Rain and flooding turn Art Basel fair into a 'nightmare'

Miami Beach

THE annual Art Basel extravaganza, one of the largest art fairs in the world, ended on Sunday after being swamped with almost ceaseless rain for most of its four-day incarnation. Outdoor exhibitions were cancelled or pulled inside; parties in tents were washed out; and well-heeled art patrons in expensive shoes were forced to wade through flooded streets and footpaths to get to galleries, exhibitions and parties. The traffic, stultifying at the best of times, ground to a standstill during the worst of the downpours.

Adding to the gloom, a woman was stabbed on Friday inside the main Art Basel exhibition hall, an act that some witnesses initially assumed was performance art. The victim was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and a suspect was quickly arrested, the police said. On Sunday, despite a forecast that called for scattered thunderstorms, the rain held off for much of the day, increasing attendance not only for the 267 Art Basel galleries in the Miami Beach Convention Center but also for the various satellite art fairs on this barrier island and in Miami, on the mainland.