AQUA Art Miami, a sister fair of Art Miami that kicked off art week, celebrated its 13th edition at the AQUA Hotel in Miami Beach with an exclusive VIP Preview last week.
The VIP Preview presented a tightly curated array of emerging and mid-career artists with 52 international exhibitors in the intimate exhibition rooms that open onto the classic South Beach hotel’s beautiful courtyard.
The VIP Preview welcomed over 3,750 prestigious art collectors, connoisseurs, advisors and notable museum professionals, including Helga Piaget, Kara Ross, Janna Bullock, Bill Arning, Director, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Don Bacigalupi, Founding President, The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Gabriel Groisman, Mayor of Bal Harbour, Wendy Kaplan, Department Head and Curator, Decorative Arts and Design at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Annie Carlano, Senior Curator of Craft, Design & Fashion, The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC, Kandi Burruss from Real Housewives of Atlanta, and Matt Altman and Josh Altman – The Altman Brothers from Million Dollar Listing, who viewed and acquired important works from emerging and mid-career artists, fresh talent, important street artists, and fashion designers.
Highlights from the first day’s sales at AQUA Art Miami included: Stick Together placed over half of Max Zorn’s new collection with the sales valued at over $50,000; Galerie LeRoyer placed five works by Rock Therrien, including OMG, ROCKETMAN, PORN STAR, BACK OFF and WTF totaling sales of $18,000; Black Ship Gallery placed several works including Love Is No Game by Bernadette Despujols for $22,000 as well as two Love Dolls by the same artist; a Valeria Krasavina installation for $5,000; Bling Blimg Big by Keyser Siso; Morphew placed a vintage Comme de Garcon black trench coat for $3,800; Galleria Ca’ d’Oro placed Red, White, Bike from 2017 by Erika Calesini; as well as three Snails from 2016 by Cracking Art; &Gallery placed two oil paintings from Patrícia Schnall Gutierrez from 2017; and AC Contemporary, from Buenos Aires Argentina, sold eight works from a collective of female Chilean artists.
Pictured:
Kandi Burruss
Matt & Josh Altman