Design Miami/ Basel 2023 concludes its 17th edition, showcasing rare and exceptional works from 26 of the world’s leading collectible design galleries
Basel, 19 June 2023 - Design Miami/ Basel concluded its seventeenth edition on Sunday, 18 June. The flagship Swiss fair presented works by 26 of the world’s leading collectible design galleries, offering a new, more intimate format across the ground floor of the fair’s established location at the Basel Messeplatz. This special edition of the fair was designed as a celebration of many of the world’s leading design galleries who have built the market for historic and contemporary collectible design as we know it today, with a particular focus on 20th century historic works, as well as standout contemporary pieces.
“This year’s Basel edition has felt truly special – with a particularly strong presence of museum quality designs from galleries such as Galerie Jacques Lacoste, Galerie Patrick Seguin, and Galerie Mitterand, alongside standout contemporary objects from the likes of Foreign Agent, Friedman Benda and Galerie kreo. Design Miami’s mission has always been to celebrate the best of historic and contemporary design by bringing together like-minded members of our global design network, and this year was no different. Now, we look forward to gathering together for our debut fair in Paris, this October.” - Jennifer Roberts, CEO, Design Miami/
“Visiting the fair in person this year meant visiting one of Miami Beach’s greatest exports! Design Miami/ is such an important cultural event in Miami Beach each December, and it’s great to see that it has such strong support internationally, with visitors from around the world.” - David Richardson, Miami Beach Commissioner
Gallery Highlights/
Award Winners/
This year’s Best Gallery Presentation was awarded to Galerie DOWNTOWN François Laffanour (Paris). The gallery showcased a selection of rare and unique designs by the likes of Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, Ron Arad, and Le Corbusier, tied together in the gallery’s signature lighting style with designs by Serge Mouille and Gino Sarfatti.
Best Historic Work was awarded to Caryatides high table (circa 1976) by Diego Giacometti. Set within Galerie Jacques Lacoste (Paris) Giacometti's Caryatides table is emblematic of the artist’s work. Each table leg is adorned with a delicately modeled caryatid, whilst a bird rests on the frame, reflecting his passion for nature.
Joris Laarman’s Bone Chair (2006) presented at Friedman Benda (New York) was awarded Best Contemporary Work. Laarson’s groundbreaking Bone Series, initiated in 2004, adapted software typically used in the auto industry to build an algorithm that created an ideal curved seat and back structure. The AI-generated shape stripped the design of all unnecessary material, and adopted a pattern of growth similar to the biological evolution of bones. Rather than just being inspired by nature, Laarson recreated natural processes through the use of AI.
Key Sales/
There were a number of very significant sales made through the week. Jacques Lacoste’s award-winning Best Historic Work, the Caryatides high table (circa 1976) by Diego Giacometti, was a noteworthy early sale.
Speaking about the significance of dealing at Design Miami/ Basel, Jacques Lacoste said: “We so often find that the rarest and most prized pieces that the gallery exhibits find the right home with a collector during the Basel edition of Design Miami/, and this year is no different”.
Another highly successful booth came from Galerie Mitterrand, who brought a spectacular display of Lalanne works, which resulted in several key sales.
Edward Mitterrand, President of Galerie Mitterrand, said: “We were very satisfied with our presence at the fair. We were delighted to sell several historical Lalanne pieces priced between €300,000 – 2,000,000, including a Bambiloba banc seat, a set of two Moutons de Pierre sheep sculptures, and a Lapin-Chou rabbit. We are also in discussions with an important US collection regarding the centerpiece of our booth, a one-of-a-kind sculpture of a donkey created by Lalanne in 1990 titled L’Âne Planté, estimated at €5,000,000 – 6,000,000, and with a French foundation regarding the Singe Attentif monkey.”
Lebreton reported a successful week for historical sales, including the most significant work on its booth, the exquisite Lampes Poules (circa 1950) by Guidette Carbonell, a pair of glazed ceramic and metal table lamps crafted in the form of two birds.
Several further historic and contemporary sales came from Friedman Benda’s booth, which presented Iconoclasts and Icons, a survey of era-defining and boundary-breaking chairs from the 20th century to the present day. The gallery was delighted to sell a number of key pieces including by Ettore Sottsass, several editions by Misha Kahn, and KAWS X Campana’s KAWS: Companion Chair (Brown) (2019).
Debut Galleries/
This year, Design Miami/ Basel welcomed two very well-received new exhibitors to its gallery programme: Foreign Agent (Lausanne) and Galerie Gastou (Paris). Founded in 2019, Foreign Agent is local to Switzerland, but specializes in emerging and mid-career contemporary talent from Africa, the Diaspora and beyond, exploring key contemporary narratives, marginalized identities and new critical perspectives on history. The focus of the gallery’s debut Basel booth was a collection of works by Ouagadougou-born Hamed Ouattara, who transforms and up-cycles discarded objects into modern design. Each of his pieces honors the life of its materials - encompassing stories of environmental injustice and global consumerism. Ouattara’s BOLIBANA furniture collection shown in Basel included a series of exquisitely crafted pieces formed from repurposed engine oil drum sheet metals.
“Foreign Agent was thrilled to take part in Design Miami/ Basel and our first participation was a great success. Our booth stood out aesthetically and in terms of storytelling and its focus on showcasing African artists. We made many new contacts at the fair and received strong interest from collectors and prestigious institutions, and look forward to the exciting future opportunities this presents for our designers.” - Olivier Chow, Founding Director of Foreign Agent
Galerie Gastou specializes in the decorative arts of the 20th century, with a focus on eclecticism, and playful and spatial furniture. It made a notable debut at Design Miami/ Basel with a booth featuring exceptional examples of surrealist and brutalist works from celebrated creators from the past century, paired with complementary contemporary pieces. A standout work on show was Max Ernst’s Cage Bed (circa 1974), produced by the Dadaist and Surrealist just two years before his death in 1976. The bed, which the gallery is now delighted to report as sold, was strikingly presented alongside a series of otherworldly, amorphous works, including Harumi Klossowska De Rola’s contemporary ‘Wepwawet (Wolf)’ (2022).
Additional Programming/
In addition to this year’s gallery programme, Design Miami/ was pleased to present additional exhibits including a showcase of preserved traditional crafts from the UAE from Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council; an interactive installation by Cyril Lancelin using technology developed with Google ATAP, as well as a Special Project Satellite presenting jewelry inspired by inclusive graffiti found in skate-parks, by Caroline Van Hoek.
Digital Programming/
Powered by Matterport’s digital twin technology, Design Miami/ Basel was delighted to offer viewers around the world a chance to virtually experience this year’s fair through an immersive, dimensionally accurate, digital replica of the 47,000 square foot (or 4400 square meter) exhibition space. Rediscover the showfloor via this link.
Future Fair Dates/
Design Miami/ will present its first Paris edition at L’hôtel de Maisons, situated in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, this October 2023. The fair will make its debut over October 18 - 22, 2023, with Preview Day to be held on October 17, 2023.
Meanwhile, Design Miami/ will later return to its roots in Miami Beach, for the 19th edition of the fair held December 06 - 10, 2023, with Preview Day on December 05, 2023.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Design Miami/ Basel 2023 Galleries/
Angela Weber Möbel
Foreign Agent
Friedman Benda
Galerie DOWNTOWN Francois Laffanour
Galerie Eric Philippe
Galerie Gastou
Galerie Jacques Lacoste
Galerie kreo
Galerie Maria Wettergren
Galerie Matthieu Richard
Galerie Meubles et Lumières
Galerie Mitterrand
Galerie Pascal Cuisinier
Galerie Patrick Seguin
Galerie SCENE OUVERTE
Galleria Antonella Villanova
Galleria Rossella Colombari
Gokelaere & Robinson
Jousse Entreprise
Ketabi Bourdet Design
Lebreton
Morentz Gallery
MOUVEMENTS MODERNES
Pierre Marie Giraud
Thomas Fritsch-ARTRIUM
Thomsen Gallery
About Design Miami/
Design Miami/ connects the world through extraordinary collectible design, with live fairs on three continents that bring together galleries, designers, brands, experts, collectors, and enthusiasts. Each edition of Design Miami/ features museum-quality 20th and 21st century furniture, lighting, and objets d’art from the world’s top, expertly vetted galleries, in addition to showcasing immersive design collaborations with celebrated brands. Design Miami’s flagship fairs take place alongside Art Basel in Miami, Florida, each December, in Basel, Switzerland, each June, and now in Paris, France, each October in conjunction with Paris+ par Art Basel. Design Miami/ is also accessible 365-days a year through designmiami.com, a content-rich digital marketplace featuring works from leading galleries and original editorial and video content on Forum Magazine.
Press inquiries, please contact/
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