Endnotes

On the last day of the fair I ventured over to the Miami Art Museum to hear a talk. The museum, on West Flagler St, is housed in a somewhat run-down building designed by Philip Johnson and set in a area of the city that, on a Sunday morning at least, feels abandoned. The abandonment seems to extend to the people camped out on benches and wandering the cultural plaza beside the museum. Next year the museum is moving into fancy new quarters down on Key Biscayne Bay, right on the water. The new setting, I presume, more in line with art’s growing intersection with the luxury trade and entertainment business. As one art-world insider said to me, “We are all just extras here…”, and indeed that was the case. Traveling in air-conditioned comfort via taxis and shuttle buses you passed across the city fooled into thinking you were part of some pampered elite, even if just for a moment.

Party invitations in-hand, you wandered from cabana to cabana, marveling at the hotel pools and constant flow of fresh drinks. There were dinner invitations and after-parties, and parties after the after-parties. Even if you tried, you couldn’t chase it all down. And that was exactly the point. You were the backdrop, the muffled roar of conversation, the clinking of glasses and exchanging of glazed smiles. It was as if the director said “Action” and everyone moved on cue. You conformed despite every ambition otherwise, you had no choice. Nor were you ever aware, even for a second, that you were conforming, because it is made so easy for you.

So why you ask? Why this elaborate construct? Why go to all the trouble when a piece of art can be sold quite easily, over great distances, without fanfare? Without even the principles ever needing to meet. The “backlash” stories started to appear even before the fair was over. The New York Times weighted in, chastising the high-end deals and the insanity of it all. Dealers and collectors pushed back, arguing the case with familiar formulations aimed at deflecting the familiar critiques. Fair organizers talked about record sales, hyping next year even before the tents were taken down.

But sooner or later the tents do come down and we are left to confront the disconnect between the high-end art trade and the reality, the actual reality that most of us deal with on a daily basis. Art Basel Miami is a fantasy shaped to be consumed by only a select few. And while it opens its doors to the multitudes, do note that while being an extra can be fun, you’re still an extra.

Robert Moeller is the website coordinator for ANE