Design Miami/ concludes successful nineteenth edition, recording strong contemporary and historic sales

Miami, 11 December 2023/ - Design Miami/ concluded a successful nineteenth edition of its flagship fair in Miami Beach on Sunday, December 10. This year’s fair welcomed over 50 gallery and Curio presentations, offering an array of historic and contemporary collectible design, more than 20 brand collaborations, a variety of Special Projects, and a robust and vibrant talks program, all of which responded to this year’s curatorial theme, Where We Stand, in thought-provoking ways, resulting in strong sales and attendance.

“This nineteenth edition of our flagship Miami Beach fair felt particularly impactful, bookending a milestone year following a successful Basel edition in June, and our debut in Paris this October. This year’s curatorial theme, Where We Stand, welcomed an array of engaging contemporary works from the likes of Marta, Southern Guild and æquō, and significant historic designs from galleries including Moderne Gallery, Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts and Magen H Gallery. The fair was well received by both established and emerging collectors, with exhibitors recording strong sales across the week. We come to the end of the year with a great sense of momentum to carry into the twentieth anniversary of Design Miami/ in 2024.” - Jen Roberts, CEO, Design Miami/

“The curatorial theme, Where We Stand, allowed for a robust and engaging edition of Design Miami/, which we hope sparked many meaningful conversations. The recipients of our Best of Show awards exemplify our mission: to connect the world through extraordinary collectible design. We were delighted to see the first Curator’s Award very deservedly won by first-time exhibitor Nifemi Marcus-Bello for his special entrance piece, Omi Iyo - an incredibly moving work epitomizing the power of design in storytelling and communicating narratives.” - Grela Orihuela, SVP, Design Miami/

Exhibitor Highlights/
Best Historic and Contemporary Highlights/
​ ​S.A.M. Tropique no. 503 Table (1951) by Jean Prouvé at Galerie Patrick Seguin (Paris) was awarded Best Historic work. Featuring an aluminum tabletop with exceptional patina, the S.A.M. Tropique no. 503 from Cameroon combines practicality with a minimalist aesthetic. Nacho Carbonell’s One-Seater Concrete Tree (2022) was exhibited at Carpenters Workshop Gallery (London/Paris/New York). The sculpture was awarded Best Contemporary work for its dreamlike aesthetic and craftsmanship. ​

​Gallery FUMI (London) was awarded Best Gallery with a presentation of whimsical, sculpted forms evoking a fantasy land. Raise the Moral (Los Angeles) was awarded Best Curio. The exhibition Becoming Familiar, showcased work by Moral Turgeman and Kelsey Falter that invited a remembrance and reconnection within the human body through sensorially immersive functional design, offering a series of custom carved marble works that ritualize experiences of the senses. ​

​Key Sales/
​ ​The fair reported strong sales throughout the week across historic and contemporary collectible design. Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts (New York) made a successful debut at Design Miami/, with the sale of Bridal Candlewick Tapestry (c.1820), the oldest work exhibited at the show. The whitework tapestry was popular in the early ages of America, after the invention of the cotton gin in 1792. Dating c. 1820, the pristine condition of this Candlewick spread suggests that it was a treasured wedding gift, not an uncommon gift at the time. A stylized tree of life dominates the composition of the spread, surrounded by sets of deer, people and large peacocks, while several small birds dot the branches. ​

​Adrian Sassoon (London) made a successful debut at Design Miami/, including the sale of its largest piece - a monumental blue and white vase by ceramicist Felicity Aylieff. Ornamentum (Hudson/New York) reported strong sales throughout the week, including an institutional acquisition of a Samuel Gassman tiara to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Ateliers Courbet (New York) sold Archetype I Marble (2021) by Raphael Navot within the first few hours of the fair opening, for $64,000. The hand-carved table, made from Belgian marble with a matte wax finish, was presented within Ateliers Courbet’s exhibition of contemporary design pieces, all underpinned by principles that value a circular economy whilst honoring traditional craftsmanship. Galerie Patrick Seguin (Paris) sold prominent works by Jean Prouvé, including a pair of Bridge FB 11 armchairs (ca. 1951); a pair of Persan 8-branched wall lamps (ca. 1954) by Jean Royère, and a 1958 bench by Charlotte Perriand.

Ippodo Gallery (New York) realized record-breaking sales on behalf of the designers represented, including ceramicists Kodai Ujiie and Mitsukuni Misaki, the Japanese-inspired Murano glass artist Laura de Santillana, and the paper artist KAKU. Moderne Gallery (Philadelphia) sold a pair of George Nakashima book-matched Sanso Tables (1984) - a unique commission made from originally Peace Altar tree; alongside an important custom-made Bird & Fish Dining Table (1979) by Judy Kensley Mckie.

Diletante42 (Sao Paolo) presented a hyper-local exhibition of iconic Brazilian designs. The gallery sold a pair of Joaquim Tenriero low chairs, once home to the Arthur Caruso family collection, for a total of $50,000. The Future Perfect (New York/Los Angeles) also reported on a very successful fair week, with notable sales including work by Ben & Aja Blanc, Autumn Casey, Bradley Bowers, Chen Chen & Kai Williams, Mark Pavlovits, Eric Roinestad, Leena Similu, Jane Yang D’Haene, Reinaldo Sanguino, Ian Collings, Rahee Yoon, Chris Wolston and The Perfect Nothing Catalog by Frank Traynor.