You’re going to love this—Lincoln Road is turning itself into a live stage. And if that’s not exciting enough, we have elephants on the beach! Art Basel And the other Miami art fairs have us hopping this week.  What most people don’t realize is that you don’t have to know much about art to have a great social life by just taking an interest in what artists, gallery owners, and collectors do. I know very little about art yet our condo is filled with art. Most people who collect will tell you that lack of knowledge is not important. You buy what you love. You are going to look at what we recently bought during Miami Art Week and think we are nuts.

Dec. 6-Feb. 16. Lincoln Road Turns Itself into a Live Stage

I am very excited about the legendary Lincoln Road. It’s been around for a long time, and it needs a little spark to make the outdoor mall an exciting destination. The Miami New Drama, a not-for-profit presenting and producing organization which is associated with Colony Theatre, is going to stage production across the outdoor shopping and restaurant row. The Colony Theater just happens to be located on Lincoln Road.

Called “Lincoln Road Hustle,” the production is all about Miami’s fast-paced world of high-stakes real estate deals, daring art heists, and unexpected love. Award-winning filmmaker Billy Corben, playwright Harley Elias, and stage director Michel Hausmann will be completely in charge of the show.

In partnership with the Lincoln Road BID and Miami New Drama, the exhilarating and immersive theater experience takes place December 6 through February 16.

The team said they are committed to theatrical excellence and theater-making as a means of social engagement, cultural conversation, and human interactions. GET THE DETAILS.

Elephant Sculptures Offer A Life Lesson

It’s so strange to see a herd of 100 wooden elephants lined up on the sand of Miami Beach near 36th Street. Joanne Davis encountered them this week on her beach walk. The sculptures are on display till Sunday, Dec. 8th. Called The Elephant Migration, the three-dimensional art pieces were inspired by real elephants living amongst the 150 Indigenous artisans who created and crafted the project in India.

It’s a perfect fit during the Miami Art Week. Art lovers from all over the world are in Miami this week to see the latest and greatest from the creative community.

It’s really a beautiful sight. Miami Beach is the third stop for these life-size creatures. The first stop was Newport, RI, the Financial District of Manhattan, and now Miami Beach.

Elephant Family Trustee Fiona Humphrey, co-founder of The Elephant Migration, said, “The installation is designed to encourage coexistence, inspired by the way its artists live alongside the world’s largest land mammal. These are real replicas of the elephants that live alongside this Indigenous community in India.

“It’s really bringing the message here from them, with love. Wherever   you are in the United States, you really can live in harmony with the wildlife that surrounds you.” GET THE DETAILS.

Art Basel and the Other Art Fairs

I have never been busier in my life. I have been attending Art Basel and the other art fairs, (Untitled, Design Miami, NADA, Scope, Art Miami, etc) since the beginning. Because I attend as many art gallery openings in Miami as I can and keep in touch with dozens of artists and galleries from around the world, you just can imagine all the events we get invited to.

What most people don’t realize is that you don’t have to know much about art to have a great social life by just taking an interest in what artists, gallery owners, and collectors do. Art is all about the development of life. There is so much to talk about.

Now in its 22 years of operation, Art Basel Miami Beach runs from December 6-8, 2024, at the Miami Beach Convention Center in South Beach.

Art Basel Miami Beach always draws an international crowd, and this year, the fair will feature its largest number of new exhibitors in more than a decade. Fairgoers can expect more than 280 galleries from 38 countries and territories, including Europe, Asia, Brazil, Argentina, the Middle East and Africa.

But the love of art has expanded beyond the convention center. Throughout the years, the art extravaganza evolved into Miami Art Week, which is now comprised of lauded satellite fairs and programming at cultural institutions, private collections and galleries as well as parties sprinkled throughout the destination.

Art Basel expanded to the United States with its first sister fair, Art Basel Miami Beach, in 2002. In Art Basel Miami Beach’s inaugural year, 160 galleries from 23 countries showcased their works, drawing 30,000 attendees, who were attracted by the chance to see and buy best-in-class art and hob-nob with the art elite while enjoying an experience only Miami can deliver. Art enthusiasts from all over the world were thrilled to mix a sun-drenched vacation with art appreciation, glittery parties and celebrity sightings.

Several people played important roles in bringing Art Basel to Miami Beach. Norman Braman, a prominent figure in Miami’s art scene, helped convince the Swiss art fair to consider expanding to Miami. The car dealer and art collector had developed relationships with fair officials when he began buying art at the Swiss fair. Mera and Don Rubell, whose impressive personal art collection is on display at the Rubell Museum in Allapattah, were also major players in attracting Art Basel to Miami Beach, as were other private collectors, including Martin Margulies of The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse in Wynwood.

The original Art Basel started in Basel, Switzerland, in 1970. Launched by Swiss gallerists Ernst Beyeler, Trudl Bruckner and Balz Hilt, who wanted to woo a new wave of art buyers and collectors, the first fair began with 90 galleries and drew more than 16,000 attendees. Art Basel was an instant hit, and officials soon realized there was room to expand internationally. Please join us next year. We will have so much fun.

What Art We Buy and Why

Our entire Miami Beach condo is loaded with art. Eliot studied architecture and art at Brooklyn Tech and Pratt Institute. I studied art in coloring books. I took a few art history courses at Queens College and they bored me into oblivion. I wish most teachers would learn how to teach. I do blame them for me being a poor student. When I had a teacher who knew had to deliver an interesting lecture, I did very well.

The point of me telling you this is because I know very little about art. However, most people who collect will tell you that lack of knowledge is not important. You buy what you love. You are going to look at what we recently bought during Miami Art Week and think we are nuts.

Yes, we are nuts. We love abstract expressionism in paintings, fiber works, glass, and ceramic art pieces and installations. You may see horror, but we see beauty. We have no regrets.

Both recently purchased artworks from artists Jaime Hayon, (glass), and Judd Schiffman, (ceramic) are well-respected artists and have good investment values. Again, we buy what we love. We don’t research and judge by the values. Maybe we will in the future but I doubt it. We let the art speak to us. It really works.