Art Basel Miami Beach, the largest art event on the American continent, closed its 21st edition with “strong sales”, the attendance of some 80 thousand people, revelations such as the paintings of actor Pierce Brosnan in a parallel event, and a solid return of collectors who paid tens of millions of dollars for works. Despite signs of cooling and uncertainty in the global art market, the fair reported “strong sales” during the exhibition that opened to the general public between last Friday and Sunday, with works such as Painter at Night (1979), by the painter American neo-expressionist Philip Guston (1913-1980), for which 20 million dollars were paid. The good sales climate was also confirmed in the purchase of numerous works and pieces that exceeded one million dollars. Thus, the painting The Schoolboys (1986-87), by the 70-year-old South African artist Marlene Dumas, reached 9 million dollars, and Untitled VII, by the abstract expressionist Willem Kooning (1904-1997), found a buyer who paid between 7 and 8 million dollars. A total of 277 galleries from all over the world landed at the Miami Beach Convention Center at the fairgrounds, many of which reported notable sales, according to the organizers, and the acquisition of works by museums such as the ICA in Miami and other important American institutions. “Our exhibitors presented works of extraordinary quality and ambition, and were well attended by local and international collectors,” Vincenzo de Bellis, director of fairs and exhibition platforms for Art Basel Miami Beach, told the Artsy website. Two paintings from the Infinity Net series, by 94-year-old Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, sold for $3.2 million and $3 million, respectively, and Smiling Aristocrat (2023), by multidisciplinary American artist George Condo, sold for $2.3 million. millions of dollars. “Booth sales have been strong since the first hours of the fair's opening, indicating an optimistic change in the market and the economy,” which seemed dormant, said Fionna Flaherty, a partner at the gallery Lehmann Maupin, who He pointed out to the aforementioned media that they have carried out “transactions with both private buyers and institutions.” The local gallery Spinello Projects reported the complete sale in the first 90 minutes of opening of the fair of the work of the Puerto Rican artist Esaí Alfredo, who was exhibiting alone, with prices between 11 thousand and 35 thousand dollars. Source: La Lista