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This year's Art Basel Miami Beach featured 258 leading international galleries from across 31 countries and attracted an attendance of 75,000 people over the five show days — a 7% increase over last year.
2013-12-11
So what's all the fuss about?
Besides the famous works of art, emerging talent, and celebrity parties, the art fair also features some pretty wacky pieces.
We scoured the convention center and satellite fairs to find some of the most outrageous works.
As I entered the fair, I was greeted by Deborah Sengl's "Little Darling" made of fur and wax.
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The street artist known as "Desire Obtain Cherish" showcased a meta acrylic piece titled "It's Not Art Till The Check Clears."
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The same artist created these "Intensive Care Units" made of 18k and nickel plated metal encased in plexiglass. Look closely to see the designer names.
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A real person sat in a chair as part of Cameron Gray's performance/video art.
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The man was looking at this screen made of TVs and DVD players. The work is titled: "I Have A Feeling I Shall Go Mad. I Cannot Go On Longer In These Terrible Times. I Shan't Recover This Time. I Hear Voices And Cannot Concentrate On My Work. I Have Fought Against It But Cannot Fight Any Longer...Naww, F--- It, I'm Good."
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A sculpture of a sleeping man took over the center of one hallway at the fair.
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Yayoi Kusama's polka-dotted pumpkin was a popular piece on display at the David Zwirner Gallery booth.
Mireya Acierto/Getty
Can you tell what this Sarah Frost piece titled "Wake Up" is made of?
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It's constructed from discarded computer keyboards.
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From afar, this Marcello Segall piece is just a gold and white gun.
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Look closer and it's filled with porcelain dolls, animals, and vases. It can be yours for a mere $28,500.
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This Augusto Esquivel piece looks like a floating landscape.
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Upon further inspection, it's made with thousands of buttons strung together.
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Richard Stipl's floating work "Slander" is made with clay, paint, and shellac.
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Speaking of bizarre statues...
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And floating heads...
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These boats by Hew Locke in the Perez Art Museum Miami were made to look like they are floating from above.
REUTERS/Joe Skipper
The Porsche Design x Thierry Noir event featured floating handbags in the shape of a heart.
Neilson Barnard/Getty
This David Datuna piece of an American flag covered in eyeglass lenses was on sale for $48,000.
Art Basel 2013Business Insider/Aly Weisman
This Eugenio Merino piece is titled "The End of the Match."
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Damien Hirst "For the Love of God — White Skull" is a silk screen print with DIAMOND DUST that goes for $3,070.
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Russell West's "Self Portrait Size 9" were on sale for $6,500.
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Marck's "Turkish Bath" video installation will set you back a mere $35,000.
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This year's fair incorporated a lot of video art.
Mireya Acierto/Getty
Paul Rousso's "A Well Worn Five Grand" is made of mixed media on hand-sculpted acrylic.
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A mixed media sign with a cryptic message.
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A bizarre Zebra creature.
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And who doesn't need an iridescent moose head?
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Or a half-shaven polar bear by artist Deborah Simon?
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Birds need purses too, right?
Joe Raedle/Getty
Candy and sweets were another trend.
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Like these "Assorted Cupcakes" by Peter Anton.
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There were sculptures with political messages.
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And sculptures made of mixed media assemblage, like "Pure Lard" by Vanessa German.
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And ones that were more disturbing, like Bernardo Roig's "Hanging Practices To Suck The Light."
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There were happy, colorful sculptures like "Horus and it's Grace" by Niki De Saint Phalle.
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And funny ones that made you glance again.
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So if you're questioning what makes something art or if it's just...
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Just assume:
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But sometimes the best part is the people watching.
Aly is a Senior Correspondent for INSIDER, a new lifestyle publication from Business Insider Inc. She was previously the Senior Entertainment Editor at Business Insider. Before joining BI in 2011, she worked as a reporter, writer, and producer for E! News and E! Online in Los Angeles.Aly graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in journalism. She has written for numerous entertainment and lifestyle publications and hosted TV and web segments of similar content. You can follow her @AlyWeisman.
