MIAMI, Dec. 1, 2005—Art Basel Miami, December 1
 
COOL DEALS: THE SALES SCENE
 
Nada: Business Brisk...
"We're swamped!" said the director of Daniel Reich gallery on the opening preview night of the Nada (New Art Dealers Alliance) fair ... and he wasn't referring to the very slight rain-seeping-through-the-roof situation the fair had had the previous day. He was referring to the brisk business being done during preview hours. Reich had already sold a set of Christian Holstad drawings for $15,000 and sold out a set of six Nick Mauss drawings for $14,000. On hand for the preview were art advisors and collectors such as Lorinda Ash and Yvonne Force Villareal, independent curator Simon Watson and important London dealer, Lady Angela Nevill.

...Despite Brownouts
Nada dealers overcame rather inauspicious lighting conditions-over the course of an hour, there were regular brown-outs. But collectors kept an upbeat attitude and continued to wander wide-eyed down the aisles, needing merely to get slightly closer to things in order to see them properly. (For its part, ArtInfo attempted to spread the rumor that what was happening was in fact a very secret performance by Turner prize-winning conceptualist prankster Martin Creed entitled Lights Going On and Off (Nada version).)

Plugs were pulled on works of video art for the duration of the electricity problems. Finally the hall went completely black, but before dealers and guests could activate the tiny lights on their mobile phones, on went the hall lights again, revealing all the red dots next to works at Bellwether's stand: the gallery had nearly sold out by the end of the preview. Two paintings by Adam Cvijanovic went for $20,000 apiece. Over at Roebling Hall, there were also copious sales, with several light sculptures by Ivan Navarro taken by U.S. collectors (starting price: $15,000). Similarly happening was the booth of Zach Feuer; the gallery had sold things to Charles Saatchi and others, and, in the big ticket item department, sold an a painting by Jim Meyerson for $32,000.

Introducing...
Trendwatchers take note-dealers aren't just debuting new work at the fairs anymore, they are debuting new artists. Bellwether provided a first look at the work of Charlotta Westergren as well as the Clayton Brothers; both will have solo shows with the gallery this spring. And Wallspace gallery sold six paintings in various sizes by Dave Miko, priced $800 to $3,000. Miko will have his first-ever solo show with the gallery in February.

Made in Japan
A mini-phenom at the Nada fair was the booth of Kaikai Kiki, the "factory" of artist Takashi Murakami, who acts as a kind of agent or "studio" for a group of young Japanese artists. Murakami was in the booth overseeing the work of Mahomi Kunikata, who was busy making work inside the booth. Most of the booth had sold out. Kunikata does not yet have gallery representation.

My G-G-G Generation
The energetic Chicago dealer Kavi Gupta consistently had a swarm of collectors in his Nada booth. "I want to be associated with my generation of dealers," Gupta told Artinfo.com, explaining why he has done NADA for the past three years. "We're taking control of our destiny!"

Sale Snippets
Back at the Art Basel fair, Galerie Gmurzynska sold: Alexander Rodchenko's Hanging Spatial Construction No.11 Square in Square, wood, from 1920-21/1993 (posthumous edition under supervision of the Rodchenko estate) for $80,000... Jan Krugier Gallery sold: Alexander Calder's Escutheon (1972), a painted metal wall relief for an undisclosed price.
 
MIAMI HEAT: INSIDE THE FAIR
 
A Humble Repast
Sighting: New York power couple Sotheby's Tobias Meyer and New York art consultant Mark Fletcher chatting with Miami power couple Don and Mera Rubell, as the Rubells had a post-Vernissage falafel snack on Collins Avenue.

One for the People???
Is it a contradiction in terms to hold a super-exclusive event at a fancy hotel at which the main attraction is called, oh! so democratically, the Citizen's Band? Regular citizens were far from the Jeffrey Deitch-sponsored performance of New York's band-of-the-moment last night at the Raleigh hotel. But nevermind: true to form, they put on a lovely vaudeville-ish show, featuring about a dozen performers including Rain Phoenix, sister of River and Joaquin. A private dinner sponsored by the hotel was set up in front of the show, where one could see the performers belt out ballads in costumes that were part flapper, part brothel. The men wore top hats and the women wore thigh-highs. It was also quite carnivalesque-performers included fake twins joined at the head and a talented rope tamer, who snaked up and down a rope throughout several songs, quickly catching the attention of onlookers. But the overall effect was pleasantly subdued-a delightful break from the day's runaround at the fair. And by the end of the evening, revelers were settling into the hotel's beachside front, and starting their late nights.