Art Basel Miami Beach 2011: Winners & Losers

Photo by Martha Cooper

​That's it, folks! The tenth edition of Art Basel Miami Beach and all the events and sideshows that surround it are done. Now we are left to pick up the discarded canvases and paint cans left behind.

But Basel did leave something worthwhile behind  -- and we're not talking about the bitter after taste of a Miami Art Museum named after Jorge Perez. No, we're talking the clear cut winners and losers during this year's Art Basel. So let's get to stepping, because we've got a lot of ground to cover.

Winners

​Miru Kim

Anyone who can live and sleep with pigs for 104 hours is automatically a winner in our book, but Kim's performance piece, "I Like Pigs and Pigs Like Me (104 hours)," at Primary Projects seemed to get the most media attention during the week, eclipsing whatever was happening at the convention center.

​Corporate Sponsors

Absolut, Toyota, Spotify, and more whored out their brands during the week and without fail everyone flocked to their respective events. Will the free booze and music translate into product sales? Guess only time will tell.

Photo by Ian Witlen

​The 1%

Even though Art Basel organizers warned conventioneers that the Occupy movement may try to disrupt the event throughout the week, nothing happened. The rich hopped from fair to fair in Basel-brand BMWs, while not a single Occupy protestor could be found within blocks of the convention center. The rich win again.

Photo by Jacob Katel

​Wynwood

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday Wynwood was buzzing with activity. Instead of crackheads and the occasional lost vehicle, the area felt like an actual cool bohemian neighborhood. If only they knew that most days out of the year Wynwood better resembles Afghanistan than SoHo. Still, if the Goldmans don't come out of this week with a few new properties sold, we'd be surprised. Wynwood Gap in three, two...

To the next page for the Losers...