Art Basel About To Take Over Miami Beach
MIAMI (CBS4) - They're blossoming where ever you look; 20 foot roses, a pig made out of wooden blocks and a striped stick thingy.
Final touches are being put on hundreds of art installations for the official opening of the 10th annual Art Basel Miami Beach this week.
"It's art, it's parties, it's 'see and be seen', it's about the buzz," William Talbert from Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau said.
The art world is buzzing over Art Basel which is a very eclectic palette of art and artful attempts. It is also a brush of genius for Miami's economic canvas.
"Every restaurant is full, all the hotels are full," Talbert said.
Local businesses are loving the art lovers.
"We're sold out," said Brian Vujnovic with the Sagamore Hotel. "We have a few rooms for Wednesday night but we are sold out."
In addition to packing hotels and restaurants, Art Basel is also good for the local unemployment scene which is hovering around ten and a half percent.
"This is about jobs. And once again people are working because of these great events in Miami," Talbert said.
Art Basel, the most prestigious art show in the Americas, has grown over the past decade in South Florida and it doesn't hurt that the event is staged in paradise.
"We've been to Art Basel in Switzerland and it doesn't have what we have here," Talbert said.
More than 260 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa will take part in Art Basel Miami Beach showcasing works by more than 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Click here for more information about Art Basel Miami Beach 2011. It runs from December 1 - December 4.
