Color Additivo, 1975–2010, by Carlos Cruz-Diez, Sicardi Gallery–Houston

 
  ABMB codirectors Annette Schönholzer and Marc Spiegler
 
  Untitled, 2010, by Kai Althoff

It’s been a good year—actually, a very good year—for the folks behind the prestigious Art Basel contemporary art shows. For starters, record numbers flocked to the 42nd annual Art Basel in Switzerland this summer. Then the company purchased the Hong Kong International Art Fair—the leading show in Asia—giving it critical leverage in that ever-expanding key market. And this December 1–4, Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB)—sister event to the Swiss behemoth—celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Dealers, collectors, curators and art enthusiasts of every type from all over the world will descend on Miami Beach for the extravaganza, which has grown to include an international selection of more than 250 galleries, cutting-edge exhibitions and performances featuring music, film, architecture and design. The show has helped transform Miami into a leading cultural capital that boasts some of the world’s most ambitious private collections. This, coupled with the tropical climate and South Florida’s location at the social and economic nexus of North America and South America, makes the city a perfect backdrop for the show and helps draw an elite global audience. ABMB is, without a doubt, the most significant art show in the Americas.

Esteemed art historian and curator Dr. Libby Lumpkin, who is often touted for her successes in bringing legitimate fine art and international attention to Las Vegas, has attended both the Swiss and Florida shows several times. She feels that ABMB is simply not to be missed and that the city of Miami might be the great differentiator. “It would be nearly impossible to mount a fair in a community that had no ‘art culture’ from which to draw,” says Lumpkin, who helped Steve Wynn create the Bellagio Gallery and served as executive director of the now-shuttered Las Vegas Art Museum. “The fair needs the support of the art professionals who are available through Miami’s museums, universities and galleries. And Miami is a lovely and fun place to visit. Every time I have attended, the weather has been perfect; the warm nights are great for all the courtyard and beach parties that go on during the fair.”

It is the world-class art, however, that clearly Lumpkin really comes to see. “ABMB offers extensive programming,” Lumpkin says. “I highly recommend whatever talks are presented by artists, curators, critics or scholars. I suggest getting your tickets early—the lecture halls are packed.” What does she make a point not to miss? “I would say that in Miami, the Rubell Collection is the most important,” says Lumpkin, referring to Don and Mera Rubell’s private collection, which is housed in a 45,000-square-foot warehouse that once served as a Drug Enforcement Administration storage facility. “During the fair, they have a curator draw from the collection to create an exhibition on one theme or another, which is always worth seeing. Probably the most sophisticated collection of important photography belongs to Dennis and Debra Scholl. They added a gallery-like wing onto their house, which is typically open to the public during the fair.”