The Pérez Art Museum Miami Is Closed, But It Still Went on a Buying Spree at Local Miami Art Galleries

The lockdown era has put a strain on nearly every part of the
art ecosystem. In Miami, one museum has developed a small but
significant way to help shore up the artists and galleries in its
own backyard.

The Pérez Art Museum Miami has just purchased eight
artworks from local galleries for the museum’s collection, beefing
up its holdings of rising stars while offering a much-needed influx
of cash to shuttered galleries and the artists they represent.

The acquisition, made by the museum’s Collectors Council,
represents the largest number of works purchased in a single
session of the committee since its inception 15 years ago. (The
committee typically meets three times a year to fund and discuss
proposed acquisitions.)

The museum decided in mid-March, right around the time it closed
its doors, that it would dedicate this round of acquisitions to
local galleries. Many of the works were already on the curatorial
staff’s radar, but some required last-minute appointment viewings
just as Miami was closing down. By the time the committee weighed
in virtually, “all the curators had seen everything, and I had seen
a few,” Franklin Sirmans, the Pérez Art Museum’s director, told
Artnet News.

The participating patrons were thoroughly convinced. “We went
into the meeting with a budget of $105,000 and walked out with
$145,000 worth of artwork,” Sirmans said.

The acquisitions were made from Miami galleries including
Spinello Projects, Central Fine, and Nina Johnson. The haul
comprises a 2019 multimedia assemblage by Miami-based artist Yanira
Collado; an adorned flag by Myrlande Constant, whose work
blends Haitian Vodou myths with contemporary concerns; a large
sculpture by Lucia Hierro that addresses the political, economic,
and social history of sugar; a musical sculpture by Naama
Tsabar; and works by Conrad Egyir, Viktor
El-Saieh, Kelley Johnson, and Eamon Oré-Girón.

The museum has had to make some difficult
decisions of its own during the lockdown. Last month, 15
of the museum’s 120 full- and part-time employees were terminated
and another 54 were furloughed. The remaining 49 staff members are
taking five to 15 percent salary cuts. The museum estimates it
will lose between $3 million and $5 million in revenue this year
(about 20 to 30 percent of its annual total). It currently
expects to reopen in September.

The post The Pérez Art Museum Miami Is Closed, But It Still
Went on a Buying Spree at Local Miami Art Galleries appeared
first on artnet News.