(Bloomberg) -- A portrait of Hillary Clinton is set against a now-mournful black background. Canvases are lined with the New York Times edition whose front page announced “Trump Triumphs.”
Politics is prevalent at Art Basel Miami Beach this week, where artists and galleries are using the biggest contemporary art fair in the U.S. to express frustration and other feelings in the wake of the presidential election.
Haendel's graphite portrait of Clinton
“There is no way we could do anything else,” Timothy Blum, a co-owner of Blum & Poe gallery, said of the decision to place an 8-foot-tall orange lightbox by Sam Durant reading “End White Supremacy” in the most prominent spot of its booth -- across from an entrance to the fair, which drew 77,000 visitors last year. “It's impossible to come to an art fair now and just show formal work.”
A painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat sold for $15 million on Thursday, the highest price so far at the event. Visitors on the first two days included billionaires Dan Loeb and Norman Braman and musician Jon Bon Jovi. While the aisles weren't as packed as in previous years, dealers reported brisk sales for works below $500,000. The show's 15th edition has 269 top international galleries from 29 countries, with an estimated $2.5 billion to $3 billion of art available at the Miami Beach Convention Center, according to AXA Art, one of the sponsors.
"Made in Japan I"
Exhibited on the stand of Helly Nahmad gallery, the 1982 Basquiat work titled “Made in Japan I” was purchased by Greek-born collector Dimitri Mavrommatis, according to the gallery. At auction in 2014, it fetched $8 million.
“Now that this painting belongs to me, the provenance will increase its value even more,” said Mavrommatis, who also paid $3.5 million for a large painting of blue shoes, “Diamond Dust Shoes” by Andy Warhol from 1980, at the Dominique Levy Gallery booth. Another 1982 work by Basquiat, “Hannibal,” fetched 10.6 million pounds ($13.2 million) at Sotheby's in London in October.
Many works on view addressed issues of gender and race inequality as well as the election.
“It's a very different vibe than last year,” said Angela Goding, director of development at MoMA PS1, a nonprofit art institution in New York City. “Usually you don't want to talk about politics, you don't want to offend anyone. But now the rules have changed.”
Clinton Portraits
Gavin Brown's Enterprise gallery brought three large canvases by Rirkrit Tiravanija with the Nov. 9 edition of the Times overwritten with the words “The Tyranny of Common Sense Has Reached Its Final Stage” in different colors. Priced at $90,000 each, the works sold quickly after the opening.
Canvases by Rirkrit Tiravanija
Karl Haendel's graphite portrait of Clinton, priced at $34,000, was a highlight at the Susanne Vielmetter booth. The photo-realist image showed the presidential candidate next to a black rectangle. The artist made it earlier this year. It didn't sell on opening day.
“Initially we thought it would be more celebratory,” said sales director Kevin Scholl.
Trump connections were also on the scene including the father of Steven Mnuchin, who has been picked for U.S. Treasury secretary. Robert Mnuchin, who owns the Mnuchin Gallery, declined to comment on his son's appointment, only saying “I am proud of him.” His gallery sold a painting by young artist Tauba Auerbach, with the asking price of $550,000, minutes after the opening.
Martha Stewart snapped photos of Barbara Kruger's black-and-white painting “Untitled (Cast of Characters)” listing sycophants, creeps and egomaniacs. Priced at $300,000, the 2016 work sold within hours to a European collector, according to the Sprueth Magers gallery.
Piece by Sanford Biggers
Art dealer Marianne Boesky gave the main wall of her booth to a sprawling piece by Sanford Biggers that features small, hand-carved African figurines casting massive shadows.
“I feel more motivated than ever,” Biggers said. “It's interesting to see culture shifting to provide new context for the work. It has new resonance because of the current events.”
With its blue sky, poolside parties and flowing champagne, Miami in early December is often an escape for the art world. Now many are here seeking solace in art, dealers and collectors said.
‘Very Therapeutic'
“It's very therapeutic,” said Mera Rubell, whose Miami-based family foundation's annual exhibition is titled “High Anxiety.” “Art is like the last frontier that allows you to think, feel and connect.”
Durant's lightbox reading “End White Supremacy”
Andrew Fabricant of Richard Gray Gallery said the scene is “definitely quieter” this year. “Too many art fairs, too many sales, the election, Zika,” he said. “There's a whole lot of fatigue factors.”
The mood isn't all glum. Some collectors see the incoming Trump presidency as a probable boost for the art world.
“All things being equal, Trump should be good for the art market,” said hedge fund manager Jim Chanos. “The rich getting richer, right?”
To contact the reporter on this story: Katya Kazakina in New York at kkazakina@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Margaret Collins at mcollins45@bloomberg.net, Josh Friedman, Alan Mirabella
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