Miami Beach, December 2016 - Design Miami/ staged its most successful edition - its twelfth, this past week - with a record 37,900 collectors and visitors to see its offering from the world’s leading design galleries. Thirty-one galleries exhibited, five of which were first time participants and nine of which were founding galleries, returning for their twelfth turn. This 2016 edition also saw increasedattendance by ultra high net worth clientele.

Rodman Primack, Chief Creative Officer of Design Miami/, voiced, “We reached a certain stride this edition that a lot of collectors and gallerists felt strongly. The mix of historic and contemporary in the program and the quality of the design satellites and collaborations drove attendance and sales to a very exciting height.”

The collector base is broadening as well:
"The vast majority of our clients here are art collectors now. More than ever before there is an acknowledgement that design is as conceptual and intellectual as contemporary art, but over and above that, you live with it. You use it,” said Zesty Meyers, Principal of R & Company gallery, based in New York, in response to the large influx of art collectors through the fair this year.

Notable Attendees/
Some of the notable attendees of this year’s edition of Design Miami/ included return visitors Leonardo DiCaprio; Elle Macpherson; Martha Stewart; Donna Karan; Calvin Klein; Neil Barrett; Stefano Tonchi; Vito Schnabel; André Balazs; along with Calvin Harris; Virgil Abloh; Emily Ratajkowski; will.i.am; Travis Scott; Derek Blasberg; Thom Browne, Cecilia Dean and James Kaliardos; artists John Baldessari; Daniel Arsham and Urs Fischer; dealers Richard Sachs; Dominique Levy, Tico Mugrabi and Stellan Holm; Tim Jeffries; collectors Jean Pigozzi; Aby Rosen; Iran Issa Khan; Susie and Walid Wahab; architects and designers Fernando Romero; Fabio Novembre; Jean Nouvel; Bjarke Ingels; Arik Levy; Julie Hillman; Robert Stillin; Cliff Fong; Yves Béhar; as well as Princess Friyal of Jordan; and Mayor Levine of Miami Beach.

Gallery Program/
Sales were high and widespread across the fair, ranging from contemporary work by young designers to rare vintage pieces with distinguished provenance. New York’s Friedman Benda sold all works by Misha Kahn, among other works by Wendell Castle, Chris Schanck and the Campana Brothers. Paris-based Patrick Seguin was successful in his presentation of limited Jean Prouvé and Jean Royère commissions, with several pieces from the Royère vignette sold to important collectors. LAFFANOUR - Galerie Downtown of Paris sold several works, including a tapestry and standing lamp by Le Corbusier. Collectors and journalists were excited by Jousse Entreprise’s presentation, with Maria Pergay’s Ring Chair sold to American collectors; and finally, first-time Miami participant Salon 94 sold every work by Gaetano Pesce presented in a solo exhibition at its stand.

Acquisitions by important design institutions The Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Mint Museum transpired, adding to their collections with works from Galerie VIVID with a Verner Panton chair and carpet by Christie Van Der Haak and Snythesis lights by Tom Price at Victor Hunt Designart Dealer.

Annie Carlano, Senior Curator of Craft, Design & Fashion at The Mint Museum commented on this year's fair:

"The individual galleries seemed better than ever this year, both in terms of objects presented and booth layout. The flow between 20th and 21st century design felt more organic than usual as a result of this. Design Miami/ remains a critical venue for networking with the global design community, research, and is a primary source for major acquisitions. Project spaces like Design Curio and Design Visionary provided more imaginative and immersive experiences, as was SHoP architects 3-D printed structure."

Design Curio/
The Design Curio program included six small format booth presentations from today’s innovators and experimental designers and artists. This year’s program included DeLorenzo Gallery presenting Samuel and Dominic Amoia; Michael Jon & Alan presenting Charles Hollis Jones; Patricia Findlay presenting NO SEX in Miami by Atelier Biagetti; Plusdesign Gallery presenting Streetscapes; Cora Sheibani presenting Colour & Contradiction; and Virgil Abloh presenting A Series of Off-WhiteTM Objects, a special commission for the fair and the fashion designer-creative director’s foray into furniture design.

Panerai Design Miami/ Visionary Award/
New York based SHoP Architects is the 2016 recipient of the Panerai Design Miami/ Visionary Award, and produced Design Miami/’s largest commission to date. It will also be the first time that an award recipient’s work will be permanently installed in the Miami Design District. SHoP’s design, “Flotsam & Jetsam,” used monumental 3D-printed structural elements made from recycled bamboo.

Design Collaborations/
Design Miami/ long-time partners, Audi, Maison Perrier-Jouët, and FENDI returned, each with standout projects as part of the Design Collaborations program. Audi presented “The extra hour” by LEGO, inspired by the Audi RS 7 self-piloted driving concept. FENDI showed one of the fair’s most instagrammed spaces, THE HAPPY ROOM, a modular VIP lounge which will continue on in a global tour. Maison Perrier-Jouët presented Strand Garden by American artist and architect Andrew Kudless, inspired by nature and the brand’s Art Nouveau heritage, while Louis Vuitton made its debut on the fair floor with new additions to its Objets Nomades design collection.