Miami has never been known as a cultural mecca as far as museums are concerned, though its reputation is improving thanks to the international attention brought to the scene by such esteemed fairs as Switzerland's Art Basel, which comes to Miami for a week every December. Though several exhibition spaces have made forays into collecting nationally acclaimed work, limited support and political infighting have made it a difficult proposition. Recently, however, things have changed as museums such as the Wolfsonian, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Bass Museum of Art, and the Miami Art Museum have gotten on the bandwagon, boasting collections and exhibitions high on the list of art aficionados. It's now safe to say that world-class exhibitions start here. Listed below are the most lauded museums that have become a part of the city's cultural heritage and are as diverse as the city itself. Art lovers should check local listings for periodic gallery walks. Please note that many art museums and galleries are closed in the summer so call ahead so you won't be disappointed.
The focal point of December's enormously popular Art Basel is Collins Park Cultural Center, which comprises a trio of arts buildings on Collins Park and Park Avenue (off Collins Ave.), bounded by 21st to 23rd streets -- the newly expanded Bass Museum of Art , the new Arquitectonica-designed home of the Miami City Ballet, and the Miami Beach Regional Library, an ultramodern building designed by architect Robert A. M. Stern, with a special focus on the arts. The Library Café is on the library's first floor, serving coffee and pastries and exuding that cafe society ambience. Collins Park, the former site of the Miami Beach Library, returned to its original incarnation as an open space extending to the Atlantic, but it is also now the site of large sculpture installations and cultural activities planned jointly by the organizations that share the space.
Roadside Attractions
The following examples of public art and prized architecture are great photo opportunities and worth visiting if you're in the area.
- Casa Casaurina, aka Versace Mansion (Amsterdam Palace): Morbid curiosity has led hordes of people -- tourists and locals -- to this, once the only private home (now a country club) on Ocean Drive. If you can get past the fact that the late designer was murdered on the steps of this palatial estate, you should definitely observe the intricate Italian architecture that makes this house stand out from its streamlined deco neighbors. Built in the 1930s as a replica of Christopher Columbus's son's palace in Santo Domingo, the house was originally called Casa Casaurina (House of the Pine), but was rechristened the Amsterdam Palace in 1935 when George Amsterdam purchased it. While there were rumors that the mansion was to be turned into a Versace museum, it was, instead, purchased by a private citizen from Texas. Located at the northwest corner of Ocean Drive and 11th Street, South Beach.
- Mermaid Sculpture: A pop-art masterpiece designed by Roy Lichtenstein, this sculpture captures the buoyant spirit of Miami Beach and its environs. It's in front of the Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts, at 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach.
- Morris Lapidus on Lincoln Road: Famed designer/architect, the late Morris Lapidus -- the "high priest of high kitsch" -- who is best known for the Fontainebleau Hotel, created a series of sculptures that are angular, whimsical, and quirky, competing with the equally amusing mix of pedestrians who flock to Lincoln Road. In addition to the sculptures on Lincoln Road (at Washington Ave.), which you can't miss, Lapidus also created the Colony Theater, 1040 Lincoln Rd., which was built by Paramount in 1943; the 1928 Sterling Building, 927 Lincoln Rd., whose glass blocks and blue neon are required evening viewing; and the Lincoln Theater, 555 Lincoln Rd., which features a remarkable tropical bas-relief.
Checkmate
The World Chess Hall of Fame and Sidney Samole Chess Museum, 13755 SW 119th Ave. in South Miami (tel. 786/242-4255; www.chessmuseum.org; Thurs-Sat 10:30am-5pm and Sun 1-5pm; adults $5, students $3), is eye-catching, housed in a 45-foot-tall chessboardlike structure and featuring an interactive history of chess; an introduction to famous and celebrity players; computer-simulated, fully participatory games and challenges; tournament spaces; rare artifacts; an IBM Deep Blue feature; and a short film called Chess Experience.
