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Art Basel Taking Over Miami Beach

MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) – Described as "the most prestigious art show in the Americas," Art Basel opens its Miami Beach 11th edition on Thursday, December 6th.

It brings with it a swarm of satellite art fairs and parties that envelope the entire city. From Fairchild to Wynwood, the Design District, MiMo, Brickell, Downtown, Midtown, North Beach and South Beach, all of Miami-Dade is ready to host one of the largest gatherings of people from the international art world.

All these art lovers will be admiring and acquiring an impressive selection of 2,000 artists representing 260 art galleries from North America, Europe, Africa and Latin America. Only the world's most respected art galleries are rigorously chosen every year to showcase established and museum-worthy artists as well as newcomers in Miami Beach.

Tuesday, final touches are being put on the art installations for the official opening of the 11th annual Art Basel Miami Beach.

It opens Thursday, December 6th and runs through Sunday, December 9th.

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.

The art show isn't just about the art featured at the Miami Beach Convention Center, there's also plenty of excitement surrounding the satellite exhibits. There are more than ever this year; 23 in total.

Each of the satellite shows has its own special flavor. For example, Aqua Art Miami takes over an Art Deco hotel at 1530 Collins Avenue on Miami Beach, converting the individual hotel rooms into intimate booths for young dealers and galleries that showcase emerging and early mid-career artists.

DesignMiami erects a tent in the Miami Beach Convention Center's parking lot, where participating galleries from all over the world present museum-quality exhibitions of 20th and 21st century furniture, lighting and objets d'art.

Several satellite shows occupy a cluster of tents in Midtown Miami. The main attractions are Art Miami and its own new satellite, Context Miami, in a separate tent next door.

Also in the vicinity are Red Dot Art Fair, Art Asia Miami 2012, and the inaugural mounting of Miami Project, a contemporary and modern art fair with presentations by 65 galleries from around the world.

Click here for more information about Art Basel Miami Beach 2012.

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