Art Basel Miami Beach starts on Thursday, and the word "test" is being used instead of "expectation." Even though there have been signs this month that the art market is turning the corner (or at least trying), caution remains pervasive, and the market is still seen to be fragile. The fair's organizers have said that profits will be down at least 20 percent for everyone involved, because of lower prices and a decline in the number of exhibitors.

Sixty of last year's participants have dropped out already, and the number of satellite art fairs around Art Basel Miami Beach has fallen from 22 to 16. Layout changes are taking the shift in participation and making it benefit those who remain. Exhibit space has been increased by 20 percent, and booths in the main art galleries area will be larger, as a result. This is where most of the action is. Eighty-five percent of the dealers have come back, and the number of stands has increased from 265 to 270.

Though prices are expected to be down at the Miami fair this year, artists and galleries aren't giving their work away. Emmanuel Perrotin, the Paris gallery, is trying to move Takashi Murakami's "Warp," painted this year, for $1.5 million. The same gallery is also pushing a Duane Hanson sculpture for $425,000 and a photographic print by Paola Pivi for $33,000. Edward Tyler Nahem, a first-timer at Art Basel Miami Beach, has a room full of paintings by Alejandra Icaza, which are selling for $35,000 a piece.

The crowd in Miami is likely to be a return to past decades, in which art collectors and investors -- rather than what Todd Levin, director of Levin Art Group calls the "fashionista crowd" -- dominate the scene. Art Basel Miami Beach thus might become an art fair again.

The opera is a wonderful expression of art and music and storytelling, but attending a show can be intimidating if you've never been before. Here are a few basics:

Attire Although traditionally a very formal and glamorous event, operas have become more casual over the years and attire varies to include all levels. Business attire is common but if you're not sure what to wear feel free to call the opera house beforehand to see what they recommend.

Arrive Early Once the performance starts the ushers will not admit you until after the overture or, in some cases, after the first act is over. Allow at least 30-45 minutes to find parking, get your tickets, and be seated.

Stay Quiet Be courteous and refrain from talking, whispering, and eating during the show. Also be sure to turn off your cell phone, PDA, or anything else that might ring or beep.

No Cameras Most opera houses prohibit the use of photography, video, and recording devices of any kind during performances.

Applause Operas are live so of course it's courteous to show your appreciation by clapping at appropriate moments. Follow the lead of the rest of the audience if you're not sure but generally people will applaud when the conductor takes the podium, at the end of the overture, at the end of each act, and when the performers come out to take a bow.

The Water/Bodies exhibit kicks off on December 21, 2009 at the Eden Rock Gallery. Located at the Eden Rock Hotel on St Barths, the gallery has hosted shows from the top artists in the world and those who will be in the next few years. The new show, curated by David Kratz, President of the New York Academy of Art, will no doubt be consistent with the gallery's fantastic reputation. This year, Eric Fischl and Jenny Saville, both Senior Critics at the Academy, will be among the Academy-affiliated artists showcasing their work at Eden Rock.

Each of the pieces at Eden Rock this winter will be related to the theme of nature, water and the body. Only small works will be displayed at this event, though a variety of media will be present, including oil, watercolor, drawing and sculpture.

Water/Bodies is the latest in an ongoing relationship between the Eden Rock Gallery and New York Academy of Art. The program includes an artist-in-residence program, in which up to 10 students or graduates of the Academy can visit St Barths and participate. Some of the proceeds from the sales at Water/Bodies will be used to support this program and others at the Academy. Past participants include Richard Prince, whose early 2008 show sold out before the opening.

While we're unlikely to see a replay of Prince's sales at Eden Rock this year, the art market is certainly better than what we saw late last year. Maybe collectors will go back to voting with their wallets.

I'm still not sold that the art market is recovering (it could be, but it's too soon to tell). But, if it is, the upside is going to the galleries and collectors -- the artists aren't getting squat. November was generally kind to Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips de Pury, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in art sales. So, to get their own piece of the art market pie that may or not be forming, artists are starting to go directly to the buyers.

Artist Ryan McGinness hosted a sale of pieces by several artists, with the person who did the work taking home all the spoils. The presale estimate of $47,000 to $57,000 made sense, as the final tally came to $51,300, pretty much in the middle. McGinness himself was present at the event ... via a video connection from Amsterdam.

The traditional auction model trends to benefit collectors rather than artists, as it creates a secondary market for artwork. It's really no different from the stock market. An IPO, if successful, will be the starting point, with the price going up later, to the advantage of all subsequent owners.

The critics weren't kind to Damien Hirst's latest collection, which was exhibited at the Wallace Collection. It doesn't seem to have mattered. All news is good news in Hirst-land, as evidenced by the sales of his most recent effort. Hirst opened a new show yesterday at White Cube. Even if the media isn't crazy about his, the artist's collectors haven't ended the love affair. Five of the seven largest pieces in his new "Nothing Matters" collection sold before the show opened, with the highest-priced piece hitting $15.7 million, despite an initial point of only 235,000 pounds.

The show runs at White Cube through January 20, 2010, but you'll have to accept that you'll be checking out what is now other people's property. Hirst collectors are nothing if not loyal.

Surrealist, modern and postwar pieces will go under the gavel next week at the Christie's Impressioniste et Moderne auction in Paris. More than 140 lots will be offered on December 1, 2009, with presale estimates ranging from $6 million to $9 million. Among the artists represented in the auction, which consists of the Lefebvre-Foinet collection, are Alberto Giacometti, Max Ernst, Henri Matisse and Zao Wou-Ki. The collection was amassed over five generations, with the latest in the family making the decision to sell.

A portrait of Maurice Lefebvre by Giacometti could fetch between $1 million and $1.5 million, but other lots are more attainable. "Lyrical Explosion C," by Alberto Magnelli, is expected to sell for $210,000 to $270,000, and Sonia Delaunay's "Colored Rhythms No. 615" could go for up to $160,000. Playing on the success of the market for Chinese art, Zao Wou-Ki's "5.11.64" could move for as much as $600,000.

Paris has done pretty well through the art market slump, especially when the auctions deviate at least somewhat from the norm. Though there aren't any guarantees, let's keep an eye on this one. It could be the touch of fresh air we need.

[Photo via Christie's]

With last week's publication of Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue, Alaska is once again in the headlines, so it's easy to forget that there's far more to our 49th state than its red-suited former governor. I've been working on a book project in the Bering Strait of Alaska sporadically for the past few years -- above is a photo from Shishmaref, Alaska. These are places where you really can see Russia. And while these locales aren't much for luxury in the traditional sense, they are the places where simply astonishing Alaska Native art is produced -- where artists utilize the landscape to create everything from delicately carved bracelets to bold mobiles, traditional masks to photographs, amber-jewel like kayaks to paintings.

Alaska's natural resources aren't just used for art, of course -- many Native Alaskans still live at least partially off the land and sea. In part, this is to preserve a traditional way of life, but it's also because the price of basic necessities is so high: a dozen eggs can cost as much as $22. In addition to the challenges of preserving tradition that are faced by native communities everywhere, the raw materials of life are in jeopardy because of global warming. This is the part of the United States that is the most dramatically affected by climate change: The state's wintertime climate has warmed by 40 degrees since 1950, sea ice has thinned by 60 percent since the 1960s.

Nine Native Alaskan artists have produced works in response to this fraught landscape, which opens at the Alaska House New York gallery in Soho on December 10th. Working in a variety of media, ranging from mask-making, to skin sewing, to photography, Brian Adams, Susie Bevins, Perry Eaton, Nicholas Galanin, Anna Hoover, Sonya Kelliher-Combs, Erica Lord, Da-ka-xeen Mehner, and Larry McNeil create works that capture this particularly delicate moment for Alaska -- and works that are certainly highly collectible. Check out the preview below to get just a sample of this extraordinary art.

If Dry Ice inspires you to travel to the places where these works are created, Alaska House New York (which is as much of an "embassy" for Alaska as it is an art gallery) has many resources to guide you through the parts of the state that you're unlikely to see on your own. And if you're more of an armchair traveler, check out this thoughtfully curated selection of books about Alaska -- a good place to start is 50 Miles from Tomorrow, by William L. Iggiagruk Hensley. You'll also find a list of online resources, including the very entertaining online newspaper, Alaska Dispatch.

The hint of a recovery we got in the first half of 2009 has fallen off a bit,according to Art Price's Art Market Confidence Index. The latest report suggests that art prices have dropped 37 percent since January 1, 2008, when the art market first showed signs of weakness. But, there are some indications that it's headed in the right direction over all. Art Price does state that the third quarter is almost always weak. Only 12 percent of auction lots sold during all third quarters over the past decade, and low sales volumes tend to mean low prices.

The art market appears to have hit its worst point in the first quarter of this year, when art prices were down 38 percent over the previous 15 months. Values plunged to 2004 levels, and spectators figured that conditions would only get worse. Prices edged up 1.2 percent after the first quarter, but a slow summer didn't yield any real progress.

Art Price sees the November results as promising, with seasonally adjusted growth for the Post-War period up 2.1 percent since March and the Old Masters picking up 4.5 percent. And, for the past two quarters, only 38 percent of lots failed to sell, and it looks like October and November will stay consistent with that result.

More than anything else, the numbers suggest that confidence is increasing -- which is the first step in a recovery.

Basketball player Shaquille O'Neal likes to wear a lot of hats. Actor, musician, sheriff, Twitter star and now art curator? O'Neal is curating a gallery show for New York's Flag Art Foundation titled "Size DOES Matter." The exhibit ponders the question of idea of scale in contemporary art and features some big names in the art world including Chuck Close, Jeff Koons, Andreas Gursky, Kehinde Wiley and many more. The show is scheduled to open in February at the Flag Art Foundation's exhibition space in the Chelsea neighborhood.

O'Neal told Bloomberg News that his turn as curator was "a little harder than I thought it would be." The exhibition will feature 52 artworks, five are special commissions, many others are loans from private collections and museums. The choice of Shaquille O'Neal as curator should attract additional attention for the show. Writer James Frey, famous and also infamous for his bestselling book "A Million Little Pieces" is writing an essay for the exhibition catalog.

This season you can spend your holiday family time putting Heidi Klum together. Editions Ricordi has created a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle in the image of a fashion photograph by Ruven Afanador. The image called Couture Banquet appeared in Vogue Spain and shows Heidi Klum displayed against an extravagant feast. The puzzle is a limited edition of 1000 and each is numbered and signed by Ruven Afanador. The puzzle comes in a silk bag packed in a hand-made wooden box with a red velvet interior. The completed puzzle measures 24x36 inches and pieces are printed on high-quality art paper with a velvet back side with golden glitter. It sells for 350 euros.

[via Art Daily]

Would you like to own a unique piece of privately commissioned artwork? Now is your chance. The Museum of Modern Art in New York is offering up for sale limited quantities of collectible works.

Entrepreneur and art collector, Peter Norton is known not only for his genius in creating computer software but for commissioning art and for his philanthropy. Every year since 1988 he has asked artists whose work he collects to create unique pieces to be sent as gifts to his family and friends. This year he is donating various pieces to be sold to the public through MoMA with all proceeds to go to P.S. 1. For those who are not familiar with P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center it is one of the oldest and largest non-profit art institutions in the United States. It is an exhibition space and devotes its resources to displaying experimental contemporary art.

Some of the artworks featured include:
Untitled (Condoms), Daniel Martinez, 1990
Freedom, a Fable: A Curious Interpretation of the Wit of a Negress in Troubled Times, Kara Walker, 1997
Untitled (Dollhouse), Yinka Shonibare, 2002
Untitled (Music Box), Christian Marclay, 2005 (shown above)

Certain items can be bought individually with prices ranging from $150 to $1,000 dollars, while other pieces must be purchased as a complete MoMA set" for $6,200. To see a samples of the various works in person, head to the bookstore on the second floor of the museum, otherwise the works can be viewed and ordered online.

Ten artists found a way to make vacant commercial space incredibly exciting. I wandered by 25 Central Park West on a walk in my neighborhood a few days ago and saw artists inside. They were hard at work cleaning, preparing and hanging their pieces. Tapping on the window was one of my smartest moves this week. By doing so, I learned of a new exhibition, which opened Wednesday night. The show, 10 from 25: Emerging Artists using Photography, is set to run through December 13, 2009. It includes flat art and video, bringing to life an empty space in a part of Manhattan generally forgotten by the art community.

The artists, including Bess Greenberg, who gave me a tour of the space as she and the other artists prepared for opening night, have created an integrated show that doesn't sacrifice the message of each of the participants. So, in addition to a group exhibition, visitors are treated to 10 individual efforts, in which one can appreciate a specific style without having to cope with the intrusion of other pieces on his experience.

Much of the time it's easy to predict the top lot in an auction, one of the highest estimated pieces usually claims the honor. But that's not always the case. How's this for an exuberant art market moment, Emil Filla's "Still life with a Lemon, Bottle of Olive Oil, Bell Peppers and a Bowl of Vegetables", 1925, sold for $266,000 against a pre-auction estimate of just $15,000-20,000 on November 17 at an auction at Bonhams & Butterfields in Los Angeles. The auction set a new world record for the artist at auction. The auction was simulcast to the firm's San Francisco auction rooms.

This auction also included the unused Beatles album art created in 1968 by Jim Dine we discussed earlier this week. The collection of five graphite and watercolor works on vellum sold for $51,850 against an estimate of $25,000-35,000.

On my recent visit to Holland, sponsored by the Netherlands Board of Tourism, we ventured up to The Hague (Den Haag) for the Dutch Fashion Awards and some museums. Though it wasn't originally on the itinerary, everyone on the trip was dying to see the Escher Museum (Escher in het Paleis).

The museum is located in the royal Lange Voorhout Palace, and features well kept original fixtures as well as several rooms dedicated to showing what the winter palace of Queen Mother Emma used to look like. Since then, the legendary Dutch graphic artist who's still blowing our minds almost 40 years after his death has been moved in, and the juxtaposition of decadence and mind-bending art is surprisingly harmonious.

If you're taking a trip to Amsterdam, a 45-minute trek up to The Hague is worth it just to see the museum, which not only has a far more extensive Escher collection than any of us believed was possible, but which also features a stunning array of crystal chandeliers in almost every room.

The chandeliers, like the enormous "Rain Cloud" in the foyer (above), are all works by Hans van Bentem (1965), a ceramics and glass artist from Rotterdam who happens to have a penchant for designing elaborate and unusual chandeliers. How unusual are they? Check out the gallery for a crystallized firefly, shark, trophy, umbrella, seahorse and more. The Hans van Bentem chandeliers are an exhibit all their own, and have appeared in the museum's formerly royal rooms since 2003. This is the full collection:

This trip was paid for by the Netherlands Board of Tourism, but the ideas and opinions expressed in the article above are 100% my own.

Art Work Partners revives the centuries-old technique of pietre dure (inlaying stones in beautifully intricate partners) for modern times. This artistic medium descended from Byzantine mosaics but found its greatest expression during the Italian Renaissance. The pieces combine a jeweler's precision with an artists sensibility and a stonecutters expertise. Art Work Partners has two main lines, one of stone art made to hang on a wall like a painting, and another of furniture pieces with stone tops. The picture above highlights both showing a stone version of Marilyn Monroe by Marcos Marin made of black granite and marble as well as a table set with a stone version of Lots of Love by Romero Britto. Pieces generally cost between $5,000 to $12,000. Check out the gallery below for more pieces.