MIAMI BEACH. FL.- The fifth edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, the international art show, closed on Sunday, December 10, 2006. A record number of 40,000 visitors from every continent and 1,400 journalists, more than ever attended. Many thousand guests were seen at the surrounding cultural exhibitions and events. Celebrated artists and leading art world personalities participated in the programs of Art Basel Miami Beach. Over 100 museums from the USA, Europe, Latin America and Asia attended with delegations from their boards of trustees. The 200 gal­leries from 30 countries exhibited works by over 1,500 art­ists. The galleries were selected from over 650 applicants, the highest number since the show was founded in 2001. In initial surveys all exhibitors re­ported satisfaction with con-tacts and sales results. The new sec­tion «Open Air Cinema» and the new networking forum «Art Salon» had a success-ful debut. Samuel Keller, Director of Art Basel, was gratified with the results: «The interest in contemporary art keeps growing around the globe. The art market is booming. Art Basel Miami Beach benefited from this situation and attracted a record number of artists, col­lectors, museums and art lovers. It is the highlight of the season worldwide».

Art Basel Miami Beach is an international art show with a pro­gram of special exhibitions, performances, panel discus­sions, visits to private collections, and crossover events featuring film, music, and design. The international art show attracted a record number of 40,000 visitors. In large part they were art collectors, artists, curators, critics, dealers, and art afficionados, who flew in from art capitals all over the USA and the rest of the world. More collectors’ groups from Europe and Latin America were welcomed, with many first-timers among them. International mu­seum and collectors’ groups came from the Great Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, China and Canada.

Art Basel Miami Beach was also privileged to welcome many prominent guests to the invitation only opening. More than 100 museums form around the globe were represented by delega­tions from their boards of trustees, including delegations from the Tate Modern, London, the Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Jewish Museum, the DIA Art Foundation all from New York, the ICA Boston, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Art of Houston, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, the Detroit In­stitute of Arts, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Mamco in Geneva and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art.

The public’s interest in modern and contemporary art is bur­geoning and the art market remains strong. According to sur­veys by the Show Management, all exhibiting galleries suc­ceeded in finding buyers for art works they exhibited. The large majority reported good to excellent sales results. Buying was strong in all categories, from works by young artists for less than 5,000 USD to museum-quality masterpieces priced at several million dollars. The art market continues to expand, thanks mainly to the support of a growing number of private collectors. The number of public and private museums in the United States and overseas is also on the rise.

Many leading art world personalities participated in or attended the Art Basel Conversations and the Art Salon. This new net­working platform was well received by the audience. Participat­ing artists, architects, journalists, curators, filmmakers, and biennale and museum directors were pleased to meet such a competent audience.

7 art works in public spaces – in the streets, parks, and buildings around Collins Park – infiltrated the city and confronted citizens with sur­prising forms of artistic expression.

The cultural meeting place on the beach «Art Positions», with 22 exhibitions of young galleries in converted shipping containers, was a favorite with visitors as well as the newly initiated forum «Open Air Cinema» with a daily program of music videos. W South Beach, sponsor of «Art Positions» awarded Robin Rhode (Perry Rubenstein Gallery New York) with W South Beach Artist Commission. 7 artists from around the globe were invited to pre­sent specially commissioned site- and context-specific works. «Art Perform» was curated by Jens Hoffmann. The internet radio station WPS1.org streamed live from «Art Positions» for several hours a day. The program included interviews with artists, cura­tors, gallery owners and collectors. PS1’s Alanna Heiss and Klaus Biesenbach curated a program of artists DJs every eve­ning.

In the newly designed «Art Video Lounge» a program of new videos was curated by Michael Rush. Contemporary music and sound pieces were presented in the open air «Art Sound Lounge» in the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens in collaboration with David Weinstein. Axa Art Insurance Company sponsored guided tours by their expert for VIPs, while ArtNexus offered tours by art critics for the general public in English and Spanish.

Art Basel Miami Beach also staged crossover events. «Art Loves Film» presented director, artist and collector Dennis Hopper in conversation with Bob Colacello. «Art Loves Music» featured a free beach concert by the electro-punk band «Peaches». Several thousand guests attended the «Art Loves Design» evening which included exhibitions by Vitra Design Museum, Centre Pompidou, Moss, Established & Sons and Paper Magazine, the design show Design Miami/2006 and a conversation with Marc Newson. At least 12 parallel art fairs were organized during Art Basel Miami Beach.

Once again Miami’s leading private collections – among them the Margulies Collection, the Rubell Family Collection, CIFO, the private col­lection of Ella Cisneros, the de la Cruz Collection, the Mora Collection, the Scholl Collection, the Shack Collection, Dacra/Aqua, and the Robins Collection – opened their homes and warehouses to guests of the international art show.

The Miami museums organized important exhibitions: MOCA opened a show of Bruce Nauman, MAC opened the show enti­tled «Video: An Art, A history 1965–2005, New Media Collection, Centre Pompidou»; MAM showed Mark Dion and Lorna Simpson; Allora & Calzadilla and John Bock had a solo exhibi­tions at the Moore Space.

Cooperation with the authorities of the City of Miami Beach, the City of Miami, and Miami-Dade County worked well and contrib­uted to making the international art show a cultural event spread throughout the area and involving the local community. The Host Committee of Art Basel Miami Beach, chaired by Norman and Irma Braman, played an active role in ensuring that attendees of the international art show would experience Miami’s legendary hospitality.

«Once again Art Basel Miami Beach has exceeded expecta­tions», said Mark B. Sutton, Chairman & CEO, UBS Americas, «and we look forward to being part of this exceptional art show for years to come». Art Basel Miami Beach likes to thank the following partners: Bvlgari, BMW, Netjets, Morgans Hotel Group, AXA Art Insurance, W South Beach Residences.

The elaborately designed catalog, which provides an exten­sive overview of over 1,000 art works on the international art market, was almost sold out during the week. A few ­hundred copies are still available from D.A.P. in New York (Toll Free: Tel. +1/800 338 2665, Fax +1/212 627 9484) for the USA or from Hatje Cantz Publishers in Germany: Fax +49/711 4405 220 (payment by credit card). The next Art Basel Miami Beach will be held from December 6 through 9, 2007.