MIAMI, FLA.- Art Basel celebrated its landmark 20th-anniversary edition in Miami Beach, signaling 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, as well as multiple international exhibitors returning to the show after a brief hiatus.
 
Art Basel continued to draw an attendance of unparalleled global breadth and caliber. 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 gallery locations in North and South America, with especially strong 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 and is administered by The Bass Museum of Art, working in conjunction 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. UBS, Ruinart, La Prairie, Chateau D'Esclans, Valentino, Knight Foundation, and DRIFT are generously supporting this philanthropic campaign. The fundraiser will run until the end of 2022, at which time 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, 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 what the future has in store 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 together 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:
 
‘We've been participating in Art Basel Miami Beach for 20 years — we haven't missed a year, and every year, new collectors become new friends. It is a cultural crossroads that combines many energies, many colors, creating a lively 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. They kept coming back every day.’ 
Daniele Balice, Founder, Balice Hertling (Paris) 
 
‘Over the last 20 years, Art Basel Miami Beach has shown us the incredible impact a city can have on the art world as well as 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 for us, 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 from around the world.  The stream never stopped, and each day more and more folks poured into our booth. 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 works on the first preview day than in any previous years in Miami Beach and in major private and institutional collections. Such 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 honored 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 that were left behind due to age, race, geography, and gender.’   
Christine Berry, Co-owner, Berry Campbell (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 a special 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 collectible design. For more information, please visit designmiami.com.