Post-COVID pandemic era, we had no clue what to expect from this year’s Miami Beach Art Basel, but what we witnessed was indeed a masterpiece. From Virgil Abloh’s final runway show to Chanel’s anniversary drone performance to signature cocktails at the Soho House, it was truly an epic week for all those who attended. For those who did not have the privilege of attending this year, no stress, we got you covered. Here is a round-up of the best events that occurred during the 2021 Art Basel Miami.
VIRGIL ABLOH’S FINAL LOUIS VUITTON SHOW
Abloh’s final menswear Spring Summer 2022 collection for Louis Vuitton continued as planned “Per his wishes,” said CEO Michael Burke on Tuesday, November 30, in Miami as one of a series of one-off shows, as part of the Art Basel fair, as a tribute to the designer.
CHANEL’S DRONE SHOW – CELEBRATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF CHANEL NO.5
Lighting up the sky of Miami Beach, 540 drones drew the iconic “double C” Chanel symbols in bright lights during sunset. Inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s love of talismans, the light show featured a monogram of the designer’s profile, a 600-foot tall bottle of Chanel No.5, “CHANEL” spelled out, and the words “No.5” all shown through drones in the sky. Slide through to view a video of the drone performance, as well as other highlights of the evening including the beach cocktail hosted by Chanel celebrating the event on Faena beach. Also on the same evening, Shuttershock’s party with Bradley Theodore at the W Hotel and the Asher Levine pop-up at The SLS hotel.
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SOHO BEACH HOUSE INVITE-ONLY EVENTS
> SEAN PENN HOSTED CORE MIAMI AT THE SOHO BEACH HOUSE
Co-hosted with Leonardo Dicaprio, Penn hosted a fundraiser for CORE MIAMI which sought to aid the organization’s Crisis Response Programs throughout Latin America, Haiti, and Brazil. “CORE standing for Community Organized Relief effort.” Located at the Soho Beach House, the event included a live art auction, which helped raise money for COVID-19 relief programs.
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> PERFORMANCE FROM SANTIGOLD AT THE “ROCK YOUR ROSE” EVENT
Hosted by renowned Rose brand, Chateau d’Esclan, the invite-only event included a performance from Santigold while guests sipped on delightful Rose such as “Whispering Angel” and “Rock Angel.”
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THE HOUSE OF DIOR’S MEDALLION CHAIR EXHIBITION
Premiering at Salone del Mobile earlier this year, Dior invited 17 artists and designers, including Pierre Yovanovitch, India Mahdavi, Studio Dimore, Khaled El Mays, and Nacho Carbonell to reinterpret the iconic medallion chair Louis XVI chair with their own chair at Superblue.
BALMAIN LIVE NATION AND CHIVAS AT BALMAIN PAVILION
Balmain joined forces with its longtime partner Red at the Balmain Pavilion. The event included an art installation from Skype, an iconic self-taught artist and French-Swiss art pioneer known for his vision of the world and inviting people to wonder about their deep nature, spirit, place on Earth, and society. The artist’s work was on the beach located just outside the Balmain Pavilion.
BACCARAT & HIGHSNOBIETY HOSTED A PRIVATE DINNER CELEBRATING HIGHART
An intimate and exciting dinner in the Miami Design District surrounded by sparkling Baccarat crystal celebrating HIGHArt with Editor-in-Chief, Thom Bettridge. Highsnobiety launched its new HIGHArt platform. An exploration of the collision of the style and art worlds from a Highsnobiety point of view, HIGHArt is designed for its loyal audience of next-generation tastemakers and collectors.
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DEUX FEMMES NOIRES x GUCCI’S MICKALENE THOMAS AND RACQUEL CHEVREMONT CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF MICKALENE THOMAS’ MONOGRAPH
Gucci threw a private party with co-hosts Mickalene Thomas and Deux Femmes Noires’s Racquel Chevremont to celebrate the release of Thomas’s new book Monograph. Renowned Chef Nina Compton cooked up a delicious dinner for all the guests while they enjoyed music by DJ Kitty Ca$h.
NIFTY GATEWAY X THE CULTIVIST: THE TAROT’S ETERNAL GARDEN
On December 3rd, Nifty Gateway and The Cultivist cultivated a spectacular event with an incredible immersive digital art experience by Maggie West at a private residence in Miami. The event included performances from Diplo, DJ. Khaled, and numerous others. In attendance were celebrities such as NBA star Chris Humphries, Lara Pippen, and Rich the Kid.
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PLAYBOY X CARDI B X BIG BUNNY
Following the announcement that artist Cardi B is now the new creative director in Residence for Playboy, the artist, and others celebrated the arrival of the new Big Bunny, a $12 million Bombardier Global Express BD-700 aircraft made as a tribute to the original, which was made by Hugh Hefner in the ’60s.
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RICK OWENS BOOK SIGNING WITH EDWARD BESS & MICHELE LAMY
Guests joined for a book signing by Edward Bess and Michèle Lamy in the Rick Owens Boutique of their new release “Just An Idea.”
FENDI X MABEO REVEAL “THE KOMPA COLLECTION”
Fendi presented a new furniture collection at Design Miami in collaboration with Botswana-based label and design studio Mabeo. The collection is called Kompa and was developed after Fendi embarked on a journey “joining with artisans across the African country to bring together the region’s techniques and craft activities.”
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RUINART X DAVID SHRIGLEY
Ruinart Champagne brand and British artist David Shrigley celebrated his new artwork series at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens called Unconventional Bubbles, which features life-size designs. The event included decadent desserts from Chef Flynn McGarry and in attendance were celebrities such as Justice Smith, Hari Nef, Caroline de Maigret, Vanessa Traina, and Jacob Bixenman.
GITANO X THE FAENA EVENTS
> “LOVE SENSATION” AT GITANO AT THE FAENA
The event celebrated artist Robert K. Posner’s new millennium series of mixed media canvases which chronicles “collective experiences in this century.” Hundreds of guests visited the exhibition while sipping on delicious cocktails and enjoying the Miami breeze.
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> GITANO HOSTS A PANDORA PARTY WITH EVAN MOCK
Evan Mock joined up with Pandora to throw a private beachside celebration at the Gitano rooftop in Miami. Guests enjoyed disco music and tacos. Pandora even set up a bracelet-making station where people were able to choose from three different bases, a unique linked clasp, and a classic Pandora charm.
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> JORDAN BARRETT’S 25TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION X HAPE
The 25-year-old IMG model, Jordan Barrett celebrated his birthday at Gitano Miami at Casa Faena. His birthday was also where he announced the new launch of his sake spritz brand, HAPE. Attendees included Candice Swanepoel, Chloe Wise, Shaun Ross, Laurie Lynn Stark, and others.
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MONCLER X PALM ANGELS COLLAB HOSTED KID CUDI
Hosted by Kid Cudi and Rickie Akiva, Palm Angels and Moncler came together at the Faena Forum to celebrate their new clothing collaboration, “Genius.” A winding set of stairs led guests into the party where hot pink lights lit up the palm tree decorated walls in a massive globe-shaped room.
THE PEREZ ART MUSEUM X UTA
The Pérez Art Museum held over 2,000 guests from around the world as they came to celebrate the museum’s signature art week with UTA. The evening featured a musical performance from Moses Sumney on the waterfront terrace.
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JEFFREY DEITCH PRESENTS SHATTERED GLASS OPENING
Shattered Glass, the acclaimed exhibition of new art by emerging artists of color, which was shown at Jeffrey Deitch Los Angeles last spring, was presented in an expanded version in the Moore Building in the Miami Design District. The Miami version of Shattered Glass will include fifteen new artists.
PRADA’S YOUNG ARTS CELEBRATION
As a celebration of the 40th anniversary of YoungArts, Prada threw a lavish cocktail bash at its Design District store. The event supported YoungArt’s mission to provide opportunities to numerous artists expanding over a wide range of topics.
BOB DYLAN OPENING AT THE PATRICIA & PHILLIP FROST ART MUSEUM
Bob Dylan’s new series of paintings, “Deep Focus,” is part of an exhibit that revealed itself at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University in Miami on November 27th. The exhibition showcases more than 180 of Dylan’s acrylics, watercolors, drawings, and ironwork sculptures, and 40 new works.
