Black artists search for presence at Art Basel

Art Basel Miami Beach, the premier international art show that takes place annually, will again dominate the winter social scene in South Florida December 1-4. But will African-Americans have a place at the table?

Now in its tenth year, Art Basel Miami Beach has become a "must do" for anyone who has a serious interest in contemporary visual arts, and arguably the most important contemporary art show in the U.S.

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Each year, museum directors, curators, the world's most famous collectors, critics, educators, gallery owners, private art dealers, non-profits engaged in the visual arts and artists from all most every corner of the earth descend on Miami Beach for the international art show. Last year, the main show attracted over 46,000 visitors, and similar crowds are expected this year. The recession has not appeared to dampen the art market's interest.

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The main fair, which opened Wednesday, will present between $2 and $2.5 billion in insured art, according to Christiane Fischer, president and chief executive officer of AXA Art's North American operations.

"Prices at the main fair include a $2.5 million Franz Kline abstract painting and Giacometti's $1.5 million 'Standing Woman' sculpture from Richard Gray Gallery," Fischer said. "New York's Untitled gallery has paintings and assemblages by two Los Angeles artists: Matthew Chambers and Brendan Fowler, with prices ranging from $10,000 to $25,000."

The setting for Basel is the Miami Beach Convention Center; located in one of the most glamorous and talked about beach communities in the world, South Beach. It's a venue that as late as the 1960s, was off limits to people of African descent. Today, South Beach has become the playground of the black entertainment and sport elite and in some ways the Mecca of the black glitterati, black super models, the college spring breakers and the hippest hip hoppers. Black folk have a strong interest in film, music, fashion and culinary arts worldwide, but are still somewhat intimidated by the visual arts world.

Last year's main showcase, called the Vernissage, was jammed like Grand Central Station in New York during rush hour, yet one could literally count the number of African descendants in the mix on one hand.

Art Basel Miami Beach holds no apparent interest for the local black community, though it does attract the black Hollywood elite and international celebrities from the African World. Danny Glover was seen at Art Basel in 2010, and last year, supermodel Naomi Campbell was spotted with her three body guards at the opening of black British artist Isaac Julien's "Ten thousand waves" at the Bass Museum.