ILLUSTRATION Natasha Law WWW.BOATINTERNATIONAL.COMOWNERS’ CLUBDarlingonDeck
work. And that’s how I met the incredibly
talented Rafa Maccarón. In the next
moment, the owner of the New York
gallery that represents him emerged drink
in hand and, at my prodding, offered a few
special pieces for our collection that
weren’t even on the market yet.
Within weeks, we had a magnificent
large-scale piece hanging in the entrance
of our family’s Aspen home — a piece that
would never have filled that space except
for a cocktail party one hot night on the
sparkling black water of Government Cut.
More and more, serious collectors are
realizing that Art Basel by boat is the way
to go. With more than 1,200 galleries and
dozens of satellite fairs, Miami is a zoo
during Art Week. But if you tender to
various spots around Miami and Miami
Beach, you can skip the hour-long traffic
jams. Forget eating in restaurants; bring
your own chef on board for a lavish
culinary experience without the crowds
and the pretension. And with the grand
opening of Island Gardens Deep Harbour
marina in 2016, there is a better sense of
community along the docks and more
room for superyachts than ever before.
At its highest echelon, Art Basel is
actually a small pond. Don’t forget that the
neighboring yacht may house the most
exquisite art in the city. At any moment
you might meet a long-time favorite artist
or an up and coming star in a salon just
down the dock. Keep your eyes open,
make new friends, and you never know
who you’ll meet or what treasure you’ll
find for your collection. That’s the best
part about Basel: the thrill of the hunt!BBy boat is the only way to go to Art Basel,
says Kristin Ducote, and you never know
who you’ll meet on the way to a partyOne clear, hot evening during
Art Basel last year, I removed
my sparkling (albeit flat)
sandals and sashayed up the
gangplank of a breathtaking 230ft Perini
Navi for the Boat International Owners’
Club cocktail party. These days it’s
common to find art collections worth
more than the yachts that house them,
and even more so on the megayachts of
the mega collectors that flock to Miami
Art Week. Ipso facto, I was excited to see
the interiors (think elegant Hermès
alligator trunks), but even more interested
to see what art would grace its walls.
To my surprise, I saw not a single
Basquiat or Banksy (although I bet the
boat’s owner has both), but rather a
refreshing series of unique, large-scale
paintings. The color, the figures, the
almost lunar landscapes — I’d seen this
work before. After a glass of champagne,
it came to me. Earlier that day, I’d noticed
this artist’s work in the CONTEXT fair,
accompanied by little red already-sold
dots, and these pieces were even larger
and better articulated.
Another guest turned and asked: “You
like it?” Was he kidding? This was the
most distinctive, exciting art I’d seen all
week! “Then you must meet the artist.”
With that, he extended his hand and
smiled shyly, as he peered through large,
thick glasses, which I suddenly realized
resembled some spectacles I’d seen in hisThe neighboring
yacht may house
the most exquisite
art in the city96