Miami's Sagamore Hotel Doubles as Gallery

MIAMI (TheStreet) -- Every December, South Florida becomes ground zero for the contemporary art world with Art Basel Miami.

The four-day art fair brings together the world's collecting elite and prominent dealers for exhibitions and parties. At the center of the madness is the Sagamore Hotel, an Art Deco palace owned by Marty and Christine "Cricket" Taplin that hosts several celebrity-filled soirées.

The Sagamore Hotel's lounge brings new meaning to bubbly.

The Taplins, who own one of Miami's best modern art collections, acquired the Sagamore Hotel and made it their personal gallery. While a night in the hotel's oceanfront bungalow could cost you more than $700, the gallery is free and open to the public.

"It's a very quiet and gentle way of introducing art to people that may never have been to a museum or gallery," Christine Taplin says.

Unlike resorts that reserve fine art for their penthouse suites, the Sagamore displays its collection in its lobby, restaurant and outdoor spaces. Visitors can gaze at life-sized installations of Roxy Paine's infamous mushrooms and works by Massimo Vitali and Jose Bedia. Like a museum, the hotel provides information for each piece.

"The art is inviting, thought provoking, creative and an unusual experience in a hotel," Christine Taplin says. "It provides intellectual stimulation and a connection to people and community that catches people off guard and engages people to learn."

Since the Taplin's bought the hotel in 1997, they've expanded their collection, adding an outdoor video garden near the resort's pool for video installations.