In just a few days, Design Miami/ Basel will celebrate its eighth edition with a roster of 40 international participants in the gallery program and seven emerging galleries as part of the Design On/Site program, from June 11-16 in Messe Basel, Switzerland.
In advance of the fair, international collectors, museum representatives, designers, architects and critics have selected some of their favorite works from Design Miami/ Basel 2013's gallery program. Here’s a look:
Growth Chair from Galerie Maria Wettergren
"Growth Chair is arguably the most ambitious example yet attempted using a 'digital seed' that, guided by the designer's protocols, grows wild in a virtual world," said Murray Moss principal of Moss Bureau.
Wood Fossil Table 01 from Gabrielle Ammann//Gallery
"As a kid, I collected all kinds of things cast in resin,” said Jurgen Mayer, architect. “Later, when I studied at the Cooper Union in New York, I cast my architectural models in resin, and now I am truly fascinated to see this conservation and display technique applied to furniture on a larger scale. It’s the real thing, and yet it holds back from us. It is sentimental. It feels as if it's from a different time, and yet demands state of the art care and extreme technological control in the production process."
Ribbon Chair from Jousse Entreprise
"I have always loved the ribbon chair for its fluid qualities,” said Vicente Wolf, interior designer. “To me, it has a great sense of humor. It almost looks like a smiling face."
Writing Desk from Dansk Mobelkunst Gallery
"The writing desk that Finn Juhl designed in 1953 consists of different elements: a drop-leaf made of rosewood, a metal tube supporting structure and a suspended four drawer cabinet,” said Hubertus Adam, director of S AM – Schweizerisches Architekturmuseum. “The different elements are clearly legible; Juhl broke with monumental gestures and the idea of material unity as well. Juhl's writing desk is less organic than other Danish design pieces of this time; he succeeded in blending international and Danish tendencies. For me the writing desk is one of the most striking and convincing examples of modern design."
Console & Mural from Galerie Jacques Lacoste
"Giacometti's work in marble is an inspiration to the forms and shapes that can be abstracted from such a material,” said Juan Montoya, interior designer. “It allows for the imagination to go beyond what we see."
Pair of Chairs from Galerie Jacques Lacoste
"My choice of two elegant chairs designed in the '30's by the great Eileen Gray might have something to do with seeing her recent retrospective exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris,” said Janice Blackburn, curator and journalist. “Artist, designer, architect, Gray was an anti-conformist and something of a jack-of-all-trades and I was bowled over by her diverse creativity. She was one of a rare breed of outstanding self-made women of her day, considered avant-garde and remarkable for breaking into a male-dominated world. Most famous for her iconic lacquer tiled screens and carpets that resemble abstract canvases, even in her mid '90's, Gray had an insatiable curiosity and she continue to work exploring and experimenting with new materials when the source of lacquer from China and Japan became scarce. The chromium-plated tubular steel and leather chairs I have selected are restrained and almost austere. There is no showy flamboyance in their design. Rather a geometric simplicity and presence that has endured the passage of time."
Block Containers from Victor Hunt Designart Dealer
"I find these to be extraordinary for their simplicity of form,” said Alexandra Champalimaud, interior designer. “The modern geometric shapes are versatile and add a pop of color to any interior."
Maison des Jours Meilleurs from Victor Hunt Designart Dealer
"My favorite of many favorites is the Maison des Jours Meilleurs from Jean Prouvé at Seguin,” said Sam Keller, director of Fondation Beyeler. “I love it and would be happy to move in immediately. After all, every day living in it promises to be one of 'my jours meilleurs'."
1050 Lamp from Galleria O
"The Gino Sarfatti 1050 Lamp looks like a casual constellation of different as found objects: the strange sculptured basement, the yellow spot and the pink round element on the top,” said Simona Malvezzi, architect. “These happy fellows form together an ambiguous and ironic presence in the room. It is static but at the same time it looks like it is going to move. It creates a new spatial perception oscillating between balance and instability. Looking at this Lamp you may find yourself wondering if something is wrong about it. There’s no answer. And this doubt makes it perfect."
Ironing Board Coffee Table from R 20th Century
"I have always been intrigued with designs created in the mid twentieth century,” said Andre Fu, interior designer. “Equally, I enjoy the fact that this particular piece of furniture has drawn its inspiration from an utilitarian object of the everyday life. For me, it is timeless and poetic—it also possesses a sense of unassuming simplicity and is genuinely functional."
The fair will take place in a brand new venue this year, designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron on Basel's Messeplatz.
Exhibitors include: Antonella Villanova, Caroline Van Hoek, Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Cristina Workshop Gallery, Cristina Grajales Gallery, Dansk Mobelkunst Gallery, Demisch Danant, Didier Ltd, Erastudio Apartment-Gallery, Franck Laigneau, Gabrielle Ammann, Galerie Anne-Sophie Duval, Galerie BSL, Galerie Chastel-Marechal, Galerie Downtown-Francois Laffanour, Galerie Eric Phillipe, Galerie Jacques Lacoste, Galerie kreo, Galerie Maria Wettergren, Galerie Pascal Cuisinier, Galerie Patrick Seguin, Galerie Ulrich Fiedler, Galeria O, Gallery Libby Sellers, Gallery SEOMI, Heritage Gallery, Hostler Burrows, Jacksons, Jousee Enterprises, Nilufar Gallery, Ornamentum, Pierre Marie Giraud, Priveekollektie Contemporary Art|Design, R 20th Century, Salon 94, Sebastian + Barquet, Southern Guild, Steinitz, Thomas Fritsch – Artrium, Victor Hunt Designart Dealer and YMER&MALTA.
Seven “young” up-and-coming galleries will also be showing at the Design On/Site Gallery space, and they include: Armel Soyer, Carwan Gallery, Elisabetta Cipriani, Galerie VIVID, Louisa Guinness Gallery, NextLevel Galerie and ProjectB.
June 10 is an invitation-only preview day for collectors from 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. and there will be a VIP party from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
The fair is open to the public from Tuesday, June 11 – Sunday, June 16 from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. daily.
