MIAMI, FLORIDA.- «Art Basel Conversations» is a forum organized by Art Basel Miami Beach in collaboration with Bvlgari. The event is held during Art Basel in Switzerland every June and during Art Basel Miami Beach in the United States every December. The program consists of a series of thematic panel discussions based around the subject of collecting and exhibiting art. Leading art world personalities, including Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons, Rem Koolhaas, Rosa Martinez, Terrance Riley, Kathy Halbreich, and many others, will be participating as panelists and then meeting with the audience. This initiative reflects the commitment of Art Basel and Bvlgari to bring contemporary art to a wider public.

Fostering direct encounters with leading personalities from the art world, «Art Basel Conversations» offer privileged access to first-hand information on all aspects of collecting and exhibiting art. «Art Basel Conversations» are a forum encouraging the exchange of ideas by means of panel discussions and personal contact with the panelists. Participants include prominent artists, art collectors, museum directors, biennial curators, and architects. Discussing their current and forthcoming projects, and reflecting on their experiences and the challenges they face, they will provide an insider’s view of the art scene. «Art Basel Conversations» are an open platform for dynamic and inspiring dialogue.

«Art Basel Conversations» celebrate their premiere at Art Basel Miami Beach on December 2, 2004, with an evening event for invited guests at the Moore Building. Going out from the cadavre exquise, with a collage of questions and unexpected answers, the free-flowing conversation will revolve around such questions as: Does art need to live forever? Should art end up in a museum? Who is responsible for art? What are the limits of art? When is art important? The conversation will be hosted by Dr. Daniel Birnbaum, Rector of the Städelschule Art Academy and Director of Portikus, Frankfurt am Main, who will be striking up an experimental conversation with Janet Cardiff, artist, Berlin; Liam Gillick, artist, London and New York; Jenny Holzer, artist, New York; Rem Koolhaas, architect, OMA, Rotterdam; Jeff Koons, artist, New York; Ernesto Neto, artist, Rio de Janeiro, Paul Morrissey, film director, New York; and Trisha Donnelly, artist, Los Angeles.

From Friday, December 3, through Sunday, December 5, there will be Art Basel Conversations every day between 10 and 11.30 a.m at the Art Collectors Lounge of the Miami Beach Convention Center (Entrance D). The events are public. Admission is free.

On Friday, December 3, 2004, case studies of art collections will be presented by Paloma Botin, Director of the Fundacion Marcelino Botin, Madrid; Ricardo Sardenberg, Artistic Director of the CACI Foundation, Bella Horizonté; Dr. Hans-Michael Herzog, Director of Daros, Latin America, Zurich; Antoine de Galbert, private collector and founder of La Maison Rouge, Paris; and Marlies Hessel, private collector, New York. The panel will be hosted by Adriano Pedrosa, curator, writer, and editor, São Paulo. The questions they will be addressing include: What defines an art collection? Why are private collections opening to the public? What are the responsibilities of private collectors? How important is the preservation of cultural heritage to a private collector? What are the deadly sins of collecting?

The Art Basel Conversation of Saturday, December 4, 2004 is devoted to the subject of architecture for art. What are the opportunities and risks of museum architecture? Does architecture limit art, or does art limit architecture? Will architecture be a defining factor for the future of the museum? How can architecture adapt to growth and change in an art institution or museum? In what ways can a museum affect the life of a city? The panelists are Kathy Halbreich, Director of the Walker Art Museum, Minneapolis (MN); Rem Koolhaas, architect, Rotterdam; and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Curator, Museum of Modern Art, Paris. The event is hosted by Terrance Riley, Curator of Architecture, MoMA, NYC.

What defines the identity of an art institution? What lessons can be learned from corporate identity and branding? How does the audience affect identity and vice versa? What counts most in defining identity – architecture, geography, history? Who creates the identity of an art institution? These are the issues at the center of the discussion on Sunday December 5, 2004, entitled «The Curators’ Circle: Creating Identity». On the panel: Rosa Martinez, Co-director of the Venice Biennale, 2005, Barcelona; Linda Shearer, Director of the Contemporary Art Museum of Cincinnati; Anne Philbin, Director and Curator, Armand Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and Sheena Wagstaff, Head of Exhibitions and Displays, Tate Modern, London. The host is Ivo Costa Mesquita, curator, critic, and writer, São Paulo.

A comprehensive catalog published to accompany «Art Basel Conversations» contains the texts of all the panel discussions held during Art 35 Basel in June plus biographies of all the participants and further useful information. Visitors to «Art Basel Conversations» will receive a complimentary copy of the publication.