The Art Newspaper

Dealer runs for office with biennial proposal

AJ Japour says Miami needs to broaden its economic base

By Helen Stoilas | From Art Basel Miami Beach daily edition, 5 Dec 09
Published online 5 Dec 09

Most Miami locals know Tony Japour as a doctor who also runs the internet gallery AJ Japour from his home. But soon he may be adding public servant to his resumé, as he runs for Florida State Representative for District 107 (Miami-Dade County) on the Republican ticket in 2010. “I was thinking of running in 2012, but then things started going badly and I don’t agree with the way the government has responded,” Japour told us. He says that Miami needs to broaden its economic base by bringing in big businesses, and one way this could be achieved is by starting a biennial in Miami, based on the Venice model. Japour says he started thinking of it after visiting Prospect 1 in New Orleans, which reportedly generated $23m for the local economy in 2008. “From a purely economic level Art Basel Miami Beach is great, but it only lasts for one week. I think we should bring a biennial to Miami to extend the art season,” he says.

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