Art Miami opened with it’s widely attended preview tonight. The fair was smaller than the recently held Art Basel Miami Beach, and more focused on Latin American artists. As usual, I saw lots of friends and took note of some interesting works. Again, quality photography was in evidence. Most of this work was by the masters, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, and Leo Matiz. Matiz is being shown at the new local gallery in the Miami Design District, Chelsea Galleria. This body of work focuses on Frida Kahlo and other images from Mexico. I thought the work was really exciting to see, not just because of its historical value but because of the quality of the prints and the warmth of the image making. My favorite was a pair of man’s hands gently holding a tiny sapling for a reforestation project. Powerful hands, gentle and sensitively expressed.

Right next door to their Art Miami space was someone I need to contact, 21st Publishers of Fine Art Photography (Rochester, NY). Their books are hand-printed with a variety of processes: photogravure, tritone plate, and platinum prints are some. These books are awesome.

Further updates over the next few days…