Several years ago, it was necessary to be on the ground to see something first. While being present still reigns supreme, many art exhibitions can be viewed from the comfort of one’s own home or while riding the subway, via Instagram. It is in this way that Eyes Towards the Dove has compiled a list of things to see and people to follow during Art Basel Miami Beach, 2017.

Last year I was invited to Art Basel to speak on a panel and this year decided last-minute, to stay in New York. The balmy Miami temperatures are always a draw and while I was invited to many events, dinners, breakfasts and exhibitions previews, I wasn’t offered a trip paid in full or an official assignment to cover. That said, I’m enjoying observing everything through my iPhone. As so many friends and colleagues are playing (and working) on South Beach, it is a quieter in New York and I’ve found time to contemplate larger subjects including sexual harassment and the fate of the art writing industry.

Often a goal or focal point when looking at art in the context of an art fair is to see something new or if a collector, to get a deal on a work you’d like to acquire. As a writer, I’ve sought out work by artists I admire and those who I’m not familiar with. In doing so, I think of three main qualities: How does the work speak to today? / How does it communicate with art history? / How has it been technically executed?

In the images below, some of the artists are mostly on my radar but some, such as Nino Mier Gallery artist Madeleine Pfull and David Castillo Gallery artist Christina Quarles showing with Gagosian x Jeffrey Deitch were not. Be sure to follow the Instagram accounts below of art world insiders as well as mine (@katyhamer) for updates on fairs and more.  xx

OSGEMEOS Love is Everything, 2017

Update: Lest we forget sales….I received a full sales report from VIP First Choice Preview from Marta de Movellan of Lehmann Maupin Gallery and some highlights are below!

Hernan Bas‘ latest painting The missing glove (2017) sold in the range of $90,000-$100,000 USD.

A stainless steel wall panel by Teresita Fernández, Blind Land (Green) has sold in the range of $225,000-$275,000 USD. Fernández will be in conversation with Artsy curator-at-large Matthew Israel on Friday, December 8th at 11AM at the Edition Hotel in Miami, on the occasion of her new monograph, Wayfinding. A brunch and book signing with the artist will follow the talk. RSVP is necessary.
A new painting by OSGEMEOS, titled Love is Everything (2017), left, image courtesy of the artists and the gallery, sold in the range of $130,000-$140,000 USD. The Brazilian duo will have a solo exhibition in Hong Kong at the gallery during the Art Basel Hong Kong fair next year.
Angel Otero’s painting Chasing the Tear (2017) has sold in the range of $65,000-$75,000 USD. Otero currently has a solo exhibition, titled Elegies, at the Bronx Museum of Art in New York, on view through April 2018.
An edition of Erwin Wurm‘s sculpture Short bag (2017) sold in the range of €50,000-€75,000 EUR to a trustee of the Aspen Art Museum.

*Click on thumbnail to see more detail.