Your First Look at the Best Booths of Art Basel Miami Beach

Art Basel Miami Beach 2024 is not just a marketplace; it will serve as a stage where the urgent questions of our time meet the timeless pursuit of beauty and meaning. This year’s fair will unfold as a kaleidoscopic dialogue between the personal and the collective, the historical and the contemporary, as artists and galleries from across the globe bring works that challenge perception, celebrate resilience, and evoke transcendence. Against the glittering backdrop of Miami, these presentations will remind us of art’s dual power: to mirror the complexities of our shared existence and to offer glimpses of new horizons.

From the quiet defiance of Alma Thomas’s chromatic symphony at White Cube to the tactile spirituality of Rashid Johnson’s visceral soulscapes at Hauser & Wirth, this year’s highlights will not simply demand to be seen—they will demand to be felt. They will invite us to linger in the luminous ambiguities of Yayoi Kusama’s infinite reflections, to navigate the rhythmic fluidities of Juan Uslé’s abstractions, and to confront the layered histories embedded in McArthur Binion’s gridded revelations. These are the pieces that will transcend the transactional, embodying the alchemy of material and emotion, concept and craft, that makes art not merely an object but an experience.

Alma Thomas at White Cube

Among the constellation of galleries that will illuminate Art Basel Miami Beach 2024, White Cube emerges as a compelling starting point with a presentation that bridges the intimate and the monumental. White Cube’s booth—C8—will offer a striking meditation on the legacies of abstraction, with Alma Thomas’s A Bed of Red Azaleas (1968) emerging as a poetic centerpiece. This intimate yet resonant work captures Thomas’s hallmark ability to translate the microcosmic rhythms of nature—flower petals, sunlight, and foliage—into a symphony of tessellated hues. Vibrant strokes of vermilion, pink, and cyan pulse with a dynamic energy, while interstitial spaces of white create a spatial interplay akin to sunlight filtering through leaves. Painted at a pivotal moment in Thomas’s career, just four years before her historic 1972 solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum—making her the first African American woman to achieve such recognition—the work embodies her belief in the transformative power of beauty and abstraction. Beyond its aesthetic allure, A Bed of Red Azaleas reflects Thomas’s quiet defiance of societal constraints, merging the exuberance of Washington Color School techniques with an intuitive, personal lexicon that resists formal categorization. Anchored in her experience of the natural world and her own garden, the painting pulses with what art historian Jennie C. Jones describes as a “micro-macro resonance”, connecting the intimate with the universal. In a booth that will also feature works by David Hammons, Howardena Pindell, and Park Seo-Bo, Thomas’s work will encapsulate the profound vitality of abstraction as a means of poetic resistance and celebration.

Urs Fischer at Gagosian

From the lyrical abstractions of Alma Thomas at White Cube, the journey through Art Basel Miami Beach 2024 continues with Gagosian, where bold explorations of materiality and perception will take center stage. At booth G8, Urs Fischer’s Artificial Sweetener (2024) will serve as a magnetic focal point. Measuring 84 by 66 inches, this monumental painting fuses gesso, latex, and acrylic into a kaleidoscopic, textured surface that vibrates with energy, blurring the lines between abstraction and figuration. Fischer’s title hints at the seductive gloss of modernity—a sugary sheen masking the chaotic, fragmented realities of contemporary urban life. Inspired by the hybrid landscapes of Los Angeles, the work pulsates with visual tension, inviting viewers to navigate its disjointed layers and question the boundaries between the organic and synthetic. As part of a presentation that will include Andy Warhol’s Ethel Scull and Titus Kaphar’s Ascension VI, as well as other works. Artificial Sweetener will deepen the booth’s exploration of materiality, identity, and perception, cementing Gagosian’s position as a leading force at the fair.

Meanwhile, at Galerie Lelong & Co., rhythm, abstraction, and introspection will shine. At booth E16, Juan Uslé’s Melting blue (2024) will stand out as a masterful exploration of rhythm and materiality. Measuring 78 by 44 inches and created with vinyl, dispersion, and dry pigment, the painting exemplifies Uslé’s meticulous layering of translucent and opaque pigments to construct meditative, almost hypnotic compositions. Dominated by deep blues that appear to shift and dissolve, the work evokes a sense of liquidity and flux, drawing viewers into its dynamic interplay of texture and tone. Uslé’s gestural repetition reflects his deeply embodied process, likened to a visual diary of movement and thought. Complementing Melting blue is a broader presentation that will include works by Etel Adnan, Zilia Sánchez, and Ana Mendieta, bridging themes of personal introspection and universal abstraction. Together, they offer a contemplative yet vibrant exploration of the intersections between control, spontaneity, and emotional resonance.

Marcel Dzama at David Zwirner

At David Zwirner, booth D15, the surreal and fantastical work of Marcel Dzama’s Aurora borealis (or We must make her Queen to tame the wild dogs) (2024) will captivate with its intricate blend of storytelling and beauty. Rendered in pearlescent acrylic ink, watercolor, and graphite on paper, the work will envelop viewers in a mesmerizing scene where the natural and mythical collide. At over five feet tall, Dzama’s composition is poised to capture the transient beauty of the aurora borealis as both a cosmic phenomenon and a narrative device. Frenetic wild dogs, a sophisticated central feminine figure, and otherworldly details suggest an allegorical tale of harmony amid chaos, with themes of transformation and control woven throughout. The pearlescent ink lends a luminous, almost spiritual quality to the surface, enhancing the work’s ephemeral and dreamlike atmosphere. Among iconic works by Joan Mitchell, Yayoi Kusama, and Francis Alÿs, at David Zwirner’s booth, Aurora borealis will showcase Dzama’s ability to render the intangible palpable, offering a moment of quiet reverie within Zwirner’s intellectually engaging display.

Rashid Johnson at Hauser & Wirth

From the imaginative narratives of Marcel Dzama at David Zwirner, the journey through Art Basel Miami Beach 2024 will take a visceral and introspective turn at Hauser & Wirth. At booth D13, Rashid Johnson’s Soul Painting “Honey” (2024) will stand as a monumental exploration of spiritual awakening and emotional depth. This oil-on-linen work, part of Johnson’s newly unveiled Soul Paintings series, marks a profound evolution in his practice, blending raw abstraction with deeply symbolic forms. Key to the composition is a form reminiscent of the vesica piscis—a symbol often associated with unity and enlightenment—transformed here into a cranial shape that suggests an opening mind or spiritual awakening. Layers of wet-on-wet oil paint and oil stick, manipulated with unorthodox tools and Johnson’s own hands, create a richly textured surface that bridges the visceral and the contemplative. The restrained palette of whites and neutrals, echoing Johnson’s Surrender Paintings, resonates with his ongoing exploration of animism, interiority, and spiritual expansiveness. This “soulscape” will capture an internal journey, its marks simultaneously masking and revealing the white grid beneath—a motif tied to systems of power, history, and containment. Presented ahead of Johnson’s major solo survey A Poem for Deep Thinkers at the Guggenheim Museum, Soul Painting “Honey” will exemplify the artist’s capacity to intertwine personal narrative with universal questions of perception and existence. Hauser & Wirth’s presentation will situate this transcendent work within a broader dialogue of modern and contemporary art, solidifying its place as one of the fair’s standout moments.

Li Hei Di at Pace Gallery

The dreamlike and introspective painting by Li Hei Di, what pane of glass make lucid the reflection? (2024), on display at Pace Gallery, booth F9, is a profound exploration of identity and memory. This large-scale oil-on-linen diptych, measuring over eight feet in height, marks a significant shift toward figuration in Li’s practice, blending elusive imagery and personal narrative. The composition is suffused with symbolic elements: a skull, vestiges of limbs, a winged figure, stars, flowers, and a magenta-hued house, all emerging from diaphanous layers of color. Notably, the winged figure’s profile reveals distinct facial features—a rarity in Li’s oeuvre—indicating a deeper engagement with personal narratives. The painting’s title, drawn from Christina Sharpe’s Ordinary Notes (2023), underscores its thematic focus on reflection and perception. Li’s creative process began with the depiction of the house, a symbol of safety and memory, which then evolved into a denser composition where objects and figures interact, evoking environments reminiscent of Spanish surrealist Remedios Varo. This dialogue between the human subconscious and the concept of home will invite viewers into a dreamlike realm where abstraction and figuration coalesce. Among works by Ellsworth Kelly, Joan Mitchell, and Agnes Martin, Li Hei Di’s painting will bridge Pace’s legacy of modernist abstraction with contemporary explorations of identity, making it a standout in the gallery’s presentation.

Yayoi Kusama at Victoria Miro

From the introspective depths of Li Hei Di’s what pane of glass make lucid the reflection? at Pace Gallery, the radiant world of Yayoi Kusama unfolds at Victoria Miro. At booth B8, Kusama’s dazzling Pumpkin (L) (2015) will anchor the gallery’s symphonic presentation with its monumental exploration of infinity and self-reflection. Forged from mirror-polished stainless steel and punctuated by vivid purple perforated dots, the sculpture will transform the humble pumpkin into a dynamic symbol of cosmic connection and psychological depth. The gleaming surface invites viewers into a playful yet profound engagement, refracting and fragmenting the surrounding world while echoing Kusama’s lifelong grappling with themes of obliteration and immersion. The perforations puncture the solidity of the form, allowing light to dance through it, as if the sculpture itself breathes with life. Juxtaposing the earthly with the ethereal, Pumpkin (L) will become a totem of both grounding familiarity and boundless imagination. Complementing this masterpiece are Kusama’s intimate paintings from her Every Day I Pray for Love series, which extend her inquiry into the infinite through vibrant color and intricate linework. There also will be strong works by Chris Ofili, Wangechi Mutu, and Doron Langberg. However, Kusama’s Pumpkin (L) will stand as a luminous centerpiece, embodying the spirit of Art Basel as a place where the tangible meets the transcendent.

Danielle Orchard at Perrotin

A deeply personal and contemporary exploration of femininity emerges as a powerful theme at Perrotin. At booth A03, Danielle Orchard’s Mums (2024) will serve as the highlight of the gallery’s presentation, distinguished by its exceptional emotional and formal depth. This oil-on-canvas work revisits the art historical tradition of the female nude, transforming it into a poignant exploration of motherhood and womanhood. Chrysanthemums—a recurring motif in the painting—symbolize longevity and hope, referencing both the resilience of the flower and the enduring strength required of mothers. Orchard employs sharp cubist lines and soft tonal transitions to create a tension between structure and fluidity, mirroring the dualities of her subject: solitude versus connection, vulnerability versus power. The figures in Mums will carry an introspective stillness, embodying the complex realities of pregnancy and early parenthood while rejecting the passive idealizations often ascribed to women in art history. Her nuanced handling of texture and light lends the painting an almost sculptural quality, while her use of liquid motifs across the series—whether corporeal elements, bathwater, or ocean currents—imbues the work with a sense of transformation and surrender. Complementing this deeply personal exploration, Perrotin’s broader presentation will include Jean-Michel Othoniel’s luminous glass sculptures and Takashi Murakami’s iconic flower panels, which to an extent echo the botanical symbolism of Orchard’s work.

McArthur Binion at Lehmann Maupin

At Lehmann Maupin‘s booth, C21, McArthur Binion‘s DNA: Green (2024) will serve as an eloquent focal point, embodying the layered intersections of materiality and memory. Binion’s 72 x 48-inch composition integrates ink, paper, and his signature oil stick to create a gridded palimpsest that oscillates between surface precision and conceptual depth. The work’s “under surface”—a substrate of personal documents and photographs—is partially obscured by an intricate lattice of green tonalities, disrupting the ostensibly neutral language of Minimalism with a deeply autobiographical undercurrent. By embedding traces of his identity within the formal rigor of the grid, Binion subverts its historical association with dispassionate objectivity, transforming it into a vessel for memory, identity, and intergenerational legacy. The luminous interplay of verdant hues across the painted surface evokes growth and regeneration, while the rhythmic density of his mark-making collapses time into an intimate, tactile experience. As part of a presentation that will also feature the transcendent silk collages of Billie Zangewa and the dreamlike hybrid iconographies of Cecilia Vicuña, DNA: Green will assert itself as a pivotal meditation on the intersection of personal history and systemic structure, redefining the conceptual parameters of abstraction in profoundly human terms.

What makes art stay with us long after we’ve left the gallery? Is it the harmony colors, the forms that challenge logic, or the stories that quietly reshape our understanding of the world? Art Basel Miami Beach 2024 is poised to be all this and more—a dazzling collision of beauty, intellect, and wonder against Miami’s electric backdrop. With a lineup that spans Alma Thomas’s intimate abstractions, McArthur Binion’s layered narratives, and Yayoi Kusama’s transcendent work, this year’s fair serves as a mirror to both the fragility and resilience of our time. It is here, amidst the symphonic works of contemporary masters, that big questions emerge: How do we make sense of the intimate within the monumental? How do centuries of artistic tradition inform today’s bold experiments? From Rashid Johnson’s visceral “soulscapes” to Marcel Dzama’s fantastical allegories, the fair traces art’s enduring power to bridge memory and possibility. Art Basel Miami Beach 2024 promises moments of revelation where the line between spectacle and substance dissolves, reminding us that in the grand theatre of art, the most profound encounters happen when we’re willing to pause, look closer, and step into the unknown.