126-2000-A LTC
CITY O'F MIAMI BEACH
CITY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33139
http:\\ci.miami-beach.fl.us
L.T.C. No. 126-2000-A
LETTER TO COMMISSION
June 27, 2000
TO:
Mayor Neisen O. Kasdin and
Members of the City Commission
SUBJECT:
Lawrence A~rLevy _(j(J'1"6
City Managy
ART BASEL
FROM:
Attached for your information is a report from Commissioner Jose Smith regarding Art Basel, which
resulted from his recent attendance at the Annual Art 31 Basel Fair in Switzerland.
LAL:ptw
Attachment
f:/ cmgr/$all/ltc-OO/artbasel.ltc
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CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR & COMMISSION
MEMORANDUM
TO: LAWRENCE LEVY
CITY MANAGER
FROM: JOSE SMITH
COMMISSIONER ..
'.', ...~
DATE: JUNE 26, 2000
RE: ART BASEL REPORT
BASEL - the city
The City of Basel, Switzerland cares passionately about arts and culture. Sitting on the banks of the
Rhine River, Basel shares borders with France and Germany. It has a rich and impressive collection
of historic buildings (many over 500 years old), world famous museums and sophisticated residents
protective of their environment and quality oflife.
Basil has clean and efficient public transportation, consisting of an electric rail and bus system. It
is very popular and goes everywhere in the City. While hotels do not have the same level of comfort
or luxury as ours, Basil's hospitality industry is courteous and professional.
BASEL - the Arts Fair
The annual Art 31 Basel Fair was held June 21 - 26,2000, at the Messe Basel Convention Center.
Their entire facility, which is much larger than the Miami Beach Convention Center, was used by
the fair. The fair was covered by a large contingent of international journalists.
There were 250 art exhibitors, chosen by a selection committee, from over 800 of the most exclusive
galleries in the world. More than 50,000 visitors attended this impressive six-day exhibition.
A large delegation of South Floridians attended the fair, including Ambassador Paul Cejas, Norman
Braman, Commissioner Nancy Liebman and many others. We were well received and attended many
festivities held throughout the City. All events were professionally run.
.
While exact numbers are difficult to veritY, it is conservatively estimated that art sales at the fair
were well into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Many art pieces sold at prices well into seven
figures. Well headed sophisticated collectors from all over the world were actually buying-not
just browsing.
Because all 1200 hotel rooms in Basel were booked, thousands stayed in Zurich or Lucerne (30
minutes away) and in other nearby towns. There were galleries from throughout Europe, Asia and
Latin America.
BASEL - Miami Beach
At various press conferences and gatherings the principals of Art Basel publicly announced that
Miami Beach would host their 2001 exhibition. The announcement was well received. I spoke to
several gallery owners and collectors who stated that this is the ,"best thing that could happen to
Miami Beach." They all spoke very highly of the show and its management team and looked
forward to next year's show.
There are, of course, risks associated with bringing any new show to Miami Beach, even one as
highly regarded as Art Basel. Factors that could affect its ultimate success include economic or
market conditions as well as the ability to attract high-end galleries and collectors to a new venue.
However, these risks are far outweighed by the benefits this festival is likely to produce. Not only
will it generate significant revenues and employment it will also bring enormous prestige to the City.
It will clearly bring Miami Beach to a much higher level in the arts community.
CONCLUSION
I was very impressed by this show and the entire organization that stands behind it. Not only were
all my questions fully answered by the principals of Art Basel, I also reviewed fmancial reports and
spoke to many reliable people.
While no one can guarantee that Art Basel will be as successful here as they are in Basel, it is clearly
an excellent investment for the City and one we will be proud we made. I thank my colleagues and
City Manager, Larry Levy, for the opportunity to visit this magnificent Art Fair on behalf of the City
of Miami Beach.
JS/ept