Art's desire: Jeffrey Deitch and Larry Gagosian join forces in Miami

Jeffrey Deitch and Larry Gagosian are two of the biggest dealers in the art world, so imagine the possibilities when the competitors partnered up for the latest Miami edition of Art Basel. The pair tapped Diana Widmaier Picasso, the granddaughter of Pablo Picasso, to curate 'Desire', their second Art Basel Miami Beach collaboration, which ran through 4 December at the Moore Building in the city's Design District. The exhibition took a look both a figurative and conceptual look at eroticism through both the modern and contemporary lens. Over four dozen artists are featured in the group exhibition, from Picasso, Diego Rivera, and Francis Picabia to Harmony Korine, Deana Lawson, Vanessa Beecroft, Nan Goldin, and Eddie Peake.
The exhibition's namesake is Desire, an Ed Ruscha painting from 2013. The work, which started the exhibition, depicts the word 'Desire' in bold, white lettering before an image of a snow-capped mountain top. The exhibition captures every element of desire, from the innocent longing to nudity of both the female and male forms, to the actual carnal act of intercourse.
Courtesy of iStock and Gagosian.
'Trent Looked at Tara', by Alex Israel and Bret Easton Ellis, 2016. © Alex Israel and Bret Easton Ellis. Courtesy of iStock and Gagosian. Photography: Josh White/JWPictures.com
Set over three floors of the Moore Building, the exhibition includes Torso (1977), a polymer paint and silkscreen print by Andy Warhol of a peach-colored woman’s torso, complete with pubic hair, against a periwinkle background. Across the room, Picasso’s 1956 painting, Femme Dans Un Rocking-Chair, shows off one of the artist’s crude, colorful nudes. Harumi Yamaguchi’s 1977 acrylic paintings, including of a woman falling off her skateboard shows the more innocent, playful side of desire.
Marilyn Minter’s Haze (2016) shows a photograph of a pouty open mouth behind fogged glass. Juergen Teller’s Octopussy (2008), shows off the photographer’s signature cheekiness through an image of an octopus on a bed covered with a white sheet. Auteur Gaspar Noé presented a quadriptych of four images in red that show the fondling that goes on when two people fool around. Nobuyoshi Araki’s photographs are among the most erotic works in the show, but the centerpiece, no doubt, is the Jeff Koons sculpture of him fornicating with his ex-wife, porn star Ilona 'La Cicciolina' Staller, which sat in the middle of the ground floor beneath the Zaha Hadid intervention.
A Fool with Two Young Women, by John Currin, 2013.
Femme Dans Un Rocking-Chair, by Pablo Picasso, 1956.
INFORMATION
’Desire’ is on view until 4 December. For more information, visit the Gagosian website
ADDRESS
Moore Building
Miami Design District
3841 NE 2nd Ave #300
Miami, FL 33137
-
Have fun with Le Ster’s engagement ring collection
Le Ster’s engagement rings encompass bold and fun forms
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Palm Heights hotel is a Caribbean getaway with a game-changing new spa
Palm Heights hotel in Grand Cayman is the Caribbean destination that everyone is talking about. Here’s why
By Tilly Macalister-Smith • Published
-
Kent Andreasen on failed memories, the fear of AI, and keeping things simple
Cape Town-based photographer Kent Andreasen features in ‘Through the lens’, our monthly series spotlighting Wallpaper* contributors
By Sophie Gladstone • Published
-
Bally Foundation’s new Lake Lugano headquarters is an art-filled paradise
The Bally Foundation inaugurates its new headquarters in a 1930s villa overlooking the majestic Lake Lugano, Switzerland with the group show ‘Un Lac Inconnu’ (An Unknown Lake)
By Hili Perlson • Published
-
Art Basel Hong Kong 2023: can the city’s art scene bounce back?
Art Basel Hong Kong 2023 is about to kick off following years of restrictions. Catherine Shaw explores what we can expect in and around this year’s fair (23-25 March 2023), and whether Hong Kong can bounce back to reclaim the title of ‘Asia’s art hub’
By Catherine Shaw • Published
-
Supergraphics pioneer Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: ‘Sure, make things big – anything is possible'
94-year-old graphic designer Barbara Stauffacher Solomon talks radical typography, motherhood, and her cool welcome for St Moritz
By Jessica Klingelfuss • Published
-
Fluffy bunnies meet office politics in Nicolas Haeni’s photo series
To mark the Year of the Rabbit, we return down the rabbit hole of Swiss photographer Nicolas Haeni’s photography series, where mischievous bunnies infiltrate the humdrum of corporate life
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
The most surreal moments in Art Basel history, from taped bananas to wealth-ranking ATMs
As a wealth-ranking ATM stole hearts and headlines at Art Basel Miami 2022, we look back on the most controversial moments in the history of Art Basel
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Pulse Topology in Miami is powered by heartbeats
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer brings heart and human connection to Miami Art Week 2022 with Pulse Topology, an interactive light installation at Superblue Miami in collaboration with BMW i
By Fiona Mahon • Last updated
-
Miami Art Week 2022: your guide to the 6 best shows in town
As Miami Art Week 2022 enters full swing, explore our preview guide to the highlights, from Art Basel Miami Beach 2022 art fair to the best exhibitions and events
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Last updated
-
Alicja Kwade’s installation ‘brings the stars down’ onto Place Vendôme
Polish-German artist Alicja Kwade has adorned Place Vendôme with an interactive installation comprising natural stone spheres and concrete stairs, as part of the Paris+ par Art Basel ‘Sites’ project
By Flora Vesterberg • Last updated