BASEL.- The 17th edition of Design Miami/ Basel is now open, presenting rare and unique displays of collectible design from 26 galleries across the ground floor of the fair’s established location, the Basel Messeplatz. Running 13-18 June, this year’s fair is a celebration of Design Miami/ Basel’s origins, offering an intimate celebration of the galleries that have shaped the market for collectible design as we know it today, offering a meeting place for gallerists, collectors and design enthusiasts to share and discover the very best of historic and contemporary design, with a particular focus on the iconic 20th century design that has become synonymous with the Basel fair.

Grela Orihuela (Senior VP of Fairs), says: “This special edition of Design Miami/ Basel presents an exciting opportunity to reflect on the past, present and future of our flagship Swiss edition. Together with our participating galleries, we look forward to celebrating the fair’s history as a platform that has helped uncover and establish some of the greatest names across both historic and contemporary design, while continuing to spotlight new and emerging talent”.

Among the rare and unique displays of collectible work on show at this year’s fair, a number of key thematic threads emerge, exploring the past, present and future of the ever-unfolding history of great design.

Award Winners

Design Miami/ is delighted to announce this year’s Best of Show award winners, selected by Lee Mindel (Architect), Simon Andrews (Advisor), and Grela Orihuela (Design Miami/ Senior Vice President of Fairs).

Best Gallery Presentation: Galerie DOWNTOWN Francois Laffanour

“The 2023 Best Gallery Presentation goes to LAFFANOUR- Galerie Downtown. Not just for this year's imaginative, thorough, and elegant celebration along with their juxtaposition of the world of Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouve, and current emerging artists, but for their continuous contribution that has set a very high bar at Design Miami/ Basel.” - Lee Mindel (Architect)

Best Historic Work: Caryatides high table/ Diego Giacometti, circa 1976/ Courtesy of Galerie Jacques Lacoste

“Diego Giacometti’s 1976 Caryatid table (Galerie Jacques Lacoste) is a sublime and masterful expression of an artist confident of his fluency. Of impressive scale and assured presence, the sensitively modeled bronze structure delineates space to command authority. Alongside his brother Alberto, the Giacometti's defined sculptural language to celebrate the poetry of timelessness.” - Simon Andrews (Advisor)

Galerie Jacques Lacoste at Design Miami/ Basel 2023. Photo credit - James Harris.

Best Contemporary Work: Bone Chair/ Joris Laarman, 2006/ Courtesy of Friedman Benda “Joris Laarman’s 2006 aluminum 'Bone chair' (Friedman Benda) synthesizes a mastery of technical innovation, inquisitive form, and pioneering material structure to deliver a new language for the twenty-first century. Since its launch at Design Miami in 2006, examples of the Bone Chair have been acquired by major European and American museums, underlining the ongoing importance of recognizing and nurturing new talent and providing the appropriate platforms to allow new thoughts to be shared.” - Simon Andrews (Advisor)

Partner Highlights/ Flap³ by Cyril Lancelin

Cyril Lancelin is proud to present Flap³, an interactive artwork that explores the relationship between the viewer, the artwork, and technology. In partnership with Google and Design Miami/, Flap³ uses 12 Soli radar sensors - a miniature radar developed by Google ATAP that understands human motions at various scales - visitors can influence the form and create a unique ever-evolving shape through their movements and speed, resulting in a dialogue and gesture between the viewer and the artwork.

IRTHI Capsule Collections

This year, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council will be present across Design Miami/ Basel’s physical and digital programming. Irthi engages with women artisans across the UAE, Middle East, North Africa, South and Southeast Asia regions to empower them economically and socially through vocational training and upskilling programs, ensuring the preservation of Indigenous craft heritage. Within the fair, Irthi will exhibit Traditional Methods in Modern Design, a physical research-based presentation that demonstrates the ongoing effort to question and uncover ways of making and consuming within the domestic and built realms.

Simultaneously, Irthi will have a digital storefront on designmiami.com, titled IRTHI Capsule Collections. Highlights include the Safeefah Chair, in which designers Laura Blasco, Juanmi Juárez, and Alex Estévez from Barcelona-based Mermelada Estudio and Emirati designer Ghaya Bin Mesmar have envisioned a new use for the traditional palm frond weaving technique used in ‘Areesh’ desert houses and Zuha II, an asymmetrical wooden box fused with handwoven Emirati single Talli (handwoven braids) and mother of pearl inlay in geometric shapes as decorative elements.

Digital Tour

Powered by Matterport’s digital twin technology, Design Miami/ Basel is delighted to offer viewers around the world to virtually experience this year’s fair through an immersive, dimensionally accurate, digital replica of the 47,000 square foot (or 4400 square meter) exhibition space.