Art Miami Welcomes All Art Lovers
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Art Week has officially begun in South Florida.
Two of the most popular fairs open their doors with big parties on Tuesday.
Wynwood Walls has earned its reputation by featuring graffiti and street art through curated larger-than-life murals.
Art Miami brings in world-class contemporary artists and galleries all under one roof.
The big VIP party was held at the site where the old Miami Herald building used to stand in downtown Miami.
Wynwood Walls is an ever-changing groundbreaking collection of privately curated street art.
The theme this year, "Beyond Words" and the official debut of 9 new walls.
"We felt like art has a way of communicating well beyond language and race," said Jessica Goldman Srebnick, CEO Of Goldman Properties.
Many of the artists worked 12 days on site to create their walls.
Artist Matsu's colorful detailed piece featuring 2 riders on horseback was just completed.
It premiered at the opening night party on Tuesday night.
"It's fun because it's a community-based spot. It's not like other galleries. It feels like a much larger audience," said Tomokazu Matsuyam.
Wynwood Walls is here, it's beautiful and it's free.
"It's thrilling, it's a great sense of pride for us, Wynwood visitors. It's really becoming something that others around the world want to replicate," Said Goldman-Srebnick.
Art Miami is the top-ranked international art fair for attendance in the U.S., along with its sister fair CONTEXT Art.
"The quality has really grown this year," said show director and partner Nick Korniloff.
Tuesday's opening party is the first chance for collectors, curators, and art world lovers.
They are the first ones to check out the largest collection of contemporary art, all under one roof. That's about 250-thousand-square feet.
David Yarrow is a photography artist showing at Maddox Gallery here at Art Miami.
His carefully shot images of animals in the wild or with humans is a thing of wonder.
The way he gets his subjects eyes on him is a thing of bravery.
"We use chocolate for the polar bears. They love chocolate, so we put it all over our faces and arms," said Yarrow.
Petrillo asked Nick Korniloff about the fact that many people complain about the traffic and what it is it that this week really brings to Miami.
"The economic impact has gone beyond to really measure, I think the people that are angry about traffic would be really angry if this wasn't here, and the positive reflection it has on Miami," Korniloff said.
Art Miami is on through Sunday.
All the pieces seem to be flying off the shelves, bringing in a pretty penny.
Some sculptures are priced in the millions. Though you could find a few bargains priced at a couple of thousand dollars.
Art Miami welcomes all art lovers, now in its 29th year.
