20th Art Basel, Largest Ever: Miami Area Now A Year-Round Art Hub

When I grew up in Miami if you asked me about an art scene, I’d point to the painted postcards in the drugstores of babes on a beach. Back then, few in the art world would have imagined that Miami and Miami Beach would become one of the great art markets in the world.

But the first Art Basel Miami Beach event changed all of that. The 20th edition is the largest to date, open to the public from December 1-3, 2022 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

It will showcase 283 galleries, 26 of them participating for the first time. This Art Basel will bring in more than 12 times the revenue of its first event, generating even more money for the Miami area.

Miami and Miami Beach have matured into an art hub thanks to the publicity, the sales, the gala networking and the grants and endowments spurred on by Art Basel. This economic impact and international success is noteworthy, but so is the cultural impact that has reshaped the local art scene, and that has created an even more exciting destination for travelers throughout the year.

From attracting big name architects like Frank Gehry and Herzog & de Meuron to a slew of new galleries – over a hundred over the last two decades –Art Basel’s impact has inspired visionary developers like Tony Goldman and Craig Robbins to create world-renowned art and retail neighborhoods that have become home to artistic innovators.

Besides the renowned Wynwood Walls and surrounding blocks of street art, Wynwood is home to The Bakehouse Art Complex, celebrating 37 years of providing affordable space and resources to local artists. Art Basel, helped it grow exponentially, and has spurred numerous short-term satellite shows during the annual event.

And in the nearby Miami Design District, public art and the Institute of Contemporary Art have both developed in a high-end artsy retail area rivaling any in the world.

The upcoming Allapattah neighborhood is evolving, with leading institutions such as the Rubell Museum, Superblue and El Espacio 23 driving positive change in the district.

Beyond the glitz and glamor, Art Basel has actively uplifted underrepresented voices, as well, with the Art of Black initiative, now in its eighth year, giving a voice to artists from Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

Art Basel has made the Miami area a greater cultural attraction for visitors year-round, after the crowds and parties of Art Basel are gone — until the next December.

(For more travel info, follow my award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane. On Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Or on my website.)