IFAE announces the Miami International Art Fair January 6 – 10, 2010

Miami International Art Fair kicks off the international art fair season at the Miami Beach Convention Center January 7-10, 2010. Galleries are participating from every continent presenting the best in contemporary art, photography, video, and installation art. The fair includes a lecture series featuring prominent experts in Latin American and International Contemporary Art. Other fair highlights include: “Next Generation: 30 artists under 40,” over 100 major public sculptures by internationally renowned artists, and a special exhibition, “Focus Argentina.” The fair will open with an invitation-only Collectors’ Preview Party on the evening of January 6th.

January 7-10, 12-8pm (til 9pm on Fri & Sat)
Public Hours

Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 6-8 p.m.
Preview “Loving Art, Giving Life” A Music Performance & Interactive Art Happening
Thursday, January 7th
2:30pm – “Jose Bedia : In His Own Words”
4:30pm – “The Corporate Patron”

Friday, January 8th
2:30pm – “A Conversation with Enrique Martínez Celaya”
3:30pm – “A Conversation with Graciela Sacco”
4:30pm – “From the Director’s Chair”

Saturday, January 9th
2:30pm – “Developing the Next Generation of Collectors”
3:30pm – “Inside the Studio”

Sunday, January 10th
2:30pm – “The Enigma of the Still Life: from Europe to Latin America (English)”
4:00pm – “The Enigma of the Still Life: from Europe to Latin America (Español)”

“ART CRUSH 2010″
MIA will kick off “ART CRUSH 2010,” a new mid-winter weekend of Miami gallery district openings, wine tastings, art performances, open studios and museum exhibitions.
Coral Gables, Wynwood and Design Districts

David and Lee Ann Lester, IFAE principals and founding organizers of Art Miami – from 1991 -1998, today announced the new Miami International Art Fair to be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center January 6 – 10, 2010.

“Now that we have returned from retirement, we—once again— actively manage and organize the two outstanding fairs that we established many years ago in Palm Beach. Dealers have asked that we bring back a new fair in the former, established, very successful art fair dates in early January dates at the Miami Beach Convention Center,” said David Lester. “This fair is targeted to once again serve seasonal visitors and residents who are not present in the Miami area during the December fair season.”

Lester noted that 25% of the world’s wealth is present in Florida during the winter season, which commences in January.

“This fair will serve an entirely different market segment than existing events,” said Lester. “We recognize and salute Art Basel Miami Beach – the outstanding international fair held in December – and appreciate the global recognition that it has brought to Miami Beach and the greater Miami area. Miami Beach is now an outstanding and proven art market.”

The Lester’s recognize the current challenging economy; but anticipate their long history of creative fair management will enable the majority of their dealer-clients to have a profitable experience next winter.

“Many of our former dealer-clients have expressed a desire to be part of a smaller, first-quality seasonal international event of approximately 100 dealers, but without the distractions of the highly competitive multi-fair environment that exists in December. ” said Lee Ann Lester. “The original Florida art fair concept was established in these very same dates, at the Miami Beach Convention Center in 1991, and the concept successfully served the seasonal visitors and winter residents for 18 years.”

The Miami International Art Fair will open its fair doors to a substantial number of local and Florida galleries, as well as host galleries from Latin America, North America, Europe and Asia. This exceptional fair will coordinate with local dealers to combine fair-based and gallery-based activities during the fair period. It offers galleries from afar to have a two-market approach during their January mid-winter visit to South Florida by coordinating its dates and management with the IFAE owned Artpalmbeach the following weekend. This new January fair also provides a second seasonal access in Miami Beach for visiting dealers – thereby offering an early winter seasonal presence as well as a late fall presence for galleries who have come to the Miami area for art fair exhibitions in December.