My Highlights from Art Basel in Miami Beach, 2013

Alberto Mugrabi is an art dealer and collector who has been in the art world for over 20 years.

My selection:

Pablo Picasso, Femme dans un Fauteuil (Dora Maar), 1941, at Hammer Galleries

I like the fact that it is from the 1940s but exudes a contemporary feel. This piece can be hung next to any contemporary work. I feel that it marks the beginning of contemporary art.

Robert Mapplethorpe, Clifton, 1981, at Mai 36 Galerie

I like the fact that it is a photograph but has a sculptural feel and a daring tone. I believe that Mapplethorpe is to photography what Warhol is to painting.

Jeff Koons, Baroque Egg with Bow (Turquoise/Magenta), 1994-2008, at Gagosian

I like the color and texture; it is elegant and rich. But mostly, I like the piece because it because it appears so delicate but is actually strong and durable. It is this tension in his work that makes Jeff Koons the most important sculptural artist living and working today.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Loin, 1982, at Acquavella Galleries

This is one of my favorite works by Basquiat. It is raw and fantastic. Beyond the presence of Basquiat’s crown, there is another grouping of iconography that makes this a really cool painting to read: the bleeding star and the sacrificial lamb.

Jeff Koons, Monkey (Ladder), 2003, at Dominique Lévy

This painting is a master work that would also be a really happy piece to live with every day.  Koons’ brushwork is so incredible that the figures and objects are three dimensional. Another sculptural painting.

Explore Art Basel in Miami Beach on Artsy and Artsy’s Editorial Highlights from the Miami Art Fairs.