Best OfUnique Furniture A Highlight At Art Basel, Miami Fairs
Unique Furniture A Highlight At Art Basel, Miami Fairs
Visiting Art Basel and Design Miami is a delight for the senses. Homedit also found that there can be a very fine line between what is categorized as art or as design for the home. In either case, each piece — whether seating, lighting, tables or wall art — is unique furniture that is an expression of the artist’s vision and there is something to be found for every taste and sensibility.
View in galleryCrowds filled the exhibit halls at all the major fairs in Miami. Homedit took in Design Miami/, Art Basel, Context, Art Miami, Pulse, NADA and the No Commission fair in Wynnwood, hosted by music superstar Swizz Beats.View in galleryIsraeli-born designer Ron Arad is considered to be one of the most influential designers of our era. He is known for his “daredevil curiosity about technology and materials,” wrote MOMA when they mounted his first US retrospective in 2009.
While Design Miami/ was the epicenter of fantastic pieces for the home, we found many examples of artful, unique furniture at all of the art shows in Miami…as well as pieces of art made from furniture.
View in galleryThis trio of stones in the Peter Freeman Gallery — art installation or seating? Your choice…View in galleryA play on the concept of keys, this was one of the interesting, eccentric pieces centered on furniture at Art Basel.
Many artists used everyday home items as the medium for their expression. Wall pieces made from discarded athletic shoes to artistic work made with cutlery or disposable aluminum kitchen pans, mundane items found an inserting new life in art. This installation was a playful piece using an upright piano and focusing on the concept of keys.
Seating was a very popular form of expression for artists, perhaps because it can take so many forms and sizes.
View in galleryWhile this piece is art where form and expression take precedence, from this angle one can imagine sitting down and having the metal snake around you like growing vines.View in galleryThe Hello Project Gallery from Houston showed this bench by young artist Travis Boyer. Part of his work called “Light Denim Conversation,” it was created in 2015 and showcases some of his abstract work.View in galleryCanvas chairs were literally the canvas for this artist. The pair of painted chairs was shown by the Natalie Hug Gallery at the NADA show at the Fontainebleau Hotel.View in galleryThe playful layering of the photographic image and the printed paint lines and brush, are a play on the concept of the canvas, both as a medium and as seating.
Galerie Heike Strelow exhibited these luminous seats, which you could see glowing from a distance. They are meant for outdoor use, particularly to blend into their natural surroundings. Truly pieces of unique furniture.
View in galleryA close up of the glass tile work by Winter/Hoerbelt. The artists Wolfgang Winter and Berthold Herbert have been cooperating under the joint name since 1992. They are known for their outdoor sculptures and installations. This one is lit with LEDs.View in gallery“It’s Just My Appetite” bench by Glosley.
Grafitti art was present in many forms, including on these benches. Presented by the Lyons Wier Gallery of New York at PULSE Miami, they are functional and interesting pieces of art for modern home decor.
View in galleryFocusing on benches and chairs, Glosley creates these using Spray paint, paint pens, polyurethane on kiln dried wood, custom raw steel legs.View in galleryIndustrial looking legs maintain the grittier feel of the graffiti art top.View in galleryIntricate and colorful, the tops of the benches are amazing.View in galleryThe Carl Solway Gallery’s very colorful booth at PULSE Miami included these fun stools. Artful and functional, they’re also presenting a positive message.View in galleryIn pink too!View in galleryThe iconic dotted creations of avant-garde Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama were sprinkled throughout Art Basel and the other shows. This stool is just a perfect piece of unique furniture.View in galleryFew armchairs were to be found among the art furniture, but this piece has a regal feel, a bit like a throne.View in galleryThe intricately cut metal highlights the blue underlay which almost seems to glow under the bright lights.View in galleryThe “Hand-Chair” is the best known work of Pedro Friedenberg, an Italian-born, Mexican artist and designer. He is recognized for his surrealist works.View in galleryBecause it’s all art, there was plenty of whimsy to be found. Sitting on a lobster or a paintbrush is just plain fun.View in galleryScissors too! In the background you can see another piece showing the artist’s imagination — the saw in a cactus sculpture.View in galleryAnother view of the funky seating with the accompanying wall decor.View in galleryStools were a popular canvas for art. We particularly like these two from the Dean Project in Miami. The abstract design and pastel colors feel tropical.View in galleryThis two-piece design was one we haven’t encountered before. More a functional piece than an exhibited piece, we saw many gallery representatives actually using their art seating pieces.View in gallerySeating made of rustic wood are nothing new but this curved bench is definitely something new. Artist JaeHyo Lee is known for using everyday materials and circular motifs, particularly for unique furniture pieces.View in galleryFrom all angles, the wood shows interesting grains and rings.View in galleryThis dual-sided seat is particularly interesting thanks to the undulating curve of the back rest.
On the flip side, some artists used separate parts of furniture as the medium. Artist Marc Andre Robinson from Brooklyn showed his creations from furniture. “Playing with the dialogue between art and artifact, he collects discarded furniture and transforms it into sculptural assemblages with complex and delicately balanced symbology,” says his bio.
View in galleryDiscarded legs of various styles were used to create this sculpture.View in galleryRobinson’s giant sculpture of reclaimed furniture is reminiscent of a giant crab.View in gallerySpanish-born Manolo Valdés is a painter, sculptor, and printmaker. This bookcase is filled with slices of wood standing in for the usual book collection.View in galleryLike stacks of books on a table, wood pieces are piled on a side table.View in galleryAnother example of furniture as an art medium is this unexpected wall sculpture using seating shown by the Zero Gallery.
After chairs, tables were also a popular form of unique furniture expression.
View in galleryDutch gallery Preiveekollectie showed this “BANG” table created by Reinier Bosch. The gallery says that the famous pop-art paintings of Lichtenstein were used as inspiration for the piece.View in galleryMuch like the related chair in silver, this copper table’s gleam only enhances the blue underlay.View in galleryAn intricate design and precise cuts make it a special piece.View in galleryFrom a distance, this looks like a plain plywood table, but as you approach, it reveals a wonderful surprise.View in galleryInside the table is an intricate modern architecture, giving you the feeling that you are spying into a fantastic villa.View in galleryInterior lighting enhances the fine miniature work inside this piece of unique furniture.View in galleryIt might be a miniature, but Yayoi Kusama’s shelf with a pumpkin is cute and whimsical.
At any furniture fair, many of the light fixtures are true art forms, so we weren’t surprised to see modern lighting creations among the art displays.
View in galleryThese intricately cut pendant lights shown by Neuger-nemschneider Gallery remind us of exotic lanterns.View in galleryThe detail is stunning and we can imagine they cast some amazing shadows.View in galleryThe combination of colors and neutrals make the art fixture easy to blend with many types of home decor.View in galleryThe base from which the pendants hang is just as intricate as the lights themselves.View in galleryGerman artist Tobias Rehberger created this light sculpture using wax. He is known for his diverse and prolific body of work including objects, sculptures and environments.View in galleryColored bars of lights are both art installation and mood lighting.View in galleryIf you have the space for it, this giant light pendant would be a most awesome statement. Large and imposing, yet geometrically intricate and weightless looking, we couldn’t get enough of it.View in galleryEven the large tree installation is dwarfed by the large light.
Room dividers are another item that does double duty as art and home design feature. Some were painted, some were 3-D carved and other were lighting installations.
View in galleryThese colorful, yet dark in imagery, light screens would definitely generate conversation.
View in galleryAmerican Artist John McAllister create this painted screen, shown by the James Fuentes Gallery.View in galleryDetail from McAllister’s screen that is part of his “serene raving radiant” show.View in galleryThe back of the screen — called a byobu in Japanese – is equally interesting. “His palette dominated by tones of rose, peach and deep violet and McAllister’s compositions detail phosphorescent landscapes and luminous interiors,” write the gallery.View in galleryEven a door can be artful, as seen in this work from the Galerie Thomas Schultz in Germany.View in galleryDeliberately arranged furniture also serves as an art installation.View in galleryHe may be best known for his giant, metallic balloon animal sculptures, but Jeff Koons has also created many smaller pieces, like this mirror.View in galleryThis installation from the Franco Noereo Gallery in Torino, Italy includes a beautiful rug. We love how artful rugs are, whether you place them on the floor or on the wall.View in galleryWhile this is an unusual art installation, we just want to sit on the piece that is adorned with a turtle-shell like design.View in gallerySuitable only for a very large space, this installation featured a beautifully set dining table that upon closer examination was split down the middle. A social commentary perhaps?
While we didn’t see much outdoor-specific furniture at the shows, the Botanical Gardens across the street from Art Basel and Design Miami/ were outfitted with stylish and comfortable pieces. We’re not sure if this furniture is always there, or if it was brought in for a press event sponsored by BMW, but these are some of the same pieces we saw at the 4141 Design gallery in the Miami Design District earlier in the year.
View in galleryArtful weaving give the seats and table an optic geometric design.View in galleryThe shape of the chair is unique. The arms feel a bit like a butterfly.View in galleryComfy and throne-like, these are fun to sit in.View in gallerySpeaking of geometrics, we were fascinated by this wall by German artist Rose Marie Trockel, who is an important figure in international contemporary art.
Art and design extravaganzas like Miami’s art week have something to entice you, no matter what your definition of art is. Whether form comes first or function takes precedence, pieces can be viewed as art or as unique furniture, depending upon your own sensibilities.