MIAMI BEACH, FL.- From December 7 through 10, 2006, Florida, USA, will be home to the 5th edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, the celebrated international art show. The leading art show of the Americas is the favorite winter meeting place of the international art world. 200 galleries from the USA, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa will be taking part. Chosen by the Selection Committee from a record number of over 650 applicants, the 200 galleries, which include 25 new new participants, will present works by over 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Special sectors will feature presentations of new art works, curated exhibittions, video and sound art lounges, a performance program, and art in public spaces. 22 young galleries will present cutting-edge projects in converted shipping containers on the beach. There will also be a new Guest Lounge offering a concentrated range of information and services to visitors. «Art Salon», the new encounter point being established in the Guest Lounge this year, will give leading figures from the international art scene an opportunity to present their forthcoming projects (biennials, foundations, book launches). Art Basel Miami Beach is also introducing a new concept of private showrooms for the exhibiting galleries. Following its success last year, the special «Art Nova» sector is being extended.

«Art Basel Conversations» will feature prominent art-world personalities. Visitors can also look forward to an exciting program of special exhibitions, visits to private art collections, and crossover events linking art and music (Peaches), film (Dennis Hopper), and design. And the museums and collections of South Florida have scheduled impressive exhibitions. Art Basel Miami Beach promises to be one of the highlights of the international cultural and social calendar. Art Basel Miami Beach takes place in Miami Beach, Florida (USA), for the fifth time from December 7 through 10, 2006.

On the eve of the opening, invited guests from around the world will attend the glamorous Vernissage. Over 35,000 art enthusiasts are expected to visit the international art show. 200 carefully selected galleries from 30 countries will be showcasing all forms of artistic expression (painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, photography, editions, performance, video and electronic art). Prices start at a few hundred dollars for multiples and works by young artists, and soar into the millions for museum-quality masterpieces. Its prominent list of participants makes Art Basel Miami Beach the most prestigious art show in the Americas for 20th-century classics and contemporary art. A preliminary list can be found at www.ArtBasel.com/Galleries. Applications were submitted by a record number of over 650 galleries, including 99% of last year’s participants. Newcomers include contemporary galleries such as Mary Boone Gallery (New York), Galerie Daniel Buchholz (Cologne), Robert Miller Gallery (New York), and Skarstedt Fine Art (New York), as well as dealers in 20th-century masterworks like DC Moore Gallery (New York) and Knoedler & Company (New York), and vintage photography specialist Edwynn Houk Gallery (New York). Over 10% of the galleries are new this year. About half of the exhibitors will be international, with strong participation from Europe and Latin America, a number of galleries from Asia, and one from Africa.

Last year, the «Art Nova» sector was a great success with visitors and exhibiting galleries alike. This year, over 200 galleries applied and the sector has been expanded from 52 to 62 booths. Attracting both well-established and young galleries, «Art Nova» offers exhibitors a platform to show new works by a maximum of three rising artists. New participants include Galeria Pedro Cera (Lisbon), Monte Clark Gallery (Vancouver), Galería Comercial (San Juan), Thomas Dane Gallery (London), Lombard-Freid Fine Arts (New York),

David Kordansky Gallery (Los Angeles), Nature Morte/Bose Pacia Gallery (New York), Reena Spaulings Fine Art (New York), Shugoarts (Tokyo), Sies + Höke Galerie (Düsseldorf), and Taka Ishii Gallery (Tokyo). This year’s edition of Art Basel Miami Beach will again feature the «Art Kabinett» initiative, giving participating galleries an opportunity to show small curated exhibitions. The projects chosen by the Selection Committee will be presented in a separate cubicle of the gallery's booth. The exhibition concepts for «Art Kabinett» are diverse, representing everything from thematic group exhibitions (Geometric Art in Brazil) and oneperson shows (Peter Doig, William Wegmann, Wayne Thiebaud) to installations and tributes (László Moholy-Nagy, Leonilson, Rudolf Schwarzkogler). The spectrum ranges from modern masters to established artists and the youngest generation.

«We are pleased to continue our partnership with Art Basel Miami Beach. Supporting the arts is a valued tradition at UBS. We believe that art awakens new ways of seeing the world, and we are committed to investing in cultural expression and making the arts accessible to our clients, our employyees, and the broader community,» says Mark B. Sutton, Chairman and CEO, Americas. «Art is a means of sharing insight – a crucial process echoed at UBS as we share fresh financial perspectives with our clients in creating tailored investtment solutions to meet their needs».

«Art Basel Conversations», organized in cooperation with Bvlgari, will be held on the mornings of December 8, 9, and 10 this year. They are open to the public and free of charge. Fostering direct exchange with leading international art-world personalities, this forum provides privileged access to first-hand information on all aspects of collecting and exhibiting art.

Panelists include such top-flight artists, art collectors, and museum directors as Richard Flood, Ryan Gander, Julia Peyton-Jones, Jennifer Allora, Lidia Leon, Ai Weiwei, Sebastian Lopez, Ramiro Martinez, Natalia Majluf, Virginia Pérez-Ratton, José Ignacio Roca, Ivo Costa Mesquita, Dan Graham, Jorge Pardo and many others. They will be discussing questions based around the subjects of «The Future of the Museum: Focus Latin America», «Architecture for Art: Artists Who Build» and «Art Collections: Collecting and Memory».

«Art Positions», a beachfront village of shipping containers transformed into mobile art spaces, promises to be the most exciting outpost of Art Basel Miami Beach. 22 young galleries have been selected to showcase cutting-edge projects: Bortolami Dayan, New York, Breeder, Athens, Courtyard, Beijing, Feuer, New York, Gavlak, West Palm Beach, Harris Lieberman, New York, Helwing, Los Angeles, Herald St, London, Hug, Los Angeles, IBID Projects, London, Kamm, Berlin, kbk, Mexico D.F., Li Grace, Zurich, Punto Gris, San Juan, Razuk, São Paulo, Reich, New York, Rubenstein, New York, Salon 94, New York, Schachter, London, Store, London, Taxter & Spengemann, New York, Zink, Munich. W South Beach, sponsor of «Art Positions», awards an annual prize to an artist exhibiting at «Art Positions». The prize winner is chosen by a jury of prominent experts from the international art world, such as Lisa Phillips, Tom Eccles, Ross Klein, Aby Rosen and David Edelstein. This year’s prize winner will be announced at the Art Basel press conference at 10:30 a.m. on December 6.

«Art Positions» will be the epicenter of an extensive cultural program. «Art Loves Music» on the opening night of «Art Positions» (December 6) features a concert by the provocative singer Peaches and her band. The concert is open to the public and admission is free.