MIAMI, FL.- PULSE Miami 2012, held from December 6-9th at the Ice Palace Studios in Miami, closed with a record number of visitors, up almost 20% from last year. Nearly 4,000 visitors passed through in the opening hours of the fair and the crowds steadily increased through Sunday. There was an overall buzz of excitement and vibrancy as multiple galleries reported significant sales on the opening day. The active selling was non-stop with particular interest from major international and U.S. museums and foundations.
“We are thrilled by the increased number in attendance this year. Sales were stronger than they’ve ever been, which speaks to the extraordinary caliber of exhibitors and artists,” comments Cornell DeWitt, Director, PULSE Contemporary Art Fairs. “Collectors at all levels purchased work ranging in price from mid-level well into six figures,” continues DeWitt.
The new international galleries added to the vibrancy of the fair and to the buying frenzy. Featuring Columbian artists Miguel Angel Rojas and Alberto Baraya, espaivisor-Visor Gallery (Valencia) sold out their work. The Fine Art Society Contemporary (London) had great success with the works of Rob and Nick Carter, as well as photographs by Chris Levine.
Thomas Von Lintel of Von Lintel Gallery (New York), an exhibitor with PULSE since its earliest days, notes, “Beginning with the VIP brunch on Thursday and throughout the day, I experienced the best sales I have ever had at any Miami fair.”
Influential, international curators and collectors ignited sales for the galleries on the first day. DC-based gallery, ADAMSON GALLERY sold works by Chuck Close, Adam Fuss, and Robert Longo. Danziger Gallery (New York) sold out a limited edition image by Karen Knorr, and Hendrik Korsten's work was also widely purchased. Two artists represented by Dorsch Gallery (Miami) were asked to commission work: a light sculpture by Brookhart Jonquil and a video from Martin Murphy’s LA Dream series.
The energy heightened as many galleries – from those in the IMPULSE section of the fair to longstanding PULSE dealers - sold out their collections of offerings brought to the fair. In IMPULSE, THE RESIDENCE GALLERY (London) showcased and sold out of new paintings by Irish-born Liam Ryan. SCARAMOUCHE (New York) also experienced extraordinary sales, selling out Katja Loher’s compelling hand-blown glass video sculptures, contributing to the success of IMPULSE. In the main section of the fair, a solo exhibition by Mark Mulroney at Mixed Greens (New York) was well received, with all paintings, drawings and works on paper selling out by the end of Saturday. Artist Rachel Lachowicz, represented by Shoshana Wayne Gallery (Santa Monica) held a book signing at the fair, and all of her works were sold out by the third day of activities.
LUIS DE JESUS LOS ANGELES (Culver City) sold out Marcos Ramirez Erre’s etched mirror There from his new Identity Series. Three editions sold to collectors from New York and Boston. Ken Gonzales-Day's Untitled photograph of two female busts, also currently installed as a monumental billboard on the side of the Bass Museum of Art, Miami, sold to a trustee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Another Untitled photograph of four female busts sold to a collector associated with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. In addition, a photograph from his Erased Lynchings series sold to a member of the Producer’s Council at the New Museum, New York. Exhibitors with programs as diverse as Galerie Michael Sturm (Stuttgart) and Josée Bienvenu Gallery (New York) also reported strong sales of young artists.
Photography continued to be a strong medium at PULSE Miami 2012. La Galerie Particulière (Paris) sold fourteen photographs by Laurent Millet (whose works have been exhibited at LACMA, The Art Institute of Chicago and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) to American, Mexican, and Italian collectors. ROSEGALLERY (Santa Monica) sold John Chiara’s Mt. Holyoke at Via de Las Olas, a unique ilfochrome photograph; Hisaj Hara’s, Portrait of Therese, 2009; and a sought after William Eggleston image. Photography specialists Yossi Milo Gallery (New York) and Yancey Richardson Gallery (New York) also reported strong sales throughout the run of the fair.
Among other galleries, M + B (Los Angeles) reported several purchases from US and international museums. The Columbus Museum of Art purchased several of Matthew Brandt’s photographs and the Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art, Istanbul, purchased photographs by Alex Prager. Additionally, Shoshana Wayne Gallery (Santa Monica) sold a Dinh Q. Lê work to an undisclosed museum in the Northeast. Julie Saul Gallery (New York) experienced wide sales for four of the artists in her booth: Shai Kremar, Simon Hughes, Maira Kalman, and Chris Russell, with some work purchased by a trustee from the Miami Art Museum. Rick Wester Fine Art (New York) also reported sales for multiple artists: Alysa Rosner’s large painting on yupa; Meghan Brody’s photograph I See You, 2012; and a diptych by Laurie Lambrecht, Imperial Palace, 1,2,3.
The winner of this year’s PULSE Prize is German artist, Nadine Wottke, represented by WIDMER + THEODORIDIS Contemporary (Zurich). Wittke’s Bone China figures explore our vulnerability and hopes using a delicate medium. Her work has been exhibited at the Kunsthalle Erfurt and the Neues Museum Weimar. The winner was selected by the PULSE Gallery Selection Committee and honored guest jurors Silvia Karman Cubiñá, Alistair Hicks, and Alexandra Peers. In addition to the $2,500 cash grant, the winner was awarded the opportunity to design limited-edition promotional items for the following year.
