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The Art Newspaper at Art Basel Miami Beach

Written by Andrew Katz Katz

Painting is so hot right now. An abundance of Gerhard Richter's and Sigmar Polke's around Art Basel Miami isn't a fluke. Richter is subject of the documentary Gerhard Richter Painting, which had its American premiere here last evening, plus saw career-high bids for Abstracks Bild and other mind-melting paintings at Sotheby's NY last month. Meanwhile his countryman Polke, who passed away last year, set a record at Sotheby's London several months earlier for his '67 work Jungle. Just don't make the mistake of dubbing framed artwork "conservative": painting can be just as lyrical, energetic, experimental, or shocking as its three-dimensional kindred. Read on as The Art Newspaper "canvases" the fair.  - Brian Fee, Austin Contributor
Guyton/Walker’s "Untitled", 2009, sets the tone, Photo Courtesy The Art Newspaper
A Happy Medium: Why painting is all over the floor at this year’s fair By Georgina Adam, Charlotte Burns and Riah Pryor. A panorama of paintings greeted guests at yesterday’s preview of Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB), with two-dimensional works dominating the booths near the VIP entrance and beyond. Michael Werner Gallery (B1) features work by artists including Georg Baselitz and Enrico David; Galerie Gmurzynska (B2), with an Art Kabinett booth, has fire paintings by Yves Klein and oils by John Cage; and Acquavella’s stand (C4) is hung with paintings by Twombly, Picasso and Freud. Three-dimensional works were in abundance last year, but many of this year’s offerings come in a frame. Sculpture is more expensive to make, crate and ship—and is slower to sell. Against a backdrop of economic turmoil, is this an indication of a more cautious market? READ MORE ON "THE ART NEWSPAPER"
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