By Isabel Wilkinson
Any savvy Art Basel-goer will tell you which satellite fairs they’re going to see, which booths at those fairs they favored—which dealers they’ve been talking to; which emerging artists caught their eye. (Check out Blake Gopnik’s coverage of the fair for more on that.) But underneath, everyone knows that whether we like it or not, the annual bonanza that takes Miami by storm for five days every December isn’t just about the art. Sure, art could be found in every nook and cranny of the city from Dec. 6 to 9, from lit-up benches along the boardwalk to planes flying banners by Ed Ruscha, Jenny Holzer, and more. Even a method-acting doppelgänger piece was considered performance art. But the after-hours social scene was just as thriving—and exhausting—as the task of taking in all that art. There were countless charity galas and book signings, fashion parties and pop ups of (more than one) Parisian nightclub. And where, in Basels past, museum directors, gallerists, and blue-chip artists presided over the social scene, this year, events featured Kim Kardashian and Kanye West; Jay-Z and Beyoncé, the Hilton sisters, Demi Moore and her rumored new boyfriend, Vito Schnabel. As one Basel-goer put it, half-seriously: “I came here with the intention of seeing the art. But I simply was too hungover.”