Viola, Yinka Shonibare, Roxy Paine, Folkert de Jong, Ingrid Calame and Trenton Doyle Hancock.

Further, as independent art consultant Kiran Carpenter points out, Art Basel Miami Beach is not only considered the largest art fair in the United States, but it also "gives people a chance to get exposed to international art, and [in turn] is a great opportunity for galleries in the United States to get international exposure."

A one-day ticket to the festival is $24; two-day admission is $36.

Invite Only

There are several exclusive events that do require an invite, such as the first annual Miami Launching of the Publikum Art Calendar Project at the Wolfsonian Museum. The project features artists such as Barbara Kruger, David Byrne and Andrea Dezso.

In addition, there are several private viewings at area collector's homes.

The key to getting into these hobnob events is, as always, who you know. So be social as you wander the festival if you need to score an invite.