Every December, Miami Art Week offers a snapshot of where contemporary art is headed, spread across Basel, Untitled, NADA, and Design Miami. It’s a lot to take in - often in the best possible way.

Most of our team attended this year, and each of us left with a few standout works that shaped how we experienced the fairs. Rather than present them as individual favorites, we wanted to share the story they told together: what caught our attention, what shifted our perspective, and what continues to resonate now that we’re back in Boston.

The Power of Immersion

One of the first things that struck Luisa this year was how many artists and galleries leaned into environment - transforming booths into fully built worlds.

At NADA, Sargent’s Daughters created one of the most memorable presentations of the week. Debbie Lawson’s monkey and alligator, camouflaged against vibrant floral wallpaper, felt like stepping into an alternate room where the décor had quietly come alive. These creatures weren’t just placed in the space, they emerged from it, blurring sculpture, craft, and domestic familiarity into something delightfully uncanny.

It reminded us why we love fairs like NADA: they give space to imagination, to humor, to the unexpected.

Material Stories and Cultural Memory

Across the fairs, we were drawn to works that carried with them a sense of history - both cultural and personal.

Luisa was drawn to Nancy Friedemann-Sánchez’s Cornucopia con Drones at Instituto de Visión. Created using the complex artisanal technique barniz de Pasto (also known as mopa mopa), the work embodies centuries of Indigenous Andean craftsmanship, an artisanal technique once suppressed under colonial rule. Her piece is not just visually rich; it holds an entire lineage of cultural preservation and resilience.

That theme of memory surfaced again at Andrew Edlin Gallery, where Katie was moved by Ray Materson’s Catch Me if You Can, hand-embroidered using thread pulled from socks while the artist was incarcerated. His small-scale scenes, born of limited materials and abundant imagination, speak to the human need to create, even under constraint.

Paintings That Pulled Us In

Painting, across all fairs, felt especially strong this year.

Tschabalala Self’s Reverie at Petzel was a standout for Luisa: sewn, painted, and composed from multiple materials, the work radiates Self’s unmistakable visual language. It’s a piece that moves, even while still, filled with texture, color, and the weight of presence.

Other pieces surprised us through discovery, like Adriana Rosell’s Maquina/Machine 2 at Sketch, which blends scientific curiosity with poetic landscape painting. Her study of altitude and environmental shifts feels both contemporary and timeless.

And then there were quiet delights that Manuela loved:

Claire Milbrath’s narrative-rich Postcard from Victoria (below)
Gregorio Cuartas’s architectural studies at La Balsa Arte
Aaron Glasson’s dreamy lake scene at Louis Buhl & Co.

Design Miami: Texture, Form, and the Unexpected

Design Miami always brings a different kind of thrill with objects that hover between sculpture and furniture, craft and concept.

Hadley’s highlight was a conversation with artist Molly Hatch at Todd Merrill during the VIP preview. Molly’s ability to translate historical ceramic motifs into contemporary forms has long inspired our client projects, and hearing about her upcoming work and new commission possibilities was especially energizing. (Think this incredible commission she created for our clients Arizona home, shown below).

For Manuela, Sten Studio was the standout. Their experimental approach to stone, resin, and organic materials brought an unexpected sense of movement and tactility to the booth. The work felt both deeply considered and boldly inventive.

Iconic Moments at Basel

At the main fair, there were works that reminded us why Art Basel remains the centerpiece of Miami Art Week.

Weinstein Gallery presented a lineup of female Surrealists, including one of the smallest - and most intimate - pieces Frida Kahlo ever painted: Autorretrato en Miniatura, created for José Bartoli to carry close to his heart. A rare, emotionally charged encounter that was a highlight for Katie.

Hadley gravitated toward Night Gallery’s presentation, proof that strong programming translates beautifully even in the busiest fair aisles.

And Blouin Division once again impressed, especially with works by Tammi Campbell, (Flowers with Bubble Wrap) whose faux “bubble wrap” layer, painstakingly painted, became both a visual trick and a conceptual wink at preservation.

Spotlight: Blouin Division & Instituto de Visión

Two booths our team kept circling back to this year were Blouin Division and Instituto de Visión.

At Blouin Division, we felt a sense of familiarity. We spent a lot of time with their team last year, diving into their program, and we’re thrilled that one of our clients is taking home a stunning Renee Condo beaded work from their roster. Their booth at Untitled continued that momentum, with atmospheric paintings by Wanda Koop and Tammi Campbell (shown above).

Instituto de Visión was another standout, especially for Manuela. Their presentation felt focused and forward-looking, with artists pushing material and conceptual boundaries.

What We’re Bringing Home

More than any single artwork, what stayed with us from Miami Art Week was a sense of renewed curiosity. Each fair offered its own perspective:

Basel with its sharp, blue-chip focus
Untitled with room for experimentation
NADA with its emphasis on discovery and emerging voices
Design Miami with its material-driven, craft-forward innovation

The works our team gravitated toward reflect that range, unexpected materials, revived traditions, thoughtful reimaginings, and pieces that simply made us stop and look twice.

Written by Anne Cabot

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