Visual Art

Art Wynwood: One last Miami art fair of the season – and never-before-seen Warhols

Written By Michelle F. Solomon
February 11, 2020 at 7:45 PM

Art Wynwood will take place at One Herald Plaza, the former “Miami Herald” site that also houses Art Miami and CONTEXT Art Miami during Art Week. (Photo courtesy of Michelle VanTine)

Think of it as the closing of the winter Miami art fair season.

Art Wynwood, a sister show to Miami Art Week’s Art Miami and CONTEXT Art Miami, arrives for its ninth edition on Presidents’ Day (and Valentine’s Day) weekend, from Feb. 13 to 17.

There’s a good reason Art Wynwood isn’t lumped into December’s Basel bash, says Julian Navarro, the fair’s director.

“There is just too much then, too much competition. Collectors and visitors like this show in February because it’s another option for the big collectors who stay away [from Miami Art Week] because it is too overwhelming,” says Navarro, who has also been the director of CONTEXT Art Miami since 2014.

Art Wynwood will take place at One Herald Plaza, Biscayne Bay and 14th Street, where it will continue its side-by-side partnership with the Miami Yacht Show. The former “Miami Herald” site also houses Art Miami and CONTEXT Art Miami during Art Week.

Whereas CONTEXT Art Miami focuses on emerging and mid-career artists and Art Miami has investment-quality blue chip and contemporary and modern works from established artists, Navarro says Art Wynwood combines the two.

“At this fair, you can have an emerging artist that’s 23 years old and you have the post-war work, the best of both. I love to see that dialogue between the two markets in one place,” Navarro says. “It’s also a boutique fair with only 50 galleries. You have the best of the two: the emerging contemporary galleries and the established ones that are coming with blue chip work.”

Therefore, prices can start at $1,000 for emerging artists’ work. “Then, when we go to the Andy Warhol drawings, we can start talking about $250,000 to $300,000, to the Robert Rymans and the Boteros, we are in the millions,” he says. “That’s the beauty of Art Wynwood. We have all the market there.”

Art Wynwood debuted in 2012 as an international contemporary art fair in the heart of midtown Miami and, in many instances, introduced worldwide visitors to the Wynwood Arts District. Now that its permanent home is no longer in Wynwood, is a name change due?

Navarro emphatically says no: “The name was more about an idea when everything started, and it has been solid since then. Globally, everyone knows it is in Miami.”

The fair highlights Miami galleries, although there are national and international galleries exhibiting as well.

“To see Miami the way it was in 2012 to Miami now in 2020, it is two different worlds. That is why every year we work hard to present the best that we have in this market, the galleries that we have that are our champions in the city,” he says. “Every year we have new galleries from Miami that are working with us, and that is very important to the community.”

While Navarro says everything is worth seeing, when pressed for his Top Five, he does offer a must-see list for this year’s Art Wynwood.

Long-Sharp Gallery, Indianapolis/New York: never-before-exhibited Andy Warhol drawings of flower compositions from the 1950s.

“You have these rare Warhols coming to town to be seen for the first time, five beautiful drawings from The Andy Warhol Foundation. This is the first time anywhere they are available in the market. This is great for Miami.”

Andy Warhol’s “Flowers,” circa 1956, features ink on paper. (Photo courtesy of Long-Sharp Gallery)

Robert Fontaine Gallery, Wynwood, Miami: emerging artist Vickie Vainionpaa’s “Soft Body Dynamics 18,” 2019.

“The quality of her paintings is just stunning. When I see these canvases by themselves, no color and then the oil on top creating shapes, it’s a new language.”

Vickie Vainionpaa’s “Soft Body Dynamics 18” (2019), features oil on linen. (Photo courtesy of Robert Fontaine Gallery)

Lelia Mordoch Gallery, Wynwood, Miami: Jose Arellano.

The Miami-based sculptor creates visual semblances from museum board and xylene-based acrylic paint.

“His pieces are lively and very interactive. This is the first time, too, this gallery is in the fair.”

The Bonnier Gallery, Allapattah, Miami: “Section,” Robert Ryman, 1985.

“This is a work you’d find in Sotheby’s or Christie’s, and it’s right here in Miami, so this is an opportunity for people to see this kind of quality we have at local galleries.”

One of the pioneers of Minimalist painting, Ryman excludes all hues except white. In 2015, Christie’s sold a Robert Ryman work for a staggering $20.6 million.

Robert Ryman’s “Section” (1985) features oil on aluminum. (Photo courtesy of The Bonnier Gallery)

Burgess Modern and Contemporary, Fort Lauderdale.

The Burgess gallery will display Marc Jansen’s continuation of his 2011 “Faceless” series, which features striking, large-scale portraits of foreboding, faceless men in suits. Jansen is a former U.S. Army soldier turned combatant for the avant-garde. 

“When the show is over, we want to make sure that the community keeps visiting the galleries and supports the artists,” Navarro says. “That’s important to us.”

What: Art Wynwood

When: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Feb. 14-16; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 17; VIP preview 6-10 p.m. Feb. 13

Where: One Herald Plaza, Northeast 14th Street on Biscayne Bay, Miami

Cost: $35 for one-day; $60 for multi-day pass; $20 for seniors, students and groups of 10 or more; free for accompanied children younger than 12; and $200 for VIP

More information: 305-517-7977; artwynwood.com

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