To the world, Art Basel is known as the premier art event in Miami not to be missed and hails attendance of the affluent from  some of the coldest places in the northern hemisphere, offering a warm break from the snow and some impressive pieces of art available to the highest bidder. To local Miamians we know Art Basel to be a boiler plate for so many different industries and the ideal moment for companies to unveil new products to the public and invite the rich and famous to some of the swankiest soirées.

We saw BMW’s introduction of their new I series of electrical cars, Ferrari unveiled their latest creation, Christian Dior celebrated Anselm Reyle’s newest collection of clutches and handbags but my favorite had to be Bang and Olufsen’s unveiling of their 103” 3-D Plasma for $130,000. In true Art Basel form, Bang & Olufsen aligned themselves with “The Father of Digital Art” Laurence Gartel for an amazing visual party. Throughout the evening you would bump into Art Collectors, Socialites, Artists and those just trying to get a glimpse of what was going on.

The invitation only event featured a new way to interact with the art through a true 3-D experience as well as a projection of the art on the side of a building 30 feet tall and a wrapped Rolls Royce with “The Gartel Dolls” finishing their tour of Art Basel.  Laurence Gartel’s career spans over 40 years and was a true pioneer in graphic art who also taught Andy Warhol and Kieth Herring the nuances of digital art in the early 1980’s. The party embodied a Studio 54 fell to the evening where you could spot Palm Beach socialite and jewelry designer Susan Wexler, Baroness Anka Birgu, Accessory Designer Melissa Rubio of K’Mell Designs,  Artists; Ryan Paul Simmons, James Enders as well as former director of Art Basel Samuel Keller was also rumored to have passed by making this a Huate Event not to be missed.

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