Art Basel, the premier international art fair brand, named the new director for its popular Miami Beach show.
Bridget Finn, a gallerist and curator, will assume the role in September based in New York City. She is Art Basel Miami Beach’s first director since Noah Horowitz left the role in 2021. Horowitz became CEO of Art Basel last year, succeeding Marc Spiegler’s 15-year run.
In a statement, Horowitz said he is “immensely proud to welcome her to the Art Basel family.” As director, Finn will oversee the team staging the fair, expand Art Basel’s network of galleries, collectors and artists in the Americas and work with South Florida’s arts institutions, according to a press release.
“We are thrilled with Bridget’s appointment and could not have found a better fit to lead our Miami Beach fair,” Horowitz said. “She is deeply committed to Art Basel’s mission and strategic direction, and to our contributions in shaping and promoting the health and vibrancy of the art world ecosystem and local art scenes in Miami Beach and beyond. She has vision, ambition, and the requisite skillset in spades to drive forward our team and our many new and longtime partners in Miami Beach.”
The Miami Beach outpost of Art Basel, which originally began in Basel, Switzerland, celebrated its 20 anniversary last December. Art Basel Miami Beach was the first iteration of the art fair to be held outside of Switzerland. Since then, the brand expanded to Hong Kong and Paris.
Art Basel Miami Beach has since become what Spiegler called “the most important fair and the most important market in the world.” The fair is crucial to the North and South American art markets, a magnet for art-enthused celebrities and the source of several of viral moments, from the duct-taped banana to the ATM that showed off visitors’ bank account balances.
“Our Miami Beach show is absolutely singular – in its history and topography, in its character and spirit, and in the extraordinary community of Miami Beach that continues to shape this landmark fair and cultural experience of unparalleled quality,” Vincenzo de Bellis, the Art Basel Director, Fairs and Exhibition Platforms, said in a statement. “Bridget is a lifelong partner to and champion of galleries and artists. She brings invaluable leadership experience, a wide network of collectors, galleries, artists, and cultural partners, and unfettered enthusiasm for and conviction in Art Basel’s purpose and vision.”
Finn brings an intimate understanding of the North and South American art markets and an expansive networks of galleries, artists, collectors and institutional leaders, the press release said. Finn is especially knowledgeable of the gallery ecosystem, having worked with and for several galleries and arts organizations.
Originally from Detroit, Finn is a partner at Reyes | Finn, a Detroit-based contemporary art gallery. In 2020, Finn co-founded Art Mile Detroit, an exhibition platform serving dozens of local galleries, nonprofits, museums and artist-run spaces. Last year, she established FLOURISH, a fundraising endeavor to benefit children affected by a rare disease. She also sits on the Board of Trustees of Independent Curators International and the Advisory Committee of the Progressive Art Studio Collective.
Finn has previously directed the contemporary art program at Mitchell-Innes & Nash and worked at Anton Kern Gallery in New York. She also established Cleopatra’s, a New York collaborative curatorial project space, that ran from 2008 to 2018.
In a statement, Finn said it was an honor to direct Art Basel Miami Beach, which she called “the global anchor for the North and South American creative community and industry.”
“I look forward to the many collaborations and contributions that lie ahead with our galleries, patrons, and partners, as we look towards the next 20 years with limitless possibilities,” Finn said. “We will continue to propel the show to new heights of artistic excellence and profound impact.”
This story, originally published in the Miami Herald, was produced with financial support from The Pérez Family Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
