Deconstructing Art Basel Miami Beach
This fair is one of three to be studied in a Swiss sociology project.
Art fairs in the 21st century have—at least by uncharitable commentators—been compared to zoos, with big cat dealers staking out their territory (those prime position booths are all important for catching the early prey that comes through the door) while nimble, meerkat-like buyers encircle the goods on offer. A more serious, academic light has rarely been shone on this art ecosystem but a new research project initiated by a team of sociologists from the University of St Gallen in Switzerland aims to “find out more about the dynamics of the rapid transformation of the art world, its social structures and cultural functions”, with Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) as the focus of the venture.
“The art world is a complex social phenomenon. The relationship between art and money is antagonistic but at the same time, these two elements come together easily at art fairs. We want to explore this contradiction,” says Franz Schultheis, the professor leading the study. The project began at Art Basel in June and will continue in May 2012 at Art HK, the Hong Kong International Art Fair recently acquired by MCH Group, the owners of Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach.
So far, the researchers have made a few revealing discoveries. “Collectors often tell us what they think of other collectors—they divide each other up into categories. So some will discuss a ‘real’ collector, while others talk about individuals who only buy for investment,” says Schultheis. What impression does he have of the Miami art scene so far? “There is cultural globalisation here.”
The research team will conduct one-on-one interviews with key collectors, dealers and curators at the fair this week. A visitors’ survey will also be handed out on the floor, which includes questions such as: “Do you have the feeling that the trends in contemporary art reflected at ABMB are: [multiple choice answers include] in step with the time; short-lived; repetitive; market conform-commercial.” Another question asks participants to name contemporary artists they consider to be “clearly overvalued by the market”.
Picture: Social stereotypes? Visitors to Art Basel Miami Beach in 2008, photographed by Martin Parr (© Martin Parr/MAGNUM PHOTOS)
More news
 |
Last night, Art Miami, the city’s longest running contemporary art fair and anchor fair, hosted an unprecedented Opening Night VIP Preview, which unveiled a compelling array of works from internationally renowned modern and contemporary artists from the 20th and 21st centuries.
01 December '11
www.artfixdaily.com
|
 |
Portraits by Velazquez and Goya are the main attractions in a 55.6-million-pound ($86.5 million) series of Old Master auctions in London next month that have struggled to lure big-ticket works by major artists.
30 November '11
www.bloomberg.com
|
 |
In one decade, Art Basel Miami Beach has catapulted from lively newcomer on the art fair scene in the Americas to an annual destination for the international contemporary art set.
28 November '11
www.artfixdaily.com
|
 |
In keeping with its ongoing expansion of its online and mobile access strategy, Christie’s International launches its newly upgraded mobile applications, enhancing the Christie’s digital experience for a global audience of mobile device users.
30 November '11
www.artdaily.org
|
 |
Brazil has been a powerhouse in the art world for more than a decade, and now its booming economy is putting its artists and collectors on the global map.
30 November '11
www.artdaily.org
|
 |
The British Museum announces the major acquisition of a complete set of Picasso’s Vollard Suite, which will go on display at the Museum in the summer of 2012.
30 November '11
www.artdaily.org
|
 |
The men face maximum sentences of 30 years in prison for armed robbery at the end of the week-long trial in Aix-en-Provence. The leader's lawyer claims they were a bunch of bumbling art amateurs talked into the heist by the world's most notorious art detective bent on catching bigger prey.
27 November '11
www.telegraph.co.uk
|
 |
The National Gallery in London says it is cracking down on ticket-scalping for a major exhibition of the works of Leonardo da Vinci, which opened on Nov. 9.
27 November '11
artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com
|
 |
Artist Damien Hirst's diamond-encrusted skull sculpture will go on display as part of the first major retrospective of his career to be staged in his native Britain.
22 November '11
www.artdaily.org
|
 |
Famed street artist-cum-celebrated-printmaker Shepard Fairey, of OBEY fame, is backing the Occupy Wall Street movement with a new piece of artwork that turns his iconic 2008 campaign poster in support of Barack Obama into a plea for him to join the 99 percent.
22 November '11
newyork.ibtimes.com
|
 |
Online venture s[edition] will sell limited edition digital works by contemporary artists.
21 November '11
www.theartnewspaper.com
|
 |
From 2013 China will have a declining working population… but India’s will grow for 30 years
21 November '11
www.theartnewspaper.com
|
 |
National Gallery staff support action over security cuts which they believe will make collection vulnerable to damage or theft
21 November '11
www.guardian.co.uk
|
 |
More than 160 international galleries will participate in the first edition of Frieze Art Fair's US venture, which is to take place in Randall's Island Park, Manhattan, from May 4th through 7th, 2012.
21 November '11
www.artinfo.com
|
 |
Nude photographs posted in riposte to Chinese police interrogation of videographer for picture of Ai and women naked.
21 November '11
www.guardian.co.uk
|
 |
PAN Amsterdam is twenty-five years old and a celebration for every art lover. This fair of today for art, antiques and design presents a fascinating cross-section of what the trade currently has to offer and is an important indicator of the mood of the art market.
21 November '11
www.artdaily.org
|
 |
The anonymous bidder who paid more than £7,000 – far above the top estimate – for a painting by an utterly obscure dead American artist was certainly pleased: it was a high price for a work by Nat Tate, but a bargain for an original work by the buyer's favourite novelist, Tate's close friend William Boyd.
21 November '11
www.guardian.co.uk
|
 |
The outspoken Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has said he feels as though he has paid a ransom, after depositing 8.45m yuan (£845,000) into a government account while he contests a huge tax bill after being held in police detention.
16 November '11
www.guardian.co.uk
|
