The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Photo: William Klein. Atom Bomb Sky, New York, 1955. 101.6 × 152.4 Size (cm). 40.0 × 60.0 Size (in). Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery.

The photograph has come into its own, going beyond the boundaries of the vernacular to claim its rightful place in the art world. While it has long been considered a machine in the age of mass reproduction, for more than 150 years, the artists who wield this tool have radically transformed the way we see the world.

Also: Art Basel in Miami Beach | Everything You Need to Know

It is not simply a matter of content but also context – the way they use the ability to capture an image in a fraction of a second and then take the ephemeral and transform it into the eternal. By transforming the world as we know it into something else, photographers are as much alchemists as they are artists. They eras the third dimension and restore life into something that is at once both simpler and far more complex that we may necessarily perceive at first glance.

Thomas Ruff. Chromogenic print . 158.0 × 110.0 Size (cm) . 62.2 × 43.3 Size (in) . Courtesy of Mai 36 Galerie

The artwork on view at Art Basel in Miami Beach is the crème de la crème, looking at works made over the past century that have pushed the boundaries of visual language to change the way we look and think.

At a time when representation has taken on heightened importance, with the recognition that the human animal fundamentally perceives that “seeing is believing,” the photographers chosen for Art Basel in Miami Beach remind us that the photograph is equal parts historical document, an artifact, and evidence as well as the execution of innovative thinking, original ideas, and sheer visual splendor that will may stop you in your tracks and take your breath away.

Among the great talents currently on view are Crave faves Gordon Parks, Dawoud Bey, Pieter Hugo, Viviane Sassen, Cindy Sherman, Peter Hujar, William Klein, Man Ray, and Thomas Ruff, as well as legends including Marina Abramovic, Carolee Schneeman, and Dora Maar.

Taken as a whole, the best photographers at Art Basel in Miami Beach reveal the plasticity of photography is filled with as many possibilities for genius as painting, drawing, and sculpture. In this way, we can consider the democratization of the form, as digital photography has given most people on the planet the ability to create, distribute, and sell their work.

While some stalwarts bemoan the explosion of the form, rest assured photography will never die or become watered down. It is a language all its own, and one whose mass literacy will push the medium into new realms. A century ago, it wasn’t even considered an art – which goes to show just how far we have come, and how far we can go in our brave new world.

Miss Rosen is a journalist covering art, photography, culture, and books. Her byline has appeared in L’Uomo Vogue, Vogue Online, The Undefeated, Dazed Digital, Aperture Online, and Feature Shoot. Follow her on Twitter @Miss_Rosen.

The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Grete Stern. Sueño Nº 28, Amor sin ilusión, 1951.

Gelatin silver print on paper. 27.0 × 22.4 Size (cm). 10.6 × 8.8 Size (in). Courtesy of Jorge Mara - La Ruche.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Grete Stern. Sueño Nº 12, 1948.

Gelatin silver print on paper. 22.2 × 27.7 Size (cm). 8.7 × 10.9 Size (in). Courtesy of Jorge Mara - La Ruche.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Carolee Schneemann. Eye Body 11, 1963.

Gelatin silver print. 34.3 × 26.7 Size (cm). 13.5 × 10.5 Size (in). Courtesy of P.P.O.W.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Valérie Belin. Golden Girl, 2016.

173.0 × 130.3 Size (cm). 68.1 × 51.3 Size (in). Courtesy off Edwynn Houk Gallery.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Viviane Sassen. Untitled from Roxane II, 027b, 2017.

45.0 × 30.0 Size (cm). 17.7 × 11.8 Size (in). Courtesy of Stevenson.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Roe Ethridge. Alicia with Roses, 2017.

Dye sublimation print on aluminum. 137.6 × 101.6 Size (cm). 54.2 × 40.0 Size (in). Courtesy of Andrew Kreps Gallery.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Michele Abeles. 6464, 2017.

Hahnamuhle Photo Rag Baryta. 106.7 × 74.9 Size (cm). 42.0 × 29.5 Size (in). Courtesy of 47 Canal.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Luigi Ghirri. Reggio Emilia (Serie: Kodachrome), 1971.

Kodachrome, vintage. 51.4 × 41.3 × 3.0 Size (cm). 20.2 × 16.3 × 1.2 Size (in). Courtesy of Mai 36 Galerie.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Cindy Sherman. Untitled Film Still #34, 1979

Gelatin silver print. 101.6 × 76.2 Size (cm). 40.0 × 30.0 Size (in). Courtesy of Skarstedt.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Peter Hujar. Cockettes, 1973.

vintage gelatin silver print. 37.2 × 37.2 Size (cm). 14.6 × 14.6 Size (in). Courtesy of Pace/MacGill Gallery.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Dora Maar. Double Portrait, Paris, 1936

Gelatin silver enlargement print on matte surface paper. 11.8 × 9.4 Size (cm). 4.6 × 3.7 Size (in). Courtesy off Edwynn Houk Gallery.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Man Ray. Lee Miller, 1930.

Vintage contact silver print. 8.9 × 6.4 Size (cm). 3.5 × 2.5 Size (in). Courtesy of Galerie 1900-2000.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

William Klein. Atom Bomb Sky, New York, 1955.

101.6 × 152.4 Size (cm). 40.0 × 60.0 Size (in). Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Pieter Hugo. Abdullahi Mohammed with Mainasara, Lagos, Nigeria, 2007, 2007.

100.0 × 100.0 Size (cm). 39.4 × 39.4 Size (in). Courtesy of Stevenson.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Gordon Parks. Drinking Fountains, Mobile, Alabama, 1956.

Archival pigment print. 59.4 × 76.5 Size (cm). 23.4 × 30.1 Size (in). Courtesy of Rhona Hoffman Gallery.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Thomas Ruff

C-print. 59.7 × 69.7 × 2.5 Size (cm). 23.5 × 27.4 × 1.0 Size (in). Courtesy of Mai 36 Galerie.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Kwame Brathwaite. Untitled (Self Portrait), 1964.

Archival pigment print. 76.2 × 76.2 Size (cm). 30.0 × 30.0 Size (in). Courtesy of Cherry and Martin.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Zanele Muholi. Phaphama, at Cassilhaus, North Carolina, 2016, 2016

100.0 × 69.0 Size (cm). 39.4 × 27.2 Size (in). Courtesy of Stevenson.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Dawoud Bey. Sean, 1998.

Polacolor ER photograph. 77.0 × 177.0 Size (cm). 30.3 × 69.7 Size (in). Courtesy of Galerie Nordenhake.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Marina Abramovic. Rhythm 10, 1973.

Cibachrome. 154.0 × 129.0 Size (cm). 60.6 × 50.8 Size (in). Courtesy of Lia Rumma.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Carlos Leppe. ACCIÓN DE LA ESTRELLA, DETALLE, 1979

B/W Photograph on Hahnemühle paper on forex. 63.0 × 52.0 × 4.0 Size (cm). 24.8 × 20.5 × 1.6 Size (in). Courtesy of espaivisor.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

John Divola. Zuma #20, 1970 – 1979.

101.6 × 127.0 Size (cm). 40.0 × 50.0 Size (in). Courtesy of Maccarone.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

John Divola. Zuma #23, 1970 – 1979.

Pigment print on rag paper, mounted to Dibond. 101.6 × 127.0 Size (cm). 40.0 × 50.0 Size (in). Courtesy of Maccarone.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Sara Cwynar. Tracy (Blue Grid), 2017.

Pigment print mounted on Dibond. 76.2 × 96.5 Size (cm). 30.0 × 38.0 Size (in). Courtesy of Foxy Production.
The Best Photography at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Thomas Ruff

Chromogenic print. 158.0 × 110.0 Size (cm). 62.2 × 43.3 Size (in). Courtesy of Mai 36 Galerie.