Miami Beach, Fla. (Oct. 22, 2016) - The Bass is a leading contemporary art museum in Miami, located on Miami Beach. Focusing on exhibitions of international contemporary art, The Bass presents mid-career and established artists that reflect the spirit and international character of the city. The Bass seeks to expand the interpretation of contemporary art by incorporating disciplines of contemporary culture, such as design, fashion and architecture, into the exhibition program.
Known for organizing the first solo museum exhibitions in the United States of important international artists like Erwin Wurm, the museum has also presented major exhibitions by influential artists such as El Anatsui, Eve Sussman, Isaac Julien and Piotr Uklanski. The Bass' exhibition program encompasses a wide range of media and artistic points of view that bring new thought to the diverse cultural context of Miami Beach.
The Bass also commissions original artwork, installations and projects from both local and international artists, as well as continues to develop and incorporate the permanent collection. Most recently, the museum announced the commission and acquisition of Ugo Rondinone's Miami Mountain, a 41-foot tall, public sculpture to be installed in Collins Park in fall 2016. The museum also acquired the existing neon atop the historic facade, Eternity Now, by Sylvie Fleury.
Central to the museum’s mission, The Bass also maintains a vigorous education program for lifelong learning and visitors of all ages. The Bass IDEAS education initiative uses art as a catalyst for creativity and positive growth, especially in the area of early childhood education. The active outreach program, Creativity in the Community, takes The Bass IDEAS off-site by engaging families and their children in Miami-Dade County neighborhoods with the most challenged access to art. In Spring 2017, the museum’s Creativity Center opens as the largest art museum education facility in Miami-Dade.
About The Bass
The Bass Museum of Art was founded in 1964 by the City of Miami Beach after the donation of the private collection by John and Johanna Bass. The museum opened in what was formerly the Miami Beach Public Library and Art Center, a 1930s Art Deco building designed by Russell Pancoast, which already had a rich history on Miami Beach as the first public exhibition space for art in South Florida. In 2001, the museum conducted its first major renovation designed by Tokyo-based architect Arata Isozaki, adding a new wing and second level to house a total of 16,000 square feet of exhibition space.
In 2015, The Bass embarked on its current transformation project and is scheduled to re-open Spring 2017. Again authored by Arata Isozaki with consultation from David Gauld, the architectural renovations focus on the internal structure, creating an almost 50 percent increase in programmable space, including an additional 10,000 square feet to house four new galleries, a museum store and café, and a designated education facility. The Bass also collaborates with Jonathan Caplan of Project-Space, New York to re-design the interior aesthetic of the museum, and with New York-based design team Project Projects who recreated the museum’s visual identity, encompassing a new logo, website and on-site way-finding markers.
For further information on The Bass, please visit www.thebass.org, or follow the museum on social media at www.facebook.com/TheBassMoA, or Twitter and Instagram @TheBassMoA.
Contact:
The Bass
2100 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
(305) 673-7530
[email protected]