MIAMI—Just when you thought they’d run out of venues, not to mention the goods to fill them all, the forces behind Miami’s multifarious art fairs have expanded the sprawling scene even further. From December 4 through 9, more than 18 events will open to an avid international crowd. Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) is the mighty anchor for this whirlwind art-viewing Olympics, which will try the stamina of even the most intrepid connoisseurs.

The miles of booths and hotel rooms packed with all manner of eye candy are enough to scramble the senses. “It’s going to be interesting,” says Helen Allen, organizer of the Pulse events in Miami, New York and London. “We were worried last year that there were too many fairs.” But to her pleasant surprise, exhibitors were thrilled at the results. “The competition only seemed to drive collectors even more,” notes Allen, who hopes for more enthusiasm this year.

Two of 2007’s biggest additions are SeaFair, the first touring art show on a custom-designed yacht, and South Florida’s seminal art event, the 18-year-old Art Miami, which pushed back its date a month to coincide with ABMB. “Survival was the main reason,” explains director Ilana Vardy. “Once all the satellite fairs kept coming in droves, they siphoned off more and more of the dealers we were interested in. My top-level galleries said they would not return if we didn’t move.”

SeaFair docks the weekend before the other events open their doors (November 30). But it is “not in competition with Art Basel,” says the floating show’s creator, David Lester, emphasizing that it offers more traditional material. “There is enough cutting-edge contemporary on view elsewhere. We want to provide a more historical perspective.”

Art Basel Miami Beach
There may be an ever-growing constellation of satellite events around town, but the center of the action is still ABMB. “The parallel fairs have not affected us, says outgoing director Sam Keller. “They are a way to generate energy, so I see a lot of positives about them. But we want people to know what is Art Basel and what is not. We are trying not to organize our events in the same areas as the alternative fairs. Many of them don’t have the quality level that we establish for our own show, and I would not want to put the Art Basel umbrella over them.”

Keller and his team have increased the exhibitors roster and added new ancillary events, from the Art Conversations and more intimate Art Salon talks—both of which feature big-name curators, critics, artists and others—to public projects and performances. “We are looking not only to renew the fair but also to strengthen it in the established fields without cloning what we do in Basel,” says Keller. The 200 galleries participating in the main section at the Miami Beach Convention Center this year were selected from a record 850-plus applicants. Among the 27 newcomers are Christian Stein Gallery, of Milan, and Kewenig Galerie, of Cologne and Palma, both specializing in Arte Povera, and modern dealers McKee, Francis Naumann and Michael Rosenfeld, all from New York. Returning names include Milan dealer Massimo De Carlo; L&M and Mary-Anne Martin, both of New York; and Eva Presenhuber, of Zurich.

Twenty of the galleries will also host Art Kabinetts, curated exhibitions inside their booths. This year’s projects include presentations of single artists, such as Jose Bedia, at Miami’s Fredric Snitzer; Chris Burden, at Krinzinger, of Vienna; and David Smith, at Margo Leavin, of Los Angeles. Other Kabinetts feature historical group shows. Kicken Berlin, for instance, has photograms and double exposures from the 1920s by artists including Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Man Ray.

The Art Nova sector continues to provide entrée for less-established names, in smaller, more affordable booths where each exhibitor is limited to showing brand-new pieces by only three artists. Galerist, a space in Istanbul, has abstract paintings and sculpture by Haluk Akakce, homoerotic paintings by Taner Ceylan and a mixed-media collaboration between Can Sayinli and Jorgen Evil Ekvoll. Gregor Podnar, of Ljubljana (with a location opening in Berlin this month), represents artists “not from the centers but from places where in the last 15 years there hasn’t been much of an art market.” Podnar’s booth will feature works by Slovenian video artist Tobias Putrih and Swedish artist Alexander Gutke.