On Tuesday—a sunny, somewhat humid morning—the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) opened the doors for its annual Miami fair. Opening a day before Art Basel’s VIP preview, NADA drew a line at 10 a.m. that stretched down the block and then some.
Held at downtown Miami’s Ice Palace Studios, the fair is slightly smaller this year, likely due to competing fairs in town attempting to lure galleries to Miami Beach, as ARTnews reported earlier this year. Some might see that as a bad thing. I’m here to report that it seems to have worked in NADA’s favor. The event is a much tighter affair, with less of the glut that has marked recent editions. The fair has also done away with the usual tented final exhibition space that never quite had enough breathing room.
In a market that has long been on a downturn—but judging by last month’s auctions, may have a slight upswing—it’s no surprise that many dealers opted to fill their booths with painting, a mix of figuration and abstraction. But for those willing to take a closer look at the aisles, there is strong work in other mediums as well.
Below, a look at the best booths at NADA Miami, which runs through December 6.
