New Art Basel Director Bridget Finn Talks Pushing the Envelope
Art Basel’s new Director, Bridget Finn, discusses the highly anticipated 2024 fair.
Under incoming Director Bridget Finn, this year’s esteemed Art Basel fair pushes the envelope further than ever before. The international art fair’s Miami edition promises a greater range of art offerings, featuring exhibiting galleries from across five continents. The vast collection of creative voices will include works from the United States and Canada, with an emphasis on Central and South American art from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, and Uruguay.
The 2024 event—held from December 6 through 8 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach—spotlights emerging galleries and fresh ideas from regional artists to further amplify horizons and engage audiences in this pinnacle showcase. “Since its expansion to Miami Beach [in 2002], Art Basel has evolved into a premier international platform for artistic discovery and exchange, growing exponentially in both scale and ambition,” Finn tells L’OFFICIEL. “Today, it stands as one of the most influential and widely regarded events in the global art world.”
The art fair’s newly minted view comes into focus with Finn’s appointment as Fair Director. A longstanding art world presence, Finn brings extensive gallery and project curation expertise to the role. Her resume touts posts at Anton Kern Gallery and Mitchell-Innes & Nash prior to launching Art Mile Detroit and co-founding Reyes Finn gallery in her Michigan hometown. She also co-established Brooklyn project space Cleopatra’s, and directed strategic planning and projects at Independent Curators International.
“When I think of the future of the Miami Beach show, I consider the breadth of audiences that the show attracts. The region is experiencing tremendous growth, and our audience, which is an incredibly diverse cross-section of people, is reflective of that,” shares Finn. “The show is committed to fostering discovery of a diverse range of artistic thought and practice, which in turn helps nurture and strengthen the wider artistic community in the region and beyond.”
This year’s fair includes modern and contemporary art from 286 galleries in 38 countries and territories. Divided into several sectors, each portion of the event has a specific focus. The main platform, Galleries, discovers leading talent from emerging artists to master creators, while Meridians—curated by outgoing Portikus Director and Museum of Modern Art curator Yasmil Raymond—focuses on large-scale projects. Nova presents new works created within the past three years, and Positions spotlights younger galleries with solo presentations from emerging creatives. Survey focuses on practices of historical relevance, and Kabinett hosts curated selections from galleries in a separate section of their booths. Conversations—organized by writer Kimberly Bradley—brings together idea exchanges from thought leaders on topics shaping art and culture.
"The show is committed to fostering discovery of a diverse range of artistic thought and practice."
The Miami fair strives not only to be exceptional, but to be an inimitable resource for art offerings and opportunities. From the newly arranged viewing spaces—positioned for better cohesion and engagement—to an outdoor sculpture park at the heart of the main show, this year’s fair offers a particularly special experience in both content and form. “Art Basel Miami Beach stands out for its singular location at the geographic crossroads and creative nexus of North and South America,” Finn says. “The fair’s identity is deeply rooted in its dynamic array of participating galleries, with over two thirds hailing from the Americas, platforming artistic voices and perspectives from various cultural contexts across the region.”
Amongst the must-see exhibitions, new exhibitors in Galleries include Hong Kong’s Pearl Lam Galleries, with a multigenerational focus on abstraction. San Francisco’s Wendi Norris offers a dialogue on transformation between surrealist Remedios Varos and contemporary artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons, and Buenos Aires’s Isla Flotante will show a three-part presentation on the theme of bodily transfiguration. Also in Galleries, New York and Bogotá’s lnstituto de Visión will present six artists from the Americas, reflecting on the relationship between nature, territory, and the body. Luisa Strina—celebrating its 50th anniversary as Sao Paulo’s longest-running contemporary art gallery—will take a deep dive into the gallery’s artistry. New York’s Pace Gallery and Helly Nahmad Gallery also will show works from their gallery rosters, including pieces by Alicja Kwade and Adam Pendleton, and Jean-Michel Basquiat and Fernand Léger, respectively.
In Meridians, bold, large-scale projects are revealed under the theme “State of Becoming,” an allegory for formal aspects of the artists’ work. From physical properties to the presence—or absence—of space itself, the idea of change and transcendence is always close at hand. White Cube will present a floor-to-ceiling sculpture by artist Danh Vō, touching on regeneration and evolution. Buenos Aires’s Rolf Art will show artist Roberto Huarcaya’s photogram homage to the Amazon rainforest—which anchored the Peruvian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Ben Brown Fine Arts of London, Hong Kong, and Palm Beach will unveil a mural diptych of cursives and calligraphy by artist José Parlá, inspired by urban spaces and city walls.
Nova will debut New York’s Charles Moffett with a collaboration between Kim Dacres and Melissa Joseph, known for their imaginative work with rubber and felt materials, and Paris’s Galerie Allen will present on the theme of ‘sanctuary amongst the grotesque.’ Lisbon’s Madragoa and Galeria Dawid Radziszewski of Warsaw and Vienna will come together in a joint exhibit of artist Joanna Piotrowska’s photography and a textile installation centered around family and domesticity. In Positions, Buenos Aires’ Piedras will show artist Jimena Croceri’s ergonomic bodily sculptures and Mexico City’s Llano will explore masculinity in an installation by Mexican dancer and choreographer Diego Vega Solorza. Finally, in Survey, Pobassrtland’s ILY2 will focus on artist Bonnie Lucas’ hand-sewn, fabric assemblages, while Singapore’s Gajah Gallery presents unseen paintings and sculptures from artist I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih on feminine pleasure and autonomy.
New York’s Lyles & King will bring visibility to largely unknown paintings on paper from feminist icon Mira Schor. Surrounding Art Basel’s vibrant Miami edition, the city itself offers a wealth of art and cultural events. A host of satellite fairs, including Untitled Art, NADA Miami, and Art Miami, will hold concurrent programs during Miami Art Week. Also, The Bass Museum of Art will host a 30-year survey of artist Rachel Feinstein, as well as the first public museum installation of Assume Vivid Astro Focus: XI by the Sao Paulo artist collective. At the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), a major group exhibition will discover experimental art practices of the 1960s and ‘70s Chicano Movement.
For the fashion set as much as the art scene, Art Basel offers a rare fusion of aesthetic vision and creative brilliance. “The week of Art Basel Miami Beach is the apex moment of the American cultural calendar. It’s the place to be not only if you have a connection to art, but also to film, music, design, and fashion,” reflects Finn. “Major players from across the creative industries gather in the City during the week, and it creates this contagious energy that radiates up and down the Beach, from the halls of the show to the world-class museums, to the grand dinners and glamorous parties. Whatever your interests, it’s all there—and it’s unparalleled.”