Forty-Eight Galleries Exhibit at Design Miami/ Basel
30 Jun, 2013
DESIGN MIAMI/ BASEL PRESENTS MOST IMPORTANT SHOW TO DATE WITH 48 GALLERIES FROM 13 COUNTRIES, STRONG SALES AND RECORD ATTENDANCE, REAFFIRMING ITS POSITION AS THE WORLD’S LEADING FAIR FOR COLLECTIBLE DESIGN.
The new Herzog & de Meuron-designed Hall 1 Süd in Basel’s Messeplatz set the stage for the eighth edition of Design Miami/ Basel, which presented forty-eight galleries exhibiting museum-quality historic pieces and new works commissioned exclusively for the fair to 25.300 visitors over 7 days.
“Design Miami/ Basel 2013 has been our largest and most successful show to date with an increase in physical space, a record number of participating galleries and a 15% increase in visitor attendance over last year,” says Marianne Goebl, director of Design Miami/.
There was a notable increase in the number of collectors, designers and cultural personalities visiting the fair, including Dasha Zhukova and Roman Abramovich, Peter Brant and Stephanie Seymour, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lucas Haas, Laurence Graff, Jonathan Zebina, Benedikt Taschen, Norman Braman, Jacques Grange, Adam Lindemann, Caroline Bourgeois, Martin Bethenod, Etienne Russo, Raf Simons, Jean Pigozzi, Ginevra Elkann, Martin Margulies, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Massimiliano Gioni, Dominique Lévy, Simon and Michaela de Pury, Zaha Hadid, Bruno Bischofberger, Jacques Herzog, Helen Schwab, Almine Picasso, Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, John Baldessari, Caroline Sarkozy, Pierre Yovanovich, Lee Mindel, Fernando Romero and Soumaya Slim de Romero as well as Kanye West. Dr. Al Eiber, an American Collector, commented, “This is my first time to Basel and the quality of design pieces here is exceptional.”
Design Miami/ Basel welcomed several first-time Design Gallery participants with various specialties including Galerie Pascal Cuisinier of Paris presenting French furniture from the 1950s; Thomas Fritsch – ARTRIUM of Paris with mid-century French ceramics; Southern Guild from South Africa with contemporary design; Steinitz of Paris specializing in antiques from the seventeenth to nineteenth century; and YMER &MALTA of Paris, featuring contemporary European designers. A renewed dialogue between historic and contemporary design was a prominent theme at Design Miami/ Basel 2013. A spectacular total environment was created by Carpenters Workshop Gallery in collaboration with Steinitz where antiques from the 17th and 18th centuries were merged with cutting-edge contemporary work. Several galleries recreated historic interiors to contextualize the work of the twentieth entury’s most significant designers including Jacksons’ Alvar Aalto Sanatorium, a Pierre Paulin interior by Jousse Entreprise and recreation of George Nakashima’s studio in New Hope, Pennsylvania at Sebastian + Barquet.
There were several blue-chip, mid-century pieces of extraordinary provenance that were originally commissioned by cultural and social leaders of the twentieth century. Within minutes of the Collector’s Preview opening, Galerie Patrick Seguin sold “La Maison des Jours Meilleures”, a prefabricated structure designed by Jean Prouvé at the initiative of Abbé Pierre in 1956. Demisch Danant presented a monumental tapestry by Sheila Hicks commissioned by Eli Rothschild in 1969. Galerie Jacques Lacoste presented a marble console & mural commissioned by Jean Michel Frank to Alberto Giacometti in 1939.
Design Miami/ Basel inaugurated its new home in Hall 1 Süd with an expanded cultural program to complement the fair’s gallery program. Guests were welcomed with a transformative Design Performance through the fair’s main entrance on the ground floor. Berlin-based designer, Judith Seng, presented ACTING THINGS IV – Material Flow, which brought together the worlds of material production and modern dance – staging a poetic evolution of material, movement and objects over the course of the fair, seven consecutive days for eight hours a day.
A highlight of the fair was the debut of the commissions by the W Hotels Designers of the Future Award Winners. The coveted award seeks to give emerging designers a global platform from which to showcase their work. This year for the first time the three winning designers, Seung-Yong Song (Korea), Jon Stam (Canada) and Bethan Laura Wood (UK), were sent to specific new or renovating W Hotels to solve a particular design challenge or need. In addition to being showcased at Design Miami/ Basel, the newly commissioned, site-specific works will later be installed at W Hotels in Verbier, Bangkok and Mexico City.
Design Miami/ Basel’s exclusive partners contributed greatly to the fair experience. Audi commissioned Hamburg–based scenographer Tim John to create a unique installation,“Home of quattro”, through the art of paper-cutting, in addition to providing the VIP Car Service. American Express hosted the elegant Collectors Lounge, featuring a Perrier-Jouët bar and designed by Vitra.
The fair’s cultural program offered several Satellite Exhibitions including Berlin-based bookstore do you read me?!, and Swiss-focused presentations by the Swiss Architecture Museum, Verbier Mountain Climbers and Swiss Design Engagement. In addition, a three-day series of Design Talks featured conversations with designers, artists, and collectors, exploring issues and insights into the world of design creation, collecting, and collaborations.
Online Partner Artsy created a digital experience where users can explore the gallery exhibitions and gain insights from gallerists, curators and collectors, opening up Design Miami/ Basel to its growing network of over 130,000 visitors around the world. Design Miami/ Basel 2013 will be on view on Artsy through June 23rd.
Design Miami/ Basel reconfirmed its position as the global forum for design and the only fair dedicated to representing the most relevant positions in collectible design, from the advents of modernism to experimental contemporary work.
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