Six Art Collections For The Art Lover

A look inside six seasoned art collections.

Miami is unique in its proliferation of private-made-public contemporary art collections. As supporters of the Art Basel Miami Beach art fair, many private collectors opened their doors for the fair’s visitor program at its inception. Twenty years later, the tradition of rehanging art collections for fair time remains, making Art Week an exciting time to experience new exhibitions and appreciate recent acquisitions. These six private collection exhibitions provide essential art season sustenance.

Xaviera Simmons, “Sundown (Number Fifty-Three)” (2022) PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DE LA CRUZ COLLECTION

Together, at the Same Time at the de la Cruz Collection

In 2009, Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz built a 30,000-square-foot museum for their private collection in the Miami Design District, which is free and open to the public. Each year the couple, with input from their team, curate topical exhibitions from their collection. This year the theme, Together, at the Same Time, brings together artists from varying time periods and contexts, including artwork ranging from surrealist Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) to international contemporary artists Peter Doig, Tauba Auerbach and Glenn Ligon to Latin American icons Ana Mendieta and Felix Gonzalez-Torres, alongside celebrated Miami-based creatives Tomm El-Saieh and Loriel Beltrán. Together, at the Same Time is on view through fall 2023. 23 NE 41st St., Miami, delacruzcollection.org

Installation view of Together, at the Same Time (2022-2023) featuring work by Glenn Ligon and Felix Gonzalez-Torres PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE DE LA CRUZ COLLECTION

The Italians at the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse

Maurizio Pellegrin, “Colori Di Una Folla” (1991). THE MARGULIES COLLECTION AT THE WAREHOUSE AND THE ARTIST

Established by real estate developer and collector Martin Z. Margulies, The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse is a nonprofit institution with door admissions donated to Lotus House. Each year, longtime curator Katherine Hinds spearheads special exhibitions, with The Italians promising to be a 2022 highlight. Expanding on the collection’s 2021 Arte Povera exhibition, The Italians features 15 contemporary artists assembled for their artwork inspired by the activities and lives of the Arte Povera artists. These artists were prolific in the 1960s and ’70s for their radical approach to artmaking and unconventional use of “everyday” materials. Featuring Giuseppe Uncini, Bertozzi & Casoni and Paola Pivi, among others, The Italians is also a nod to life’s simple pleasures embodied within Italian culture. The Italians is on view through April 29, with special hours during Art Basel Miami Beach. 591 NW 27th St., Miami, margulieswarehouse.com

Mimmo Paladino, “Senza titolo” (2011) detail PHOTO COURTESY OF: THE MARGULIES COLLECTION AT THE WAREHOUSE AND THE ARTIST

Rubell Museum, Miami

Tesfaye Urgessa, “Two Twins” (2022) PHOTO COURTESY OF: THE RUBELL MUSEUM AND THE ARTIST

Founded in 1993, the Rubell Museum Miami houses arguably the most cutting-edge contemporary collection in Florida, offering annual exhibitions from Mera and Don Rubell’s more-than-7,400-artwork-strong collection. This year, among artist staples, the museum will feature work by up-and-comers Alexandre Diop, Doron Langberg, Jo Messer and Tesfaye Urgessa, in line with the museum’s approach of buying multiple works from artists early in their careers. In October, the Rubell Museum opened a second location in Washington, D.C., that will expand the collection’s footprint. In the meantime, Rubell Museum Miami, and its delicious Basque-inspired restaurant Leku, remains a season essential. 1100 NW 23 St., Miami, rubellmuseum.org

Alexandre Diop, [No Title Yet] (2022); Marlene Dumas, “After Painting” (2023) THE RUBELL MUSEUM AND THE ARTIST

You Know Who You Are at El Espacio 23

Following a major donation to the Pérez Art Museum Miami in 2016, the exhibition You Know Who You Are, Recent acquisitions of Cuban art from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection, features work from more than 80 Cuba-based and Cuban diaspora artists acquired by the avid collector after 2017. United by an interest in the history and culture of the island and its worldly context, the exhibition captures artists’ individual perspectives of Cuba’s sociopolitical ideologies, its geography, representation of diverse identities and more. Multigenerational, you’ll find works from Wifredo Lam, Amelia Pélaez, Loló Soldevilla and Zilia Sánchez to contemporary artists Raúl Cordero, Reynier Leyva Novo and Belkis Ayón, among others. You Know Who You Are is a mutual space for self-exploration and expression. 2270 NW 23rd St., Miami, elespacio23.org

Zilia Sanchez, “Lunar Blanco [White Moon]” (2000-2019). COURTESY OF EL ESPACIO 23

Two of the Same Kind at the Craig Robins Collection

Two of the Same Kind is an apt title for this year’s rehanging of Craig Robins’ contemporary art collection, which features work by two celebrated female artists, Marlene Dumas and Jana Euler. Working predominantly in painting and drawing, Dumas’ and Euler’s works use psychological play and dark humor to engage the viewer in a process of decoding. Curated by Karen Grimson and featured across two floors of the Dacra offices in the Miami Design District, the collection exhibition will also feature recent acquisitions by Sasha Gordon, Samuel Ross and Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, among others, as well as works on loan by pop icon Andy Warhol. Craig Robins Collection is open to Art Basel Miami Beach and Design Miami VIPs on scheduled visits, and by appointment. Dacra, 3841 NE Second Ave., Miami, 3rd & 4th Floors, dacra.com

Marlene Dumas, “After Stone” (2003). CRAIG ROBINS COLLECTION, MIAMI

The Ye’Kwana Universe at the Juan Carlos Maldonado Art Collection

The Ye’Kwana Universe: Living in the middle of the jungle is an exhibition of art and utilitarian objects from an Amazonian group who lived in southern Venezuela. To provide vital context, the exhibition is focused on five themes: The Great Cycle of the Cassava; Hunting and Fishing; Moving through the Jungle; The Dugout Canoe; and Body Paint; and is paired with photographs by Swiss- Venezuelan artist Barbara Brändli who, during the 1960s, worked closely with the group. On loan from the Carolina and Fernando Eseverri Collection, the photographs provide a supplemental subjective lens on the exhibition’s exploration of the essentials of daily life in the Amazonian jungle. The Ye’Kwana Universe is on view to the public through fall 2023. JCMAC, 3841 NE Second Ave., Miami, 2nd Floor, jcmac.art

From the exhibition Ye’kwana Universe from the Juan Carlos Maldonado Collection BY RAFAEL GUILLLEN/COURTESY OF JUAN CARLOS MALDONANDO COLLECTION