MIAMI ART WEEK 2012 BRINGS RECORD-BREAKING SALES FOR ART MIAMI AND CONTEXT ART MIAMI

MIAMI ART WEEK 2012 BRINGS RECORD-BREAKING SALES FOR ART MIAMI AND CONTEXT ART MIAMI  STRONGEST SALES & ATTENDANCE IN THE FAIR'S 23 YEAR HISTORY      MIAMI, FL - In its 23rd year as the anchor fair to the city of Miami, Art Miami, the premiere international contemporary and modern art fair and its new sister fair CONTEXT Art Miami closed with record breaking attendance and sales in excess of $50 million with many galleries selling important works to major museums, private foundations and international collectors. Within hours of the opening, gallery owners were reporting extraordinary, unprecedented six and seven figure sales with a number selling out their booths before fair's end. Over 60,000 international collectors, museum professionals, art world luminaries and enthusiasts visited Art Miami and CONTEXT Art Miami throughout the week with over 11,000 patrons attending the exclusive VIP Preview that took place on Tuesday Dec 4 which benefited the Miami Art Museum. New on the scene, Art Miami's sister fair, CONTEXT Art Miami in its inaugural edition proved to be one of the strongest markets to acquire emerging and cutting-edge art with several galleries selling out their booths.  "We have been at every Art Miami and this was probably the best of all. We met a number of new collectors, sold to two museums and generally had a very positive experience. We were regularly told by collectors how much they enjoy the buzz at Art Miami and certainly it would seem the galleries did good business. We do several prestigious fairs around the world and for the second year, Art Miami was the best," Peter Osborne, Gallery Director, London-based Osborne Samuel. Jamie Smith, Partner and Director of CONNERSMITH. referred to the fairs as the strongest Art Week in the past decade and added,"This week at Art Miami and CONTEXT Art Miami, we have made the largest volume of sales that we have ever made at any fair in Miami since 2002." Newcomer to Art Miami, Michael Lyons Weir of Lyons Weir Gallery enthusiastically stated "This was our first year participating in Art Miami & CONTEXT. We were delighted by the quality of the attendance and extremely pleased by the brisk sales. We have been participating in Miami Art Week since it's inception and this was by far our most successful outing."     Some of the boldest names in the Art World attended the fairs throughout the week and actively acquired the works on display including Darlene & Jorge M. Pérez, developer and longtime trustee of the Miami Art Museum - to be renamed next year as the Pérez Art Museum Miami; Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman, Google, Howard Frank, COO and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, Carnival Corporation; Thom Collins, Director, Miami Art Museum, James Rosenquist, acclaimed American Pop Artist; Lucien Clergue, world-renowned French photographer; Arnold L. Lehman, Director of the Brooklyn Museum; Holly Hotchner, Director of the Museum of Arts & Design; Sarah Arison, arts activist and philanthropist; rocker Lenny Kravitz; Carol Damian, Director of Frost Art Museum  and international collectors Dennis and Debra Scholl, Ted and Ruth Baum, Marvin & Elayne Mordes,  Marvin Ross Friedman & Adrienne Bon Haynes, Jack Tilton, Eric Feder, Steve Lavigne and Jonathan Blue Louisville. Other notable attendees include Artist Béatrice Helg; Kristen Hileman curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art; Jeffreen Hayes, curator at the Birmingham Museum of Art; Stephen Bennett Phillips, curator for the Federal Reserve Collection; Francis Thompson, curator for Capital One Art Collection; Artists Peter Anton who created one of the highlight installations "Sugar & Gomorrah"; Artist Pablo Castillo and fashion designer, Tommy Hilfiger.   The fair aisles continued to overflow with copious numbers of museum groups and collector tours through-out the week including The Phillips Collection, Washington DC - Director, Dorothy Kosinski, Curator at Large, Klaus Ottmann and Chief Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art, Vesela Sretenovic; lead a delegation of trustees and high-level collectors. The Frost Art Museum, Director Carol Damian conducted a tour for trustees, donors and Fair VIP's, Groups from HSBC Private Wealth, Vivian Pfeiffer of Christie's lead a group of international collectors, The Smithsonian Institute, Curators from Apple North America and Latin America, Bass Museum, Miami Art Museum, San Antonio Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, American University Museum, International Center of Photography, NY, Museum of Art | Ft. Lauderdale, Sternersen Museum, Norway, Artadia, Cobra Museum, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Modern Art, Franklin College of Switzerland, The Wolfsonian, ArtTable, Museum of Modern Art, NY, Museum of Modern Art, North Miami and Los Angeles, Museum of Arts + Design, Cooper Hewitt Museum, Bechtler Museum Group, The Fine Art Fund, The Collectors Fund.  Among the many spectacular highlights at this year's fairs were the display of five of famed graffiti artist Banksy's works presented by Art Miami and I PXL U, the new photo sharing platform; The Art Video | New Media Lounge curated by LaRete Art Projects, with the video program Girls or Boys? Who Cares?! showcasing a hand-picked selection of video art sourced from museums, private collections and art institutions around the globe and Peter Anton's experiential carnival ride in "Sugar and Gomorrah". What major art world figures are saying: Jorge Perez of The Related Companies "I have been following Art Miami since its inception. I have seen it grow and become better every year. It is a fantastic addition to the growing Miami art scene and this year in particular, with the addition of Context, the fair was truly outstanding". Dennis Scholl of The Knight Foundation "Art Miami has continued to evolve over the last few years in representing more blue chip works. You can walk around the fair and see some really wonderful works by modern masters and that's a huge improvement for the Fair. The level of participating galleries only continues to improve each and every year. This is a great night - and we don't miss it. We really appreciate Art Miami and CONTEXT making the gesture to continue to support the local arts community with the VIP Preview benefitting the Miami Art Museum".  Thom Collins, Director Miami Art Museum soon to be named the Perez Art Museum of Miami "Historically Art Miami is the Fair where I buy for myself. I feel very comfortable here and its grown in such a smart way and in such an impressive way so I am very happy that the museum has partnered with Art Miami".   "Show management for Art Miami and CONTEXT Art Miami are particularly pleased that we have been able to continue to be good neighbors  and not only contribute financially to a number of significant local not for profit organizations but were able to also provide a unique platform for several groups to interconnect with an important international audience including the Miami Art Museum's soon to be the new Perez Miami Art Museum; the Art Dealers Association of America's efforts to raise funds and awareness for galleries destroyed by Hurricane Sandy and The Buoniconti Fund's vital work in support of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis", states Nick Korniloff. On Friday, December 7th, Christie's International Real Estate, Art Miami's Official Luxury Real Estate Partner invited top clients from around the globe for an exclusive champagne reception in the VIP Lounge. Over 300 guests attended included Phil Conway, Head of Private Banking for JP Morgan for the Southeast US, and his wife, Suzie, Jon and Nancy Batchelor, NBC 6 Anchor Jackie Nespral and husband, Dr. Armando Hassun Jr., Bonnie Sellers, CEO, Christie's International Real Estate, Cliff  & Monique Lau from Landscope Realty (Hong Kong), Christian Wattia from Sibarth (St. Barths), Joshua Saslove from Joshua & Co. (Aspen, CO). Additional VIP events included an exclusive reception at the Fairs Official Hotel Partner, Kimpton's EPIC Miami in which guests enjoyed cocktails from Rums of Puerto Rico and Bootlegger 21 NY Vodka as well as sumptuous hors d'oeuvres on the pool deck. The week closed out with an after party hosted by the Bakehouse Art Complex with DJ V and Leo Casino. "The world's leading international  art collectors, influential museum curators, designers, artists and art lovers flocked to both Art Miami and the inaugural edition of CONTEXT Art Miami. As well, we are delighted with the unprecedented sales made throughout the fair - including multiple sold out booths - and the many relationships that were built between collectors and galleries, which means we have accomplished our goal of connecting serious collectors with the most prominent galleries from around the globe displaying the finest in contemporary and modern art," says Nick Korniloff, Director & Partner, Art Miami. Continuing, he notes, "We are especially pleased with the tremendous response to CONTEXT Art Miami and its diverse group of galleries that presented the most important emerging and mid career cutting-edge artists. We must also acknowledge the extraordinary contributions of LaRete Art Projects, Christie's International Real Estate and I PXL U which with the display of several monumental works by Banksy helped ignite a discussion on the preservation of art. Art Miami, and now, CONTEXT Art Miami, will continue to respond to our growing audience in providing exciting, provocative and challenging new works from the world's greatest artists". Highlight sales include:  Michael Schultz Gallery sold SEO's Mobilier Raum im Garten I, 2012 and Raum im Garten II, for $52,000 each. Gerhard Ritchter's Abstrakted Bild (503), 1982 has been reserved for $11,500,000. Coral Gables- based Cernuda Arte sold Roberto Malta's Les Suicides, 1943 for $200,000; Servando Cabrera Moreno's Leyenda Negra, 1973 for $120,000 and Wilfredo Lam's Seated Woman, 1944 for over a million dollars and sold Miguel Florido's Vivire en tu Recuerdo, 2006-2012 and Para Amarte Sin Limites 2012 for an estimated $20,000 each. London-based gallery Osborne Samuel reported six-figure sales for Henry Moore's sculpture Mother & Child, 1953 and Draped Mother & Child on curved bench, 1980 and Lynn Chadwick's Two Seated Figures sculpture for more than $1,000,000.  Munich-based Galerie Terminus sold Tony Cragg's Wild Relatives sculpture for $550,000; two Heiner Meyer Onkel Dagobert, 2012 sculptures for $106,000 each; and three One is Not Enough sculptures for $23,000 each. James Barron Art Gallery sold Takashi Murakamis' Flower of Joy - Lemon Lime, 2007, Flower of Joy - Madagascar, 2007 and Flower of Joy - Marshmallow Strawberry, 2007 for a combined total of $420,000. New York-based Allan Stone Gallery sold Alfred Leslie, Wayne Thiebaud and Micheal Goldberg's pieces for just under $500,000.  Helsinki-based Galerie Forsblom sold Manolo Valdes Reina Mariana for $350,000, sold Manolo Valdes's Mujer en la Playa, 2007 for $460,000 and HC Berg's Skulls IV-XIII for $20,000 and Veiko Hirvimaki's Entry 3 for $10,000. Kaarina Kaikkonen's Hiding 2012 and 2012 Men's coat shirt, and Jacob Hashimoto's Untitled for $40,000 and Antihero, 2012 for an undisclosed amount. New York-based Hollis Taggart Galleries sold Jackson Pollock's Untitled, 1939-1940 for an estimated $60,000. John Wesley This Special Place in Which the Sea Hag Keeps her Craft, 1974 was sold for an estimated $60,000, Tom Freidman's Untitled, 2007 sold for an estimated $40,000, Tom Wesselmann'sFive Spot, 2004 for an estimated $400,000. Standing Nude, 1986 for $95,000 and Monica Lying on Her Back, 1998/1997 for an estimated $42,000 and Andy Warhol's Dollar Sign, 1982 for an estimated $68,000. New York-based Haunch of Venison gallery sold Damien Hirst's Beautiful Flamingo Dancing What a Vision painting for an estimated $375,000, Gunther Uecker's Nagelecke, 1979 for $386,500 and Ged Quinn's Yet to be Titled, 2012  for an estimated $55,000. San Diego-based Scott White Contemporary Art sold a Claes Oldenburg sculpture for $375,000;  Greenwich-based Abby M. Taylor Fine Art sold Harry Bertoia's Tall Sonambient for $145,000; Norman Bluhm's Untitled #1 for $35,000 and Edgar Degas's Femme Sortant du Bain$265,000 Miami-based Pan American Art Projects sold an Arnaldo Pomodoro work by $250,000 New York-based Westwood Gallery sold Andy Warhol's never before shown Franz Kafka Circa 1980's for $200,000 and already has reserved Willem Dekooning's Untitled Circa 1980, which will sell for around $200,000 and Yayoi Kusama's Dawn, 1954 for $175,000 to an Asian museum.  Stockbridge-based Schantz Galleries sold Lino Tagliapietra's Masai Wall installation for $195,000; Fuji, 2012 for $61,000 and two Dinosaur sculptures for a combined $100,000 New York-based Sundaram Tagore Gallery sold Jane Lee's Beyond the Blue, 2011 for $160,000 and Susan Weil's Wading for $26,000. New York-based June Kelly Gallery sold Alex Harsley's I've Arrived (Basquiat) portrait for $18,000. Dancing Bacardi's top private collection sold for $150,000. Tresart gallery sold Vik Muniz's piece Sophia Loren, Pictures of Diamonds, 2004 and Birgitte Bardot Pictures of Diamonds, 2004 for an estimated $150,000 each.  Palm Beach-based Mark Borghi Fine Art Inc. sold Cecily Brown's Unititled, 2006 for $145,000.  New York's  Eli Klein Gallery sold over 30 works totaling more than $500k in sales.  New York- based Gallery Waterhouse & Dodd sold Golden Sun No. 2, 2012 for an estimated $45,000; Alexander Calder's Untitled, 1971 for an estimated $128,000 and Philippe Hiquily's La Claudinette for an estimated $30,000.  Chicago's Zolla/Lieberman Gallery sold several field sculptures for $125,000+ each.  New York-based gallery Mark Borghi Fine Art sold Robert Ryman's Painting Without Paint for $120,000 and Color Test 2, 1993 for $75,000. London-based Woolff Gallery sold the works of Russell West, Jude Turner, Zac Freeman and Valeria Nascimento for an estimated total of $100,000 Basel-based Licht Feld sold several Marck pieces for an estimated $100,000 London-based Atlas Gallery sold a Nick Brandt's work for $100,000  Coral Gables-based Tresart sold Sandu Darie's Untitled 1950s estimated at $100,000. Dusseldorf-based Shuebbe Projects Gallery sold Helmut Sturm's Untitled, 1961 for $95,000. Washington-based CONNERSMITH. sold multiple Leo Villareal works for undisclosed amounts Stockholm-based Galleri Andersson Sandstorm sold Tony Cragg's It is, it isn't sculpture for $78,000; Ian McKeever's assembly of paintings for $46,000 and Gabi Trinkans's collage for $19,000 Mike Weiss Gallery sold 10 Jan De Vliegher pieces for $120,000; and a Yigal Ozeri piece for $75,000  New York- based gallery Barry Friedman sold Wendell Castle's Abstract Table for $65,000 New York-based Sundaram Tagore Gallery sold Kim Joon's Golden Hour-Dom Perignon, 2011 for $23,000 and Sohan Qadri work for $59,000. Chicago- based McCormick Gallery sold Jack Roth's Rope Dancer #2, 1980 for $55,000 Santa Monica- based Peter Fetterman gallery sold Stephen Wilkes' Jerusalem, 2012 for an estimated $30,000. Barry Categan's Twiggy, 1966 for an estimated $9,500. Ormand Gigli's Models in the Window, 1960 for an estimated $50,000.  Mexico City-based Alfredo Ginocchio reported sales for over $50,000.  Philadelphia-based Bridgette Mayer Galley sold Pablo Picasso's Sculpture and Kneeling Model for $40,000; Man Ray's L'heure de l'observatoire - Les Amoreux for $45,000, Federico Herrero's Paisaje Dividido for $32,000 and a work by Ryan McGuinness for $14,000 New York-based Heller Gallery sold Josephina Gasch - Muche's 30.08.07 for an undisclosed amount between $25,000 and $45,000 and sold a work by Libensky Brychtova for $90,000  Toronto-based Nikola Rukaj Gallery sold Bernard Pierre's Nude Woman Bathing for $45,000, Francis Sam's Untitled for $32,000.  Miami-based Unix Contemporary sold Eugenio Merino's Always Fidel and Always Mao for $45,000 each Scottsdale-based Lisa Sette Gallery sold three works by Enrique Chagoya for a combined amount of $43,000.  Hong Kong-based Contemporary by Angela Li sold a Shi Jin Dian work for $37,000 and a Peter Steinhauer work for $12,000. Mannheim-based Galerie Peter Zimmermann sold Simon Raab's Steel Granade #2 for $35,000 Millerton-based Eckert Fine Art sold Robert Rauschenberg's Mule for $45,000; Michael Kalish's Pow, 2012 for $35,000; and Eric Forstmann's Further Refelection, 2012 for $16,000  New York-based The Proposition sold Balint Zsako's Untitled (Appetite), 2012 for an estimated $40,000. New York-based Leila Heller Gallery sold Kezban Arca Batibeki's Reflections I & II, 2011 for $38,000, Rachel Lee Hovnanian's Reflection X, 2012for $28,000, and Hadie Shafie's 7 Colors, 2012 for $20,000. Nicholas Metivier Gallery sold two Jeffrey Blonde's for $35,000 each. Philadelphia-based Bridgette Mayer Gallery sold Federico Herrero's Paisaje Dividido, 2010 for $32,000 and German Gomez's Condenado VIII, 2008 for $17,000. New York-based Cynthia Reeves Gallery sold Jaehyo Lee's, 0121-1110=112101 for $27,000; Nail #1 and Nail #2 for $20,000 each and sold Danielle Julian Norton, Dawn Black and Lianhong Feng pieces for an undisclosed amount. San Francisco-based Modernbook Gallery sold 10 works by Tom Chamber; price range of the works ranging between $12,000 and $26,000. Sales also include 30 works by Ryan Bush; Price range of the works ranged between $700 and $1200 and 4 works by Brent Townshend for $10,000 each. New York-based Magnan Metz Gallery sold an Alexandre Arrechea piece for $8,000. David Drebin's Light Box sold for $25,000, and Dreams of Central Park sold for $11,800.  Tel Aviv-based Zemack Contemporary Art sold Lee Yanor's As Far as I Can Seefor $17,500 and Duchamp Thinking What to do Next for $7,500, Phillip Pascua's Phillipinne for $24,000 and Eran Shakine's Dega's Dancer as a Stripper sculptor for $18,000 Buenos Aires-based gallery Centro de Edicion sold the works of artists Leon Ferrari, Silvia Sanjurjo, Silvia Brewda and Silvia Plumari, totaling more than $23,000. Miami based Zadok Gallery sold SeonGhi Bahk's An Aggregation 12-09-01, 2012 for $22,500 and Maria Magdalena Campos Pons's Dreaming of an Island, 2011 for $18,000  Paris-based Galerie Paris Beijing sold Catherine Nelson's Foster (Other World), 2011 for $7,700; Laurent Chehere's Ballon Rouge, 2011for $3,200 and Yang Yonghang's Before the Rain, an 8-minute video, edition 5, for $16,000.  New-York based Galerie Richard sold a photograph by Dionisio Gonzalez for $15,000 London-based Alan Cristea Gallery sold Howard Hodgkin's Cold, 2012 for $13,700 Stockholm-based Wetterling Gallery sold 2 Doug and Mike Starm's untitled pieces and Bernar Venet sculpture 2 Indeterminate lines for an undisclosed amount  San Francisco- basd Modernism Inc. sold Duncan Hannah's By the Sea, 2010 for an undisclosed amount.  Baltimore-based C. Grimaldis Gallery's booth sold out completely for an undisclosed amount.