Art Basel Miami Beach kicks off, impacted by the dollar exceeding R$ 6 for Brazilian galleries

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In a city where Portuguese is as commonly heard as English and Spanish, the largest art fair in the Americas energizes the Brazilian market through interaction with collectors from both local and international regions, including Europe and Latin America, who are already present in Miami for its art week.

Representing Brazil, 22 galleries will participate in the main section and programs such as Nova and Positions, including Luisa Strina, Almeida & Dale, Fortes D'Aloia & Gabriel, A Gentil Carioca, Casa Triângulo, DAN Galeria, Gomide & Co., Mendes Wood DM, Galatea, and Vermelho.

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Some galleries are using the event to expand into other venues in the city. For instance, Raquel Arnaud, a gallery from São Paulo celebrating its 50th anniversary, will launch a book at its stand on Thursday (5) and host an exhibition at the Piero Atchugarry gallery, running until March next year. Highlighting works by Sergio Camargo and engaging with artists like Carlos Cruz-Diez, Luis Tomasello, Waltercio Caldas, and Iole de Freitas, the exhibition is a selection from the gallery's earlier show this year, curated by Jacopo Crivelli Visconti, former curator of the São Paulo Biennial.

— Besides celebrating, it's a way to honor pioneers like my mother, who helped establish the art market in Brazil, now strongly represented in events such as Art Basel Miami — emphasizes Myra Arnaud, director of the gallery named after her mother. — It's decades of work that enabled us to bring abstract, geometric, concrete, and neoconcrete art to international collectors.

Another Miami regular, Nara Roesler, with locations in São Paulo, Rio, and New York, returns to the fair featuring historical figures like Julio Le Parc, Abraham Palatnik, and Tomie Ohtake, while introducing works by artists such as Elian Almeida, Andre Griffo, and Maria Klabin. Gallery director Alexandre Roesler notes that the recent currency fluctuation, with the dollar surpassing R$6, affects expenses but also raises sales expectations.

— Major expenses like booth fees and flights were already covered, but costs for accommodation, transport, and meals are unavoidable. The hope is that dollar-denominated sales will offset these additional expenses — Roesler comments. — But we're optimistic; I arrived on Saturday and the atmosphere in the city is positive, with numerous European, Latin American, New York, and Chicago collectors already here. We have several pieces on hold and expect to finalize sales in the first hours of the fair.

* Nelson Gobbi attended as a guest of Art Basel Miami Beach.