arts-culture
Miami’s Must-See Contemporary Art Galleries and Exhibitions
A spectacular collection of modern art and large-scale installations
Miami is one of the most colorful, vibrant and exciting cities in the world, and a place where art imitates life in the most spectacular fashion.
Britto Central, Inc.
Michael Jordan, Elton John, Oprah Winfrey, and the Guggenheims, are just some of the high-profile fans of pop culture icon Romero Britto, but you don't have to move in such elite circles to enjoy his unique and colorful artwork. Britto Central, Inc. is located in Miami's Lincoln Road Mall, a buzzing pedestrian-only strip of Art Deco buildings, shops and cafes, where you can enjoy the eye-catching collection of the one of the world's youngest and most successful Pop Artists. He may be Brazilian, but his paintings are very Miami-whimsical illustrations and sculptures in an array of rich, vibrant colors-which swing from pop culture to cubism in the flick of a paint brush. Britto Central is a working studio, gallery and shop (check out his super handbags, ties, t-shirts, posters, prints, watches, mousepads, books and vases), and is also home to the Romero Britto Foundation which encourages children through art. The mall has a farmer's and antique market and street performers at weekends, great for a family outing.
Open Monday to Sunday, 10am-11pm, entry free.
Britto Central, Inc.
818 Lincoln Road
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
United States of America
+1 305 531 8821
info@britto.com
Art Basel Miami Beach 2008
Switzerland's Art Basel has commanded the attention of the international art world since the 1970s and the U.S. version, Art Basel Miami Beach, is now an established winter fixture on the American art calendar. More than 200 galleries from North and Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa gather at the Miami Beach Convention Center in early December each year to exhibit 20th and 21st century artworks by more than 2,000 leading artists and cutting-edge newcomers. The packed 4-day program also features music, film, architecture and design at various locations in Miami's historic Art Deco district, as well as exhibitions by emerging galleries, performance art, public art projects, and video art. My tip? Art Basel Miami Beach has become a vast exhibition, so take advantage of special one-hour guided tours which are conducted daily by leading art critics for an insider's look at the major installations and artists, operated by ArtNexus.
Art Basel Miami Beach 2008
1900 Convention Center
Miami Beach, Florida 28004
United States of America
+1 305 674 1292
The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse
Don't expect any paintings on these walls. This cutting-edge warehouse gallery, close to Miami's Wynwood Art District, is a temple of modernism showcasing key artistic movements from the 20th and 21st centuries: Bauhaus, European Modernism, American street photography, video and film, sculpture and a fabulous array of large-scale art installations. The vast, all-white, two-level space is the creation of one of Miami's most successful real estate developers and art collectors, Martin Z. Margulies, who has amassed an outstanding collection of international and American modern art from Joan Miro to Andy Warhol, and one of the finest photography collections in the U.S. The gallery is a raw, unforgiving space which allows the art to pop—Ernesto Neto's abstract of spice-filled women's tights hanging from the ceiling of the main room is amazing. Admission is free, but visitors are asked to make a donation to Lotus House, a shelter for homeless women and kids in Miami. Art and soul…love it.
The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse
591 NW 27th Street
Miami, Florida 33127
United States of America
+1 305 576 1051
mcollection@bellsouth.net
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
There are two sections to MOCA: the main Joan Lehman Building in North Miami, and a newer satellite gallery—Museum of Contemporary Art Warehouse—15 minutes away in the Wynwood Arts District which exhibits parts of the museum's permanent collection and special projects. The primary museum is a work of art in itself, with broad curving walls painted in earthy tones and an imposing entrance featuring a reflective pool, an interactive wishing well, and Miami's ubiquitous palm trees. The permanent collection comprises more than 400 works of art from paintings and photography to film, fashion, architecture, sculpture and installations. The temporary exhibitions rotate up to 10 times a year-previous headliners include Salvador Dali, Yoko Ono, and the late Gianni Versace-and there's also a gallery reserved for Miami-based artists only. Check out the museum's shop with books, jewelry and funky designs.
Museum of Contemporary Art
Joan Lehman Building
770 NE 125 Street
North Miami, Florida 33161
United States of America
+1 305 893 6211
info@mocanomi.org
Rubell Family Collection
One critic describes this gallery as the "sex, drugs and rock ‘n' roll" of art, and it's an apt description. This warehouse gallery, which was once a Drug Enforcement Agency storage unit for confiscated goods, takes no prisoners with its avant-garde approach to contemporary art: a visual assault of paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, installations, videos and moving mannequins dating from around the 1960s to the present day. The setting is a stark canvas of concrete floors, corrugated iron and flashing neon lights which make the artworks all the more confronting—there's some nudity, so think twice about taking the kids or anyone who is easily offended. The gallery belongs to avid collectors Don and Mera Rubell—27 spaces exhibiting more than 1,500 pieces by some top contemporary artists. There's a good gift shop and a sculpture garden—a great diversion from the beaches and bars of South Beach.
Rubell Family Collection
95 NW 29th Street
Miami, Florida 33127
United States of America
+1 305 573 6090
info@rfc.museum
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