Lynne Drexler

Art Basel’s 2022 edition in Miami Beach closed on Saturday, December 3, 2022, following a week of solid sales across all market sectors and throughout the show. 

The Fair celebrated its landmark 20th-anniversary edition in Miami Beach, signalling two decades of growth and impact by Art Basel as a cultural cornerstone in South Florida, across the Americas, and beyond. The 2022 edition – Art Basel’s largest to date in Miami Beach – brought together 282 premier galleries from 38 countries and territories, including 25 galleries participating in the Fair for the first time and multiple international exhibitors returning to the show after a brief hiatus.

Photo Clayton Calvert © Artlyst 2022

Art Basel continued to draw an attendance of unparalleled global breadth and calibre. Leading private collectors from 88 countries across North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East visited the Fair, as well as museum directors, curators, and high-level patrons from over 150 cultural organizations, including: Art Gallery of Ontario; Aspen Art Museum; The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York; The Brooklyn Museum, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville; Denver Art Museum; Detroit Institute of Arts; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; MoMA PS1, New York; Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal; Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (Malba); Museum of Fine Arts Boston; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; The New Museum, New York; Oklahoma Contemporary; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Serpentine Galleries, London; The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Tate, London; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus; and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, reinforcing the Fair’s commitment to showcasing exceptional art from the region, nearly two-thirds of this year’s participating galleries had locations in North and South America, with a powerful presence of galleries from the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. The show also featured standout presentations by galleries from Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay, including newcomers Herlitzka + Faria from Barrio Norte, Paulo Kuczynski from São Paulo, and Rolf Art from Buenos Aires.

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Art Basel launched a Gift-Giving Campaign with a lead donation to the STEAM + program, whose mission is to bring active artists into the seven public schools of the city of Miami Beach. Founded in 2018, the program engages 5,000 children and teenagers every year. It is administered by The Bass Museum of Art, working with many other local institutions, including Pérez Art Museum Miami, Miami City Ballet, New World Symphony, The Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, Young Musicians Unite, and The Wolfsonian-FIU. In addition, UBS, Ruinart, La Prairie, Chateau D’Esclans, Valentino, Knight Foundation, and DRIFT generously support this philanthropic campaign. The fundraiser will run until the end of 2022 when the total sum collected will be announced.

‘This year’s Fair was particularly exceptional. The quality and ambition of work in the halls has arguably never been higher, sales have been reported across all sectors, and the city has been electric,’ says Noah Horowitz, CEO of Art Basel. ‘Over the last 20 years, Greater Miami has firmly become a cultural destination of the highest order, with this week cementing itself as the apex moment in the American cultural calendar. We couldn’t be more excited about the future for us here.’

‘Our 20th edition was not only the largest ever but also the strongest in terms of the absolute quality of work,’ says Marc Spiegler, the outgoing Global Director of Art Basel. ‘And it had the most diverse range of galleries and artistic voices ever present, making this show remarkably rich in discoveries. We are immensely proud of what has been achieved with our galleries, partners, and the city’s cultural community.’

Galleries exhibiting across all sectors of the Fair remarked on their experiences of this milestone edition:

‘The week in Miami Beach went well thanks to a great energy at the fair and a strong demand from U.S.-based collectors. As expected, there were fewer Europeans this year, but the fair proved once again the vigor of the American market, and that’s why we came.’ Thaddaeus Ropac, Founder, Thaddaeus Ropac (London, Paris, Salzburg, Seoul)

‘In one of our best ever fairs, we sold more than 30 works to many new collectors from America, Europe, and Asia including a spectacular new Kehinde Wiley painting, a new Tom Friedman sculpture and an important early painting by Denzil Forrester. And Japanese artist Izumi Kato’s Kabinett presentation, which coincided with his first show up in the gallery in London, proved very popular, selling out to new buyers.’ Stephen Friedman, Founder, Stephen Friedman Gallery (London)

‘The fair had an incredible energy. We met so many new clients from Europe, the United States, and South America. We were happy to see many of our faithful clients who visited us, too. Life after the fair in Miami is also great: it’s the artists’ favorite fair. We really enjoyed celebrating with them and collectors.’ Almine Ruiz-Picasso, Founder, Almine Rech (Brussels, Shanghai, Paris, London, New York)

‘We’ve been participating in Art Basel Miami Beach for 20 years — we haven’t missed a year, and new collectors become new friends every year. It is a cultural crossroads combining many energies and colours, creating a vibrant rainbow.’ Lorenzo Fiaschi, Co-Founder and Director, Galleria Continua (San Gimignano, São Paulo, Beijing, Havana, Les Moulins, Paris, Rome, Dubai)

‘Art Basel Miami Beach is the best Fair in the United States. Not only did we sell all the works we brought here, but we kept hanging out with collectors that weren’t interested in leaving the Fair anytime soon. Instead, they kept coming back every day.’ Daniele Balice, Founder, Balice Hertling (Paris)

‘We were thrilled to be back at Art Basel Miami Beach to meet collectors from around the world. This could be one of our best years at the fair, as the collector demand and engagement have been outstanding. We also sold a special piece by Kerry James Marshall from 1997, We Mourn Our Loss #2, an iconic painting from the artist’s body of work exploring the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement.’ Jack Shainman, Founder, Jack Shainman Gallery (New York)

‘Over the last 20 years, Art Basel Miami Beach has shown us the incredible impact a city can have on the art world and the powerful effect our community can have on a city. The Fair has helped transform the art world into a more expansive and experimental place, and we, in turn, have helped Miami grow into the international powerhouse it is today. This year’s Fair was incredibly successful, impactful for our artists, and exciting for the collectors and art lovers who attended. Our congratulations go out to the Art Basel team, with special thanks to Marc Spiegler for a great conclusion to his tenure and a new start for Noah Horowitz as he leads the organization into the future.’ Marc Glimcher, CEO and President, Pace Gallery (New York, London, East Hampton, Los Angeles, Palm Beach, Hong Kong, Seoul, Geneva)

‘From the moment the doors opened, our booth was flooded with curators, directors, and top collectors worldwide. The stream never stopped, and more and more folks poured into our booth each day. The vibe was unlike anything I’ve experienced in my 17 years of selling art.’ Anthony Spinello, Founder, Spinello Projects (Miami)

‘A booth devoted to American masters seemed to us the ideal approach to the premier American art fair. And the response has been euphoric. We’ve placed more work on the first preview day than in previous years in Miami Beach and major private and institutional collections. The positive energy at the Fair seems a harbinger of great things ahead for the art world in 2023.’ Marc Payot, President, Hauser & Wirth (Hong Kong, Ciutadella de Menorca, Gstaad, St. Moritz, Zurich, London, Somerset, Los Angeles, New York)

‘Berry Campbell was honoured to be included for the first time in the 20th anniversary of Art Basel Miami Beach. The Survey section was an ideal way to introduce a solo presentation of works by an overlooked artist like Lynne Drexler. We had a flurry of activity and sold out our booth on the first day. The market continues to be strong for artists left behind due to age, race, geography, and gender.’ Christine Berry, Co-owner, Berry Campbell (New York)

‘We have taken part in Art Basel Miami Beach since its inception, and it is always one of our annual highlights at Sean Kelly. This year the first day was remarkable. We have never had more sales in the history of the Fair, and we could have rehung almost the entire booth after the first day. The appetite and resilience of the market are unparalleled and extraordinarily strong. We sold to people from all over the world.’ Sean Kelly, Owner, Sean Kelly (New York)

‘Art Basel Miami Beach is always an exceptional platform to support our mission of amplifying the voices of marginalized artists. This year we saw tremendous public interest in the artists we represent. We saw brisk sales and placed more than a dozen pieces in international institutions and significant private collections. It’s more important than ever to support works that subvert inequitable social structures and to give space to masterful aesthetic voices advocating for a more open and equal future. We’re proud to be leading that effort.’ Kavi Gupta, Founder, Kavi Gupta (Chicago)

‘The intensity of the projects we shared sector within Positions was fantastic, and we feel very proud to have been a part of a group of galleries working with new generations of impactful voices.’ Mau Galguera, Founder and Director, Pequod Co. (Mexico City)

‘Art Basel Miami Beach is special to us who come from the African continent because we get to introduce artists living on the African continent to a diverse group of art collectors. We are glad to be back here and look forward to building a stable audience in Miami for our artists.‘Daudi Karungi, Director, Afriart Gallery (Kampala)

‘This was the gallery’s strongest Miami Beach outing to date. The calibre of collectors in attendance was stellar, and we made significant sales to an international crowd and several collectors with homes in South Florida. We saw strong demand for both historical works and new works from emerging artists. Kudos to Art Basel for delivering an elevated experience to exhibitors and visitors alike.’ Timothy Taylor, Founder, Timothy Taylor (London, New York)

DRIFT’s Franchise Freedom

To mark Art Basel Miami Beach’s 20th anniversary, DRIFT staged their award-winning aerial performance ‘Franchise Freedom’, featuring hundreds of illuminated drones replicating the flight patterns of starlings. First unveiled during the 2017 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, DRIFT’s drone sculpture returned to the city for exceptional performance over the roof of the MBCC.

The Legacy Purchase Program by the City of Miami Beach

As part of the City of Miami Beach’s Legacy Purchase Program, the city acquired work by emerging artist Juana Valdés, represented by Spinello Projects from Miami. This acquisition program deepens Miami Beach’s longstanding partnership with Art Basel, building a legacy for the future.

The Étant Donnés Prize

The CPGA (French Professional Committee of Art Galleries) and Villa Albertine joined forces for the first time to launch the Étant Donnés Prize, awarded to a living artist active in the French art scene and exhibiting at Art Basel Miami Beach. Julien Creuzet, alongside his galleries High Art (Arles, Paris) and Andrew Kreps Gallery (New York), were selected by an appointed jury and jointly received a $15,000 cash prize funded by CPGA.

Design Miami/ Basel

The 18th edition of Design Miami/ took place concurrent to Art Basel Miami Beach from November 30 to December 4, 2022, with a VIP preview day on November 29, 2022. Design Miami/ brought together world-class presentations of 20th- and 21st-century design, hosting a global forum for collectable design. For more information, please visit

Photos: Clayton Calvert © Artlyst 2022