At 20 years young, Art Basel Miami Beach has never been stronger. In 2022, the internationally acclaimed art fair celebrates two decades in Miami Beach with a version that’s bigger and better than ever.

The largest edition of Art Basel Miami Beach to date will showcase 283 galleries, with 26 of those participating for the first time. The fair is open to the public from December 1-3, 2022 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

As in the past, the fair will extend well beyond the convention center with programming at cultural institutions and private collections, as well as parties and other events, all collectively known as Art Week Miami.

Mary Sibande's life-size sculpture The Domba Dance, Courtesy Art Basel — Art lovers admiring Mary Sibande's The Domba Dance, Courtesy Art Basel

How It All Began

The original art fair blossomed in Basel, Switzerland in 1970. Created by Swiss gallerists Ernst Beyeler, Trudl Bruckner and Balz Hilt, who wanted to woo a new wave of art buyers and collectors, the first fair drew more than 16,000 attendees and was an instant hit in the art world. Due to its popularity, officials realized there was room to expand internationally.

Fast-forward to the early 2000s, when the art fair’s organizers focused their sights on Greater Miami & Miami Beach and its distinctly multicultural spirit. Thanks to the fair’s belief in Miami’s potential, as well as the urging of local leaders and a host of private collectors, Art Basel expanded to the United States with its first sister fair, Art Basel Miami Beach, in 2002.

In the fair’s inaugural year, 160 galleries from 23 countries showcased their works, drawing 30,000 attendees. It was not only a chance for visitors to see and buy world-class art and hob-nob with the art elite, but Art Basel Miami Beach provided a flair that only Miami can deliver. Art enthusiasts from all over the world were thrilled to mix a sun-drenched vacation with art appreciation, glittery parties and celebrity sightings.

Several key people played important roles in bringing Art Basel to Miami Beach. Norman Braman, a prominent figure in Miami’s art scene, helped convince the Swiss art fair to consider expanding to Miami. The car dealer and art collector had developed relationships with fair officials when he began buying art at the Swiss fair. Mera and Don Rubell, whose impressive personal art collection is on display at the Rubell Museum, were also major players in attracting Art Basel to Miami Beach, as were other private collectors including Martin Margulies (The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse), and Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz (de la Cruz Collection).

Gallery spaces with sculptures and paintings to explore, Courtesy Art Basel — Discover a new artist in the gallery curatorial spaces, Courtesy Art Basel

Satellite Fairs, Parties and More

The celebration of art now extends beyond the Miami Beach Convention Center, where Art Basel Miami Beach takes place. Satellite fairs, parties and brand activations are sprinkled throughout the area during what’s known as Miami Art Week.

Popular satellite fairs include Scope and Untitled, Art, which take place in pavilions on the sands of South Beach, and Design Miami/, which presents museum-quality exhibitions of 20th- and 21st-century furniture, lighting and objects as well as panel discussions, lectures and other programming right next to the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Art Basel attendees should also look for incredible public artwork in and around the Miami Beach Convention Center. On the building’s southeast corner exterior wall, discover the vibrant colors of “About Sand” by German artist Franz Ackerman, which celebrate tourism and commerce in Miami Beach. Inside the center, you’ll find a dramatic neon and text installation called “Located World,” by Joseph Kosuth. “Bent Pool,” by Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, is located in Pride Park, which is part of the Convention Center Campus.

PAMM's exterior with hanging garden — Pérez Art Museum Miami's award-winning architecture was designed by Herzog & de Meuron

The Growth of Greater Miami & Miami Beach’s Art Scene

With the inception of Art Basel Miami Beach in 2002, Greater Miami & Miami Beach exploded into a full-time art destination. Incredible art in all mediums is now on display throughout various neighborhoods, with highly regarded art institutions and private museums finding new homes in areas such as the Miami Design District, Wynwood and Downtown Miami.

One of Miami’s most important cultural institutions, the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), moved to dramatic new digs in Downtown Miami in 2013. Fronting Biscayne Bay and adorned with hanging gardens, the high-design building by renowned Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron contains a stirring collection of 20th- and 21st-century art that speaks to Miami’s diverse culture as well as the cultures of Latin America, the Caribbean and the African diaspora.

In the Miami Design District, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA) opened in December 2017 within a shiny modern building that boasts three floors of permanent collections and exhibitions as well as a sculpture garden.

Kusama's display of silver spheres for the Narcissus Garden — Don't miss Rubell Museum's spectacular collection, Kusama's *Narcissus Garden*

Allapattah is another burgeoning neighborhood with a diverse art scene well worth exploring during Art Week. In addition to the Rubell Museum, you can check out an experiential museum – Superblue Miami – where the walls come alive with vivid digital art and guests wander through mirrored labyrinths. You’ll also find El Espacio 23, founded by Jorge Pérez.

Art buffs won’t want to miss the 20th anniversary celebration of Art Basel Miami Beach in December, but they’ll also find plenty of opportunities to celebrate world-class arts and culture in Greater Miami & Beach all year-round.