City of Miami Beach Buys Dutch Artist's Work at This Year's Art Basel

The City of Miami Beach added to its growing art collection by purchasing a work from the 2023 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, something it has been doing since 2019 as part of its Legacy Purchase Program. Anneke Eussen's wall-mounted glass and mixed-media sculpture, It's Alright, will become one of the acquired works on permanent display at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

The public selected Eussen's work from three finalists chosen by the city's Art in Public Places Committee. The two other 2023 finalists were Noémie Goudal and Shannon Bool.

The public voting period opened on mbartsandculture.org on Wednesday, December 6, and closed 24 hours later on Thursday, December 7.

Previous Legacy Purchases have included works by Juana Valdés, Sanford Biggers, Amoako Boafo, Ebony G. Patterson, and Farah Al Qasimi.

The finalists are selected from the Positions and Nova sections of Art Basel Miami Beach. Nova showcases works made within the past three years by one, two, or three artists. Positions' focus is on young galleries showcasing solo presentations by emerging artists.

It's Alright by Eussen was exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach by Chicago-based commercial gallery Document in the Nova section.

Eussen lives and works in Vaals, the Netherlands. Her multi-panel sculptures are made from upcycled glass sourced from an abandoned factory near Brussels. According to the gallery, Eussen uses the salvaged glass panes in a practice built around layering, arranging, and assembling found materials.

According to the city of Miami Beach, the purchase price for the work was $18,000. "The annual program tasks the city's Art in Public Places Committee to select three world-class pieces of artwork from the emerging artists of the Art Basel Miami Beach Positions and Nova Sections with a budget of up to $80,000," the city said in a statement.

Art in Public Places is a City of Miami Beach board responsible for the commission and purchase of artwork by contemporary artists in all media. The program allocates funds totaling two percent of hard costs for city projects and joint private/public projects. The fund is administered by a city commission-appointed citizen's board of seven members. The Miami Beach Convention Centers' Art in Public Places contingency fund makes the Legacy Purchase Program possible.

– Michelle F. Solomon, ArtburstMiami.com