EXPERT: Art Excursion to Miami
Q: My girlfriend and I are going to Miami this winter and are interested in the art scene there. Any tips on where to go?
A: Miami is known as an art city, mainly thanks to the world-renowned Art Basel Miami Beach show, the most prestigious art show in the Americas. It happens the first week of December, showcasing over 2,000 artists from around the globe. But year-round, Miami remains a great city for art lovers. There’s the Miami-Dade Cultural Center (with its eclectic Miami Art Museum showcasing cutting-edge works); and The Wolfsonian-FIU Museum (with its energetic collection of everything from propaganda posters to Art Nouveau furniture). The pedestrian-only Lincoln Road Mall has some of the best shopping in Miami and some good art galleries as well. There’s even a World Erotic Art Museum in South Beach, opened in 2005 by 70 year-old grandmother. (Among the jaw-dropping items in the 4,000-plus-piece collection: an original phallic prop from A Clockwork Orange).
But my personal favorite art space is the Rubell Family Collection, in Miami’s Design District (where great new restaurants are popping up regularly among furniture showrooms and art galleries). This Rubell’s stellar private collection has an interesting backstory: It’s housed in a 45,000-square foot former DEA confiscated-goods warehouse, and collector Don Rubell is brother of late Studio 54 co-founder Steve Rubell. The art here is cutting edge, with major video art installations and wall-sized murals, all of it entertaining and approachable to the non-art layman.
More info:
Previous posts by Matt Link, our resident travel expert.
