7 Unmissable Booths at Art Basel in Miami Beach 2022

Art Basel in Miami Beach (December 1-3) has returned to Magic City for its 20th-anniversary presentation, hosting 282 galleries from 38 countries and territories. Under the direction of Marc Spiegler at its mainstay location, the Miami Beach Convention Center, the fair greets guests with 26 first-time presenters, as well, including Sophie Tappeiner from Vienna, Queer Thoughts from New York, and Paulo Kuczynski from São Paulo.

Art Basel Miami Beach 2022

Yesterday, Whitewall explored the endless creativity held within the expansive space, exiting with a list of the best booths to see. First, fairgoers won’t want to miss Perrotin‘s show filled with playful sculptures and diverse paintings from artists like Otani Workshop, ob, Madsaki, Emi Kuraya, Daniel Arsham, Takashi Murakami, Paola Pivi, Nick Doyle, and Josh Sperling.

From ob’s dreamy oil on canvas work Tea Amidst a Sea of Cloud to Otani Workshop’s Seated Bear, Standing Rabbit, and Standing Boy bronze sculptures, visitors will be immersed in a presentation that’s loaded with surprises around every bend.

While in the booth, we caught Arsham standing in front of his isle-facing works—an acrylic on canvas painting and a large sculpture—and witnessed Pivi’s decadent wall installation of bunched, cascading pearls.

Top Presentations at ABMB 2022

Buzzing through the isles, we were sure to catch sight of Nina Chanel Abney‘s large-scale works with Pace Prints and Nari Ward‘s Black-Spangled Banner at Galleria Continua before ending up at Thaddaeus Ropac. At first, we were struck with Alex Katz‘s Straw Hat 3 oil on linen painting before catching David Salle‘s The Kiss, Tom Sachs‘s Lil Bit of Heaven and Figurative Tower, Robert Rauschenberg‘s Summer Glut Fence, and Donald Judd‘s painted aluminum installation named Untitled (89-18 Lascaux) from 1989.

Snaking through the convention center, we then made sure to pop into Pace Gallery and catch DRIFT‘s stunning digital work on 4K screens, Coded Nature 1, Elmgreen & Dragset‘s Action Painter, Fig. 1 installation, Robert Nava‘s Hell Hounds Spirit Transfer painting, Alexander Calder‘s Peau Rouge red steel work.

Passing White Cube Gallery‘s lively presentation of Jeff Koons‘s Bowl of Eggs, we wound up wowed at Mariane Ibrahim by paintings by Amoako Boafo and No Martins. The latter’s painting, Holiday, featured a gorgeous scene of a family enjoying time at the beach—waves, a sand pail, and a volleyball included.

More From Art Basel Miami Beach

Night Gallery showed “Guts”—an immersive presentation by Samara Golden that engulfed the space in colorful squiggles that popped from the walls. Below, a mirrored surface reflected the colors and played host to small colorful sculptures that seemed to blend in. For the artist’s third solo presentation with the gallery, the illusion recalled the facade of a skyscraper with an atrium at its center to distort personal and collective experiences, taking guests on a rambunctious ride.

For the fair’s “Kabinett” sector—which features specially curated exhibitions by 29 galleries—we couldn’t resist Kavi Gupta‘s showing of Tomokazu Matsuyama‘s pieces. Art patrons from all isles congregated in front of the Brooklyn-based artist’s eye-catching silver sculpture before being awash in his large-scale painting’s color.

Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama

Last but certainly not least, Louis Vuitton struck our attention by revisiting a maison favorite—its unforgettable collaboration with Yayoi Kusama. In celebration of the line’s 10th anniversary, the house is expected to release a selection of new handbags made with the artist on January 6, 2023, featuring her iconic dots and pumpkins across several styles.

At the fair, guests can see for the very first time some of those handbags, including the monogrammed Speedy nano and the Artycapucines. Anchoring the lounge are also archival materials belonging to the house that showcase their dedication to the arts over the years, including original artworks and best-seller accessories from designers of the house’s past, like Marc Jacobs and Virgil Abloh.

For an additional treat, Louis Vuitton is showcasing two wax figures of Yayoi Kusama that the artist created herself, paintings by names like Richard Prince and Alex Katz, and a larger-than-life Takashi Murakami panda sculpture perched atop a vintage trunk.