Art Miami (www.art-miami.com), Miami’s longest running contemporary art fair, will once again captivate the city from November 29  – December 4, 2011 with a collection of significant contemporary artwork from around the world. As the anchor fair to the City of Miami, the Art Miami will return with a compelling array of modern and contemporary artwork from the 20th and 21st centuries. The fair will be held in a state-of-the-art 125,000-square-foot pavilion in Midtown Miami’s burgeoning Wynwood Arts District. The fair has grown to include more than 110 galleries from 18 countries, and will showcase 1,000 artists from 60 countries around the world. From the United States, 400 artists will be shown from nearly 100 cities. The fair will include modern and contemporary paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography and prints from Europe, Asia, Latin America, India, the Middle East and the United States.

Among this year’s highlights are two curated exhibitions in art video and sculpture from independent curator for Art Miami, Julia Draganovic.  The Persol Art Video Exhibition, titled “ZOOOM! Decoding Common Practice” features six thought-provoking videos that reveal a glimpse beyond the ordinary and discover the precariousness of the stability that communities try to maintain. Among the videos, on loan from renowned private collections and prominent art institutions worldwide, will be art world power player, Ai Weiwei’s long video, Chang’an Boulevard, courtesy of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio Modena. Draganovic also has curated a special sculpture exhibit that will feature 20 stunning pieces including three major modern works from Marc Chagal, Arman and Carlos Zauli as well as two works in progress from award-winning and prominent artists Sofia Maldonado and Kaarina Kaikkonen.

Art Miami exhibitors will showcase an exceptional collection of work from major artists that spans across multiple categories. One of many high-profile exhibitions will be Edelman Art booth, which will feature Saint Sebastian by Titian, one of the leading Italian Renaissance painters of his time. While not for sale, the masterpiece will serve as the inspiration and focal point for Edelman Arts entire booth display.

“The Saint Sebastian masterpiece by Titian will be the highlight of our Art Miami booth this year," said Asher B. Edelman, owner of Edelman Arts Inc. "It is such a significant piece, we're excited to unveil it at Art Miami. The Titian oil painting will be nicely complemented by more contemporary Saint Sebastian works by Andres Serrano, Christopher Winter, Yasmine Chatila, Cathy McClure, Mapplethorpe and many others."

ACA Galleries (American Contemporary Artists) will host an extensive exhibition of Theodoros Stamos, the youngest member of the first generation of Abstract Expressionists. The show will include Stamos’ work from the 1940s to the 1980s demonstrating how Stamos used the natural world a source of inspiration throughout his career, contributing to his development as an artist.

These prominent works provide a glimpse into the quality, depth, and diversity that Art Miami is known for and illustrate why the fair maintains a preeminent position in America’s contemporary art fair market. The following is a broad cross section of additional exciting works available at this year’s fair.

LATIN AMERICAN

As part of its roster of international talent, Art Miami is once again pleased to present highly anticipated artists from Central and South America. Galleries from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela and Mexico will bring standout exhibitions to this year’s fair representing the rich cultural heritage of modern and contemporary art from Latin America. A highlight of this year’s fair is the work of Jorge Gonzales Perrin and Juan Lecuona – two of the two most important artists of geometrical abstraction during the 1980s and 1990s. Other extraordinary Latin American artists featured at this year include Wilfredo Lam, Rene Portocarrero, Javier Bernasconi, Raul Mazzoni, Dolores Casares, Enio Iommi, Amelia Pelaez, Victor Manuel Garcia, Anna Maria Maiolino, Beto de Volder, Demian Flores, Hugo Lugo and many more.

PHOTOGRAPHY

This year, Art Miami will again feature a strong repertoire of photography works by prolific and award-winning artists. Exciting emerging talents such as Julie Blackmon and Lori Nix will join the accomplished and influential photographer Henri Cartier Bresson and leading contemporary photographic artist Michael Eastman. This year, Eastman will host a signing of his book Havana at Art Miami on Saturday, December 3 from 2 – 4 p.m. at Barry Friedman’s booth (A17). Havana explores the history, culture, and feeling of the city through photographing the houses and streets of the famed Cuban town. Other inspiring artists exhibited include Gregory Scott, Robert and Shana Parke Harrison.

ASIAN ART

Art Miami is pleased to exhibit works by some of the world’s leading Asian artists. One of Vietnam’s most prominent contemporary artists, Tiffany Chung, will exhibit a group of map drawings on paper. Noted for her work focusing on the juxtaposition of popular culture and traumatic historical subjects of the past century, Chung has long been fascinated with working with maps and what they say about the past, present and future. Additionally, works by pioneering Chinese artist Wei Ligang, also will be on display at Art Miami. Originally assigned to teach mathematics, Wei was able to convince the Chinese authorities to let him teach calligraphy instead. Through calligraphy, mathematics, structural elements, and metallic acrylics Wei was able to develop and share his own style of Chinese abstract art.

SCULPTURE

Art Miami also will feature exceptional and unique sculpture from world-renowned artists such as Lynn Chadwick, Henry Moore, Deborah Butterfield, Sean Henry, John Chamberlain and many more presented throughout the pavilion. A highlight is Lynn Chadwick’s pair of figures entitled “Maquette Jubillee II” that resembles a cross between abstract constructions and figurative skeletal forms. Sculptures by the internationally acclaimed sculptor Henry Moore also will be showcased at the fair. Moore’s sculptures often depict reclining women and children and are abstractions of the human figure that resemble the rolling hills landscape in the United Kingdom.

The 22nd edition of Art Miami will officially kick off with its opening night on Tuesday, November 29th, 2011. Art Miami’s highly anticipated Opening Night VIP Preview will benefit The Lotus House Women’s Shelter, a quiet enclave in downtown Miami that offers a sanctuary for homeless women and infants in need. The exclusive evening is the first opportunity for VIP collectors to acquire some of the finest pieces of modern and contemporary art from the 20th and 21st centuries and attracts more than 7,200 collectors, curators, museum professionals and art enthusiasts. $25 donation payable at the door or purchased in advance online.