See Monster

     If it wasn't for the boots, scarves, furs, and hats on display at Tripoli Gallery on Saturday night, one might have thought it was August again from the warm and sunny art on the walls.

     Darius Yektai, taking a break from the dark and brooding works he is known for, spent two weeks in Umbria last summer, traispsing around Montecastello di Vibio with paints and canvases on his back to recapture his love and the essense of painting. 

     Although he studied art in Paris and took several trips out of town to view collections, he said on Saturday he had never made

     On Thursday night, intrepid East End artists made it into New York City to celebrate an opening of their work.

     Harper's Books jetted west this weekend to participate in the L.A. Art Book Fair presented by Printed Matter at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in Los Angeles.

     In addition to paintings and photographs by Elizabeth Huey and Doug Rickard, the East Hampton art and photography book dealer brought rare volumes of artist books and ephermera by or related to Robert Frank,  Pablo Picasso, Kara Walker, Keizo Kitajima, Nobuyoshi Araki, and many others.

     

    If, given the harsh weather conditions of the past few weeks, you might have missed Richard Serra’s installations of new sculpture at two Gagosian Gallery sites in Chelsea, you are in luck.

    The snow may have called off last week's opening reception of the show "Dealer's Choice" at Kathryn Markel Gallery last weekend, but it didn't stop some, like April Gornik, from popping in on Jan. 4 to see what Arlene Bujese was up to in the space on Main Street in Bridgehampton. 

    Ms. Bujese said on Friday in the gallery that she met Ms. Markel at an opening last summer and she offered her the space during the month of January.

     If you find yourself in Southampton for an errand or an escape, it would be worthwhile to duck into Tripoli Gallery on Jobs Lane for a mid-winter art break. 

   One of the few galleries west of here to be maintaining winter hours, it will keep its current show "The Worlds We Create," which opened on Thanksgiving, up through Martin Luther King Day.

   The exhibition features Jonathan Beer, Melanie J. Moczarski, Aakash Nihalani, and Nick Weber in what are practically separate showings except for Mr. Beer and Mr. Nihalani. Ms.

    If you are looking for a mini invitational show where small works by familiar artists can be had for reasonable prices, Ille Arts is a good place to visit.

    Sara de Luca's intimate gallery is bursting with drawings, paintings, and sculptures in a show that includes work from artists who showed at the gallery during the year as well as other local and not so local artists of interest.

    Even stuck in traffic for hours at a time, there was no shortage of things to look at during Art Basel week in Miami. Public sculpture, music, and murals took the art to the streets as well as in the booths.

     Although a few years ago South Fork dealers were mostly scarce at Art Miami, this year the four galleries that particpated were some of the busiest booths at the fair. For the past two years, Art Miami has held a sister fair in Southampton in July and galleries here appear to like the company's formula for selling art in a cool tent under a blazing sun.

     Mark Borghi, whose Bridgehampton gallery sells modern and contemporary masters, primarily in the secondary market, said his sales were brisk.

    Fairs on the beach or across from the street made news this year. UNTITLED returned from its premiere last year with twice the size and space. East Hampton's Halsey Mckay gallery was there and Hilary Schaffner said the crowds were consistent as were sales. Many booths took their cue from the tropical sun and had a day-glo color palette.

     Those who did not make it to Art Basel Miami Beach's vernissage on Wedenesday night flocked to the fair on Thursday for its public opening. Long lines at the valet snaked down the street and inside was a constant hum of people, chatter, and the chimes and pings of smart phone communication.

     The fair had an impressive roster of speakers, including afternoon salons with speakers such as conceptual artist Joseph Kosuth with Josh Baer, a long time gallerist and dealer, and installation artist Olafur Eliasson with Klaus Biesenbach, a P.S.

   The UNTITLED fair in Miami Beach had a successful preview on Monday night with a few faces familiar to the South Fork making the scene and making news, according to a press release from the fair.

   The preview was hosted by Marina Abramovic, who is collaborating with Robert Wilson on “The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic” to be presented at the Park Avenue Armory beginning Dec. 12.

     Miami Project, the southern arm of artMRKT Productions, which has brought the artMRKT Hamptons fair to Bridgehampton in July for the past three years, is new in its second year in Miami’s midtown district and reported on Tuesday that it was doing well after its opening.

     Eric Firestone, whose eponymous gallery on Newtown Lane shows local and international artists, is the sole East End dealer with a booth at the fair and appeared to be doing well after the first night of sales.

     The fair said in a press release that the gallery sold two large photographs by Tse

   This is the week lucky artists and dealers fly or drive south to attend the fairs and events of what has become Miami's official art week. The centerpiece is the Art Basel Miami Beach fair in the cavernous convention center, which always features the top artists who live or work here, such as Barbara Kruger, Richard Prince, Eric Fischl, and Cindy Sherman.

   Yet most of the action featuring South Fork galleries and artists happens elsewhere in the satellite fairs and associated events that also take over Miami, turning the city into a one-week, nonstop art factory.