The Art Newspaper

Craig Robins to open private museum in Design District

By Cristina Ruiz. From Art Basel Miami Beach daily edition
Published online: 06 December 2008

Miami developer Craig Robins is to open a private museum in the Design District to show his art collection. The new building, designed by Spanish architects Abalos and Herreros, will include 40,000 sq. ft of display space. Construction should begin in nine months’ time and the gallery should open by January 2012.

The private museum will exhibit changing selections from Mr Robins’ 1,000-strong collection, which includes works by US artists Richard Tuttle, Paul McCarthy and John Baldessari as well as younger artists such as Kehinde Wiley. International artists in the collection include the Argentinian Guillermo Kuitca, German artist Kai Alt­hoff, Indian artist Subodh Gupta and a growing number of works by Chinese artists such as Huang Yong Ping, Liu Wei and Wang Xingwei.

Speaking to The Art Newspaper, Mr Robins said he is hoping to collaborate with “another collector, or maybe two, in other cities so shows could move around between galleries”. When asked if these collectors might be based outside the United States, Mr Robins said “definitely”.

In 2005 Mr Robins launched Design Miami in the Design District; the fair is now part-owned by Messe Schweiz, the parent company of Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach. Design Miami has played a key role in the renewal of the area over recent years and its ongoing transformation from a deserted downtown slum into a hub for furniture and design stores.