The Best Of Miami's Art Museums

By Erica Corsano By Erica Corsano | December 23, 2021 | Events, Culture,

Miami’s best museums shine with unforgettable exhibitions.

Maryan, “Personnage with Feet in the Air” (1964) PHOTO COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART MIAMI, NORTH MIAMI, MY NAME IS MARYAN

It’s impossible to think that this brilliant city could become even more vibrant than it already is, but each year in early December a magnificent cultural circus descends upon us in the name of art. Artists, dealers, collectors and partygoers enjoy the various art fairs, gallery shows and of course the deluge of festive soirees at stores and venues across town. The world-renowned art institutions who satiate our inner culture vultures year-round particularly come alive during this month. Here’s a tiny taste of what some will deliver.

Maryan, “Two Personnages” (1968) PHOTO COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART MIAMI, NORTH MIAMI, MY NAME IS MARYAN

MOCA NORTH MIAMI

MOCA is presents a special exhibition reception to celebrate its exhibition My Name is Maryan—a monographic presentation of four decades of paintings, sculptures, drawings and film by the iconoclastic, ground-breaking Polish-born artist Maryan. Guests will enjoy cocktails, canapes and a special meet-and-greet with curator Alison M. Gingeras. The exhibition opens to the public on Nov. 17 and will remain on view until March 20, 2022. Drawing upon new scholarship and a trove of never-before-exhibited works, My Name is Maryan will be the first retrospective to holistically examine all periods of Maryan’s life and work. Credited as being among the first artist-eyewitnesses to directly depict their experiences of the Shoah, Maryan’s unique approach to figurative art strove to solidarity across cultures and generations and will include a variety of pieces from other modern artists. Also on view outside the museum during Miami Art Week is MOCA’s most recent Art on the Plaza commission, “Reading Reflections,” by Miami-based artist Najja Moon. With this sculptural (mainly dichroic glass) work, Moon explores themes of reflection and self-empowerment through a human-scale intervention jutting out from MOCA’s plaza. 770 NE 125th St., North Miami, mocanomi.org

Maryan, “Personnage I” (1963). PHOTO COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART MIAMI, NORTH MIAMI, MY NAME IS MARYAN

THE WOLFSONIAN-FIU

For his U.S. debut, the Rotterdam-based designer and artist Bas van Beek is mounting an expansive takeover of The Wolfsonian–FIU that will immerse audiences in a contemporary reimagining of historical design. This jewel-box exhibition unveils new work and installations derived from the Wolfsonian’s eclectic collection dedicated to the modern age alongside career highlights. The latest artist to be tapped by the museum to reinterpret its historic collection and building, van Beek is unveiling a Wolfsonian-commissioned tapestry—“5xWP”—woven by Miami-based Odabashian and drawn from Wilhelm Poetter’s modernist textile patterns. Shameless is on view Nov. 29 through April 22, 2022. For a deeper dive into the modern era, visitors can check out Aerial Vision, exploring the sheer magnitude of technological inventions—airplanes, skyscrapers, elevators—that ushered in the 20th century. 1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, wolfsonian.org

Maryan, “Personnage VIII” (1963) PHOTO COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART MIAMI, NORTH MIAMI, MY NAME IS MARYAN

PÉREZ ART MUSEUM MIAMI

Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) will welcome guests back this season with a beyond-impressive programming lineup featuring exhibitions by Marco Brambilla, Jedd Novatt and African diaspora art from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection. Event highlights include an artist-led tour by Marco Brambilla himself, featuring his exhibition Heaven’s Gate; PAMM Presents, the museum’s signature Art Week Party on its lush terrace; Across the Afro Diasporas, a compelling discussion led by PAMM curator Maria Elena Ortiz and Zimbabwean-born assistant curator at Zeitz MOCAA Tandazani Dhlakama; and an Indigenous Contemporary Art Panel, featuring leading Indigenous voices and activists. Also debuting during the festive week is a large-scale kinetic sculpture by artist Zhivago Duncan named “Pretentious Crap,” on view until next September. 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, pamm.org

Alex Israel, “Self-Portrait” (2019, acrylic and bondo on fiberglass) PHOTO BY ALEX ISRAEL/COURTESY OF THE BASS, MIAMI BEACH

THE BASS MUSEUM

Fusing elements from sculpture, music, performance and architecture, Perimeters (on view until April 17, 2022), an interactive exhibition of new and site-specific work by Israeli-born, New York-based artist Naama Tsabar, transforms the museum into a playable instrument, meant to expose hidden spaces and systems, reimagine normative gendered narratives and shift the viewing experience to one of active participation. By collaborating with local communities of female-identifying and gender-nonconforming performers, Tsabar contributes to feminist and queer discourses through movement, sound and space. The exhibition begins with Melody of Certain Damage, an installation by which the artist’s process involves smashing instruments and meticulously putting the pieces back together. Tsabar takes an action that embodies the male-dominated legacy of rock ’n’ roll—the breaking of a guitar first popularized by The Who’s lead guitarist Pete Townshend—and disjoints the violence of the act, only showing viewers the scattered fragments. In doing so, Tsabar presents the broken pieces in a new form that speaks to reconstruction and repair after trauma. Tsabar’s various installations throughout the exhibition probe the power structures inherent to museums, symbolically breaking through institutional barriers for participation by both artists and visitors. 2100 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, thebass.org

Installation view of Agua dulce by Abraham Cruzvillegas at The Bass in Collins Park. PHOTO BY ZAIRE ARANGUREN/COURTESY OF THE BASS, MIAMI BEACH

JEWISH MUSEUM OF FLORIDA-FIU

This year, The Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU presents two illuminating exhibitions. The Festival of Lights is a compilation of menorahs, also known as hanukkiahs, from the first century BCE to today. Hailing from the collection of Rabbi Howard Berman, the exhibit is a comprehensive look at the different styles and materials of menorahs that Berman has sourced from around the world including art deco, Colonial and midcentury modern. Also debuting is Martin Kreloff:A Retrospective, on view until March 2022. This colorful exhibition will feature earlier “pop art-influenced” paintings, drawings and new media works the artist is famous for. A longtime Miami resident, he is currently living and working in Las Vegas. The show will feature a wide selection of his commercial work, his Hollywood stars series and portraiture from his early days to today. 301 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, jmof.fiu.edu

Melodies of Certain Damage Opus 3 performance shot PHOTO: BY EYAL AGIVAYEV