Art Basel has appointed Bridget Finn director of its Miami Beach fair, the organization’s flagship American event. Finn, Detroit Reyes Gallery Partner | Finn, and co-founder of the city’s exhibition platform Detroit Art Mile, will assume her new position in September, operating out of New York. As Director, she will shape the event, continue to raise its profile and oversee all aspects of its physical staging. Finn will report to Vincenzo de Bellis, Art Basel’s inaugural director of fairs and exhibitions all over the world. The announcement follows the twentieth anniversary of the Miami fair, celebrated in 2022.
“We are thrilled with Bridget’s appointment and couldn’t have found a better person to lead our Miami Beach fair,” Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz said in a statement. “She is deeply committed to the mission and strategic direction of Art Basel, and to our contributions to shaping and promoting the health and vibrancy of the art world ecosystem and local art scenes in Miami Beach and beyond. She has vision, ambition, and the skills required in spades to drive our team and our many new and long-standing partners in Miami Beach forward. I am extremely proud to welcome him to the Art Basel family.
Prior to launching his gallery in Detroit, Finn ran Mitchell-Innes & Nash’s contemporary art program in New York City from 2013 to 2017, before spending four years in various positions at the city’s Anton Kern Gallery. From 2010 to 2013, she was Director of Strategic Planning and Projects at Independent Curators International, where she worked with galleries, institutions, businesses and philanthropic organizations to bring contemporary art programs to a wide audience. In 2008, she helped found the collaborative curatorial project space Cleopatra’s in New York; involving hundreds of artists and cultural producers, the effort eventually spread to Berlin and was operational for a decade.
“Bridget is a longtime partner and champion of galleries and artists,” de Bellis said in a statement. “She brings invaluable leadership experience, an extensive network of collectors, galleries, artists and cultural partners, and boundless enthusiasm and conviction for the purpose and vision of Art Basel. I have no doubt that she will take our show and everything that makes it unique into an even stronger and brighter future.
“I am deeply honored to take on this role and to be part of the transformative journey of Art Basel Miami Beach since its launch over twenty years ago,” Finn acknowledged in a statement. “We will continue to propel the show to new heights of artistic excellence and profound impact.”
