Art Basel 2012 Retrospective
Every December, Miami transforms from a tropical paradise of under-the-sun fun, nightlife and dining to an artistic cultural hub. At the heart of the movement: Art Basel. Now in its 12 year, the weeklong celebration of all things art is upon us. From Miami Beach to the Design District, Midtown to Wynwood and back to the beach again, it’s a week of art for as far as the eye can see, soirees that go until the wee hours of the morn, pop up shops, restaurants, bars, concerts—it’s Basel in all its glory. And there is nothing else in the world quite like it. In case you’ve forgotten what all the fuss is about, here’s a look back at Art Basel 2012.
We’ve highlighted some of our favorite events, and with them come unforgettable moments, like Andre Balaz at Chez Andre, our first steps into Untitled and the garden hose piece that greeted us at the door. And there was Le Baron at Pearl were the party was so packed dancing on your neighbor was part of the celebration. Who could forget the glamour of Monceler’s anniversary and Pharrell in his camo suit? The unveiling of ShopBazaar sent fashionistas into a frenzy, and Silencio’s guest list was like walking into the Oscars. Are you prepared to do it all over again, Miami? Ready or not it’s Art Basel 2013.
Design Miami
It’s the interior design art fair that will leave you longing to revamp your entire abode, in some of the most beautiful, most functional, most far out design elements on the planet—think bubble-blowing light fixtures. Design Miami brings together esteemed and emerging designers, curators, gallerists, collectors and celebs—of course. Last year, Kanye West, Terry Richardson, Pharrell Williams, Craig Robins, Martha Stewart, Will Ferrell and Chelsea Handler all got a glimpse of the wonder and beauty inside of the Design Miami tent.
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Pharrell Williams
Martha Stewart
Kanye West
Michael Dreiling
Valerie Chapoulaud-Floquet & David Goubert
Wendell Castle
Will Ferrell
Crash the Ball
One of the most highly anticipated events of this Basel is the opening of Perez Art Museum Miami, formerly known as MAM. And one of the highlights of last year’s Basel was the official MAM Gala afterparty, Crash the Ball, which, as it turns out, was the last official after party of the gala. Held at Miami-Dade Cultural Center, where the museum called home for 29 years, as a tribute to the museum’s final days in its former digs before its move to Museum Park, the party drew in the likes of gallery owners, artists, socialites and world-renowned DJs. Guests danced under the stars to the beats of NY DJ duo Tanlines, sipped cocktails at the glowing white bars, posed for pics in the photo booth, which were displayed in real time on giant screens, and took snack breaks to savor James Beard-nominated pastry chef Hedy Goldsmith’s signature desserts. It was a farewell party to remember.
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Hedy Goldsmith
Alice Klein, Aaron Podhurst, & Norman Klein
Jorge & Darlene Perez
Chez Andre
Andre Balaz has long had a hand in Miami’s scene. Basel was no exception. The hotelier created Chez Andre, a three-day rock ’n’ roll karaoke club for Art Basel 2012. With the likes of The Strokes, Julian Lennon and Andre Balaz himself, with Chelsea Handler in tow, it was a party perfectly in tune with Basel-mania.
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Andre Balazs & Chelsea Handler
Andre Saraiva, Andre Balazs, & Chelsea Handler
The Strokes
Remo Ruffini & Moncler 60th Anniversary
It was the beacon of light glowing at the 1111 Parking Garage that first caught passersby attention, as the space above Miami Beach transformed itself into the uber exclusive Moncler 60th anniversary party. Guests, adorned in puffy white coats (the gift for the evening), mixed and mingled with the A-list after dinner. The event, which drew in the likes of Paris and Nicky Hilton, Pharrell, Karolina Kurkova and Bruce Weber, was one of Basel’s more posh soirees, complete with smoke machines, Hollywood lighting and a guest list that most stood zero chance of penetrating.
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Helen Lasichanh & Pharrell Williams
Archie Drury & Karolina Kurkova
Paris Hilton & Nicky Hilton
Bruce Weber & Cristina Gnugnoli
Sarah Colombo, Remo Ruffini, & Karolina Kurkova
Haute Living VIP Dinner
Haute Living’s Art Basel issue, featuring Daphne Guinness on its cover, became the foundation for a serious Basel fete. Honoring the cover girl, the magazine hosted an upscale affair at Villa Azur with the likes of Martha Stewart, Karolina Kurkova, Russell Simmons, Ray Allen, Juwan and Jenine Howard, Lea Black, Marysol Patton, Stephen Dorff and Dj Irie all in attendance.
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Daphne Guinness
Daphne Guinness & Karolina Kurkova
Juwan Howard, Jim Jackson, & Ray Allen
Janice Combs, Jim Jackson, Violet Camacho, Jenine & Juwan Howard, & Jonathan Cheban
UNTITLED. Vernissage
An art fair in the sand—we all knew it would happen sooner or later. Turns out, it was sooner than later when Untitled celebrated its first year at Basel 2012. The forward-thinking art fair in fact made its mark as the world’s first art fair on the beach, to be exact. Cuban-born and Miami-raised Omar Lopez-Chahoud curated the fair, which focused on approximately 50 international galleries.
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Jeffrey Lawson
Sagamore Art Basel Brunch
This annual coveted event, with roots dating back to 2001, brought together six museums, including the Bass Museum of Art, Lowe Art Museum, Miami Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, The Patricia & Phillip Frost Museum of Art at FIU and the Wolfsonian-FIU, to connect some of the biggest art collectors, gallery owners, artists and more at the Cricket and Martin W. Taplin-hosted event. It’s one of the hottest tickets at Basel, if you’re lucky enough to make the list.
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Cricket Taplin
Silencio at FDR
If ever the pop up had its place in the sun, it’s Basel. Case in point: Parisian nightclub Silencio at the Delano Hotel, where the guest list was an A-list only affair with guests like Demi Moore, Jeremy Piven, Paris Hilton, Diddy, Pharrel and so on. Chances are you probably didn’t get to experience it first hard. But these pics should fill you in on all the glorious details.
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Demi Moore & Ron Burkle
Jeremy Piven
Lokesh Melwani & Sean “Diddy” Combs
Alison Mosshart, Arthur Baker, & Jamie Hince of The Kills
VH1 You Oughta Know + SCOPE Miami
One of the greatest side effects of Art Basel’s stay in Miami are the concerts it brings with it. At the top of that list was last year’s VH1 You Oughta Know + SCOPE Miami event with Metric and The Dolls: Mia Moretti & Caitlin Moe. The official after party of Scope Miami, the private, outdoor event marked VH1’s first entry into the art space. With art and music fueling the event, it was enough ear and eye candy to keep the masses wondering what’s on tap this year.
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Metric
The Dolls
Le Baron
Speaking of parties, Le Baron became the nightly Basel event you had to peg down in order to attend. From Rec Room to Nikki Beach to Jelsomino to the Orchid, the roaming Parisian nightclub was an “it” spot everywhere it went. Drawing in an A-list crowd meant the guest list was a tough nut to crack, so if you didn’t get in, here’s a look at what you missed. Better luck finding and fete-ing at Le Baron this year.
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Pharrell Williams
Julian Lennon
Andre Saraiva, Scout Willis, & Emmanuel Perrotin
Grissell Tudisco
The Design District
While not an actual event, but more of a hub for endless events, the Design District made its mark during Basel. Magazine-fueled pop-up shops, block parties, exhibitions, it was the place to be, be seen and see it all. Some of the most memorable events of last year include ShopBazaar, which made the pages of Harper’s Bazaar shop-able. Also, the Absolut Block Party, which served as the kickoff to Chez Andre. Think DJs, pingpong tables, juice bars and bands. In terms of art, it was Raneytown by Rebecca Raney at Primary Projects that took the cake. Her bold, colorful, larger-than-life works brought the whimsey and cool to the District.
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Andre Saraiva & Joe Weinverger
Rebeca Raney
Asif
Chris Oh, Rebeca Raney, Typoe, Cristina Gonzalez, & Books Bischof
Ricardo Dunin & Andrea Greenberg
Stephanie March, Bobby Flay, & Glenda Bailey
Glenda Bailey
Christina Getty, Martina Basabe, & Criselda Breene
Art Basel Closing Night
It’s always a pleasure to watch it come and a bit of a bittersweet relief to watch it go. To celebrate the closing of Art Basel, The Moore Building’s Rooftop Garden transformed into a pop-up cocktail bar from First Trust, with mixologists Steve Livigni and Pablo Moix, the forces behind La Descarga at Harvard & Stone of L.A. whipping up drinks to toast the official end of Basel. But they weren’t just any cocktails slung in a glass, as both mixologists were nominated for the 2012 Best American Cocktail Bar by Takes of the Cocktail and Pour Vous, one of CNN’s 2012 Top 10 Best New Bars in America, as well as winner of the 2012 Best Modern Cocktails by LA Weekly. Let’s just say last call was as jarring as the end of Basel itself.
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Cedric Gervais Sh!t Show at LIV
The Sh!t Show took on Art Basel, turning LIV into the ultimate kickoff party. Trey Smith played an opening set followed by Cedric Gervais while Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Reggie Bush, and Paris Hilton partied and celebrated the beginning of Basel.
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Trey Smith & Will Smith
Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, & Trey Smith
Paris Hilton
Chanel Beachside BBQ Celebrating Art.sy
Chanel’s Beachside Bash for Art.sy was one of the hottest parties of the week so far at Art Basel Miami Beach. VIP attendees including Lenny Kravitz and Demi Moore partied at the chic Soho Beach House and reveled in the contagious artistic energy.
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Lenny Kravitz & Demi Moore
Design Talks With Diane Von Furstenberg
As part of the Design Miami/’s Design Pioneers talks, Diane Von Furstenberg and Stefano Tonchi discussed Diane’s journey into the fashion fashion world and the impact she has had on women’s empowerment, and the power of technology in design and collaboration.
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Diane Von Furstenberg
Stefano Tonchi & Diane Von Furstenberg
Design Talks With Pharrell Williams
For the Friday installment of Design Talks at DesignMiami/, DACRA CEO and President Craig Robins sat down with mogul Pharrell[Williams] for an intimate conversation about Pharrell’s creative crossover from music to fashion, furniture and soon film. There was a mutual respect between the men, an understood air of relatability and an uncanny sense of comradery. And while their creative interests continue to feed off of one another, those of us stationed in Miami are happy to reap the benefits of the relationship, and having Robins at the helm of Miami’s Design District.
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Terry Richardson, Pharrell Williams, & Kanye West
Pharrell Williams, Craig Robins, Kanye West, & Terry Richardson
Craig Robins & Pharrell Williams
Kanye West
Dom Pérignon Luminous Rosé
Aby Rosen hosted one of Basel’s most well-attended affairs. The star-studded gathering took place at Rosen’s property, W South Beach Hotel and Residences, and the guest list was one of super-VIPs, wealth and Hollywood stars and starlets galore.
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Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Samantha Boardman, & Aby Rosen
Antoni Genn, Aby Rosen, Owen Wilson, Vito Schnabel, & Stacey Bendet
Kim Kardashian, Vera Wang, & Kanye West
Shepard Fairey at The Garage
Best known for his OBEY sticker campaign, artist-turned-DJ Shepard Fairey provided the musical entertainment at the grand opening of The Garage. For those who have yet to check out Fairey’s recently unveiled mural (created specifically for the 2012 installment of Art Basel Miami Beach) we highly suggest paying his walls a visit soon.
Shepard Fairey
Teenage Paparazzo YoungArts Screening
To celebrate Grenier’s film Teenage Paparazzo, the actor partnered with The National YoungArts Foundation during Art Basel Miami Beach to host a sold-out screening and panel discussion with World Red Eye Founder Seth Browarnik, actor Christian Slater and columnist Lesley Abravanel. The curated panel—a team of experts on the subject of celebrity and society—divulged into subjects including the rarely highlighted advantages of paparazzi, the future of social media and the cost of fame itself.
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Christina Hunter, Christian Slater, Seth Browarnik, Lesley Abravanel, & Adrian Grenier
Adrian Grenier & Christian Slater
Christian Slater, Seth Browarnik, Lesley Abravanel, & Adrian Grenier
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