by News Desk
Art Basel Miami Beach 2025 wrapped up its edition with a confident bravado not seen for many years. When the machinery runs smoothly and the buyers turn out in force, it is an unbeatable combo. This was the second edition under Bridget Finn’s direction, and you could feel her imprint on the floor: steadier pacing, fewer vanity booths, and a sense that the fair had finally stopped trying to reinvent itself every five minutes.
This year pulled in 283 galleries from 43 countries — a sprawl of ambition and anxiety in equal parts — with 48 first-timers testing the Miami waters. More than 80,000 people passed through over the VIP and public days, a number the fair will no doubt trumpet, though anyone who has tried to get a taxi after 6 pm might swear the figure was higher. Still, the crowd mattered: collectors from across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East turned up, wallets open and eyes wandering, confirming the fair’s hold as the Western Hemisphere’s biggest stage for Modern and contemporary art.
