Design Miami/ Basel

In December in Miami, the fair tends to draw inspiration from the location and exhibitors bring colourful, bold and playful pieces and presentations. The Basel edition is slightly more nuanced in terms of historical and academic works on view. The fair gives visitors a chance to understand key movements in the history of design and experience rare objects from around the world within the context of the works they were inspired by and, in turn, inspired.

While we have a core group of galleries, including the Founding Galleries, who return every year for both the Miami and Basel editions, when new galleries exhibit with us in Basel they tend to come from Europe: France, Italy, Germany and even Russia. We are always thrilled when these galleries return for the following year or often decide to come to Miami and enter the American market with us.

Prices can range from $200 sunglasses from one of our sponsors to a custom bed frame by the late Claude Lalanne for over $1 million. Buyers typically come from major arts institutions, and also high net-worth individuals building up their private collections.

Design Miami/ Basel attracts industry professionals from across Europe and has also become a destination for design and art tourism from members of the general public.

In Basel, Design Miami/’s home at the Messe Basel convention centre means we have an abundance of space upon entering.

We have been lucky in the past two years to have a direct connection to Art Basel through Unlimited is Art Basel’s pioneering exhibition platform for projects that transcend the classical art-show stand, including massive sculpture and paintings, video projections, large-scale installations, and live performances.
LISTE is an art fair skewed toward promoting young artists and galleries and its unofficial title is The Young Art Fair in Basel. It is a great place to take in some of the emerging talent in the market.