Went to the Pulse Miami Contemporary Art Fair media and VIP brunch on Thursday. There were a lot of people there.

“PULSE Contemporary Art Fairs provide a unique platform for diverse galleries to present a progressive blend of renowned and pioneering contemporary artists, alongside an evolving series of original programming. The fair’s distinctive commitment to the art community and visitor experience makes PULSE unique among art fairs and creates an art market experience that is both dynamic and inviting.”

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PRESS RELEASE:
3,000 Visitors Attend PULSE Miami 2013 Preview!
Sold Out Booths
Cristina De Middel Wins the PULSE Prize

More than 3,000 people passed through the doors of The Ice Palace Studios to attend the preview of the 9th edition of PULSE Miami on Thursday, December 5th. Record-breaking sales were reported during the opening hours with sold out limited-edition work and in several cases sold out booths. Representatives from major US museums including the Carnegie Museum of Art, The Getty, the San Antonio Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, and The Peabody Essex had a major presence at the fair.

Many exhibitors reported that the first day of PULSE Miami 2013 was the best opening day in recent memory. First time exhibitor MA2 Gallery from Tokyo, sold out its booth of video works by Ken Matsubara by the end of the day. The Thomas Witte paper cuts, which are currently creating a stir at Grand Central Station, were in active demand at Davidson Contemporary (New York) as well Sam Messenger who is always a collector’s favorite. Six figure sales of artwork were also reported including David Hammons Basketball Drawing at Hosfelt Gallery (San Francisco) and new works by Rob and Nick Carter sold at The Fine Art Society Contemporary (London).

The solo exhibitions received intense interest from collectors with three of the IMPULSE section galleries selling out the majority of the work in their booths: Michal Macku at Paci Contemporary (Brescia), Cristina De Middel at Black Ship (New York), and Justin Orvis Steimer at Tinca Art (New York).

Responding to collectors’ demand, Black Ship sold twenty six prints and closed out editions of Cristina De Middel’s, Afronaut series. Her work also caught the attention of the jurors who have awarded the PULSE Prize to De Middel, a $2,500 cash grant which is awarded to an emerging artist of distinction featured in the IMPULSE section of the fair.

By noon Elizabeth Leach Gallery (Portland) had sold work from multiple artists: Ann Hamilton’s book ends, photographic constructions by emerging artist Isaac Layman, several Julia Mangold pieces, and an elaborate interactive sculpture by MK Guth, the first artist from the Northwest to be part of the Whitney Biennial. Sales continued aggressively for the photography selections which continually shows a strong presence at PULSE. Danziger Gallery (New York) reported numerous sales for Hendrik Kerstens, Karen Knorr, and Thierry Cohen. The energy spread to Yancey Richardson Gallery (New York) where the wall of portraits by South African artist Zanele Muholi, winner of the 2013 Carnegie International Fine Prize, sold immediately. LA-based ROSEGALLERY experienced intense demand for Tomoko Sawada, Martin Parr, and Brooklyn-based emerging artist Wayne Lawrence.

There was no standing room in Bryce Wolkowitz’s (New York) booth as collectors purchased video and analogue work by artists such Airan Kang and Edward Burtynsky. Other New York galleries also experienced major success with sales: LMAK Projects with Jasmina Cibic, Russell Nachman, Sabrina Gschwandtner, and Penelope Umbrico; and Black and White Gallery, sales of paintings by Christofer Kochs, who is being exhibited for the first time in the US.