Preview: 6 highlights from Art Basel Miami Beach 2015

One of Europe’s most prestigious art fairs, Art Basel, will be making its annual trip across the Atlantic for Art Basel Miami Beach this month. Now in its fourteenth year, Art Basel Miami Beach has become a gathering place for the best the art, fashion, music and culture worlds have to offer with plenty of exhibitions, parties, events and performances taking place across the fair’s multiple venues. Here’s what not to miss this year…

NetJets and Snarkitecture

As an official partner of Art Basel Miami Beach, private aviation firm NetJets can always be relied upon to provide one of the fair’s must-see exhibits. This year it has recruited uber cool design company Snarkitecture to create an installation around its Signature Series Global 5000 aircraft. You’ll have to head out to the Landmark private jet terminal at Miami International Airport to see it but the sight of a plane completely repainted to resemble sunrise and sunset as experienced by a pilot is worth it.

Art Basel’s Conversations and Salon series is always a highlight of the fair and for 2015 the programme features 23 talks over four days. This year’s schedule offers an impressive line-up of international names including co-director of London’s Serpentine gallery Hans Ulrich Obrist, winner of the 2015 MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ Nicole Eisenman and author Brett Easton Ellis talking on topics as varied as the new role for art in Cuba, the relationship between artist and gallerist and whether art schools should prepare artists for the real art world.

Art Basel Miami Beach has long been known for its quality art and fashion collaborations and 2015 looks to be no exception. For the debut of her high-end handbag collection, designer Yara Bashoor has collaborated with Sotheby’s auction house and five international contemporary artists to create unique pieces in aid of charity. Each of the participating artists, including Mariella Agois, John Armleder, Bill Claps, David Noonan and Domingo Zapata, have put their distinct twist on one of Bashoor’s handbags which will then be auctioned at a private event on December 1.

Despite being friends and colleagues since 1979, it has taken until now for Jeffrey Deitch and Larry Gagosian to collaborate. Unrealism, their carefully curated exhibition of figurative painting and sculpture at the Moore Building in Miami’s Design District, will feature works by Rashaad Newsome, John Currin, Ella Kruglyanskaya and Jamian Juliano-Villani.

So intertwined are the modern realms of art and fashion that it would seem almost remiss if the high-end labels residing in Miami’s Design District didn’t get in on the Art Basel fun. On December 2 Louis Vuitton will exhibit its Objects Nomades, a collection of travel-inspired objects created by 10 international designers, while on December 3 Valentino will be celebrating the work of Pietro Ruffo and Moschino’s Jeremy Scott will return to the Surf Lodge for his annual (and infamous) Art Basel party.

What would an art party be without some of the hottest, most cutting-edge beats? Legendary producer Giorgio Moroder will be kicking things off at White Cube & Vinyl Factory’s annual Art Basel Miami Beach launch party at Soho Beach House on December 1 before joining designers George Yabu and Glenn to play alongside Horse Meat Disco at their bash at the Edition on December 3. Also not to be missed is the No Commission Art Fair, a collaboration between art enthusiast Swiss Beatz and Bacardi, which will feature works by Dustin Yellin, KAWS and Mickalene Thomas alongside performances by Alicia Keys, Pusha T and DMX.