At Art Basel Miami Beach, the stars line up to be seen -and be shocked

connected American art fair has a reputation for pool parties and hedonism, but sales this year is expected to top £ 1.5 billion

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hour VIP preview Wednesday Art Basel Miami Beach, the largest contemporary art fair in the United States, P Diddy sweeps with his entourage. In aviator shades and dressed all in black, bar the Gucci logo on his shirt, Diddy is famous enough to attract attention, even among the visitors of the hip and rich milling in the aisles. Now in its 11th year, is an artistic event ABMB to see and be seen. For the uninitiated, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and exhausted by ABMB. If you think London is too eventful in the frieze just stay away from Miami this year, there were at least 17 art fairs taking place simultaneously. Art around the city with pop-up exhibitions, a new museum, film screenings, public sculptures (including a black dog King Kong companies) and street art by people like Shepard Fairey, the creator of the famous Obama "Hope" poster.

Then there are the games that attract artists like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams, movie stars like Will Ferrell and Demi Moore and reality TV star Kim Kardashian.

On opening night, Wendi Deng, wife of Rupert Murdoch, co-hosted an event for Chanel Soho House South Beach, while the afterparty in a pop-up Recreational Silence Club David Lynch movies

Mulholland Drive

attracted queues in the early hours before the Delano hotel. Judd Tully, editor of magazine

Art + Auction and veteran of the series, said: "Miami is a party town You have to be young or a glutton for. Punishment ".

Delano Tuesday night, a crowd is transmitted by a party to the beach club for the next event. In the evening the White Cube gallery in Soho House, The Uninvited, hoping to obtain, are pushed behind the barrier ropes. Inside, a melee bettors sneak in crowded bars to the beach and poolside DJ sets. Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and White Cube owner Jay Jopling are apparently comfortable in their VVIP section undisclosed.

anxiety state infects the conversation. Disco pool, a young Canadian collector complains that it can also participate in the early hours because "everything is good pre-sale. I'll probably get there and find a woman of 80 years, I bought what I want. "

The hedonistic atmosphere has often attracted criticism of the show, including showing the charges that attracts little interest in contemporary art. Wendy Cromwell, an art consultant and frequent visitor based in New York, says that the serious collector base has increased in recent years.

"The kind of people who came at the beginning, I just wanted to party and hang on to the coat-tails of the art world. But the show has gained legitimacy among collectors. Even New York [exhibitions] can not compete. The Armory Show has lost its luster, and Frieze New York last year people complained that it was not as good as Miami. "

This year, the commercial importance was reinforced ABMB for damage during Hurricane sand by many participating galleries in New York. Tully said: "Some dealers are really counting on this show to make money to survive."

Nichole Caruso

Wallspace Gallery in Manhattan, said his basement unit - which contains hundreds of drawings, paintings and sculptures - was submerged. "It was like a swimming pool. Part of this work will be with the Conservatives for months, even years. " The value of the work sold by international galleries over 260 ABMB is estimated at £ 1.5 billion. Notable sales included at the beginning Hirst

Capaneus

• , kaleidoscopic play of butterflies, moths, spiders and beetles which sold for £ 600,000, and almost star Jeff Koons sculpture size Buster Keaton silent film, with a price between £ 3 billion and £ 3.5 billion.
Koons sparked a wave with the news that more would show with the gallery owner David Zwirner next year in apparent defection to rival Zwirner Larry Gagosian, art dealer of the world's powerful.

However, there are more than usual star names available. Although only 10% of the participating galleries are American, the show offers perhaps the most important international exhibition for local artists. This reflects the growing importance of wealthy collectors in South America, particularly in Brazil, the fair has helped to stimulate. The White Cube opened a new space in São Paulo ABMB just before this year, Gagosian set to follow next year.

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