In pictures: a sculptural celebration at Art Basel Miami Beach

Those fatigued by the proliferation of paintings at art fairs should tour one with Nora Lawrence. The executive director of Storm King Art Center, an open-air museum in New York’s Hudson Valley, has spent the past 13 years curating and commissioning outdoor sculptures and installations. Naturally, she is drawn to three-dimensional works when visiting Art Basel Miami Beach. She took The Art Newspaper on a spin around the convention centre to pick out her favourites.

Thaddeus Mosley, Oval Continuity (2017), Karma

“Mosley is almost 100 years old and still does everything solo, jiggering things and putting everything into place himself. I’m impressed by his integrity—it would seem superhuman even at 40! The surface of this work has a repetitive motion you can get lost in, and I love the closeness it bears to the original tree. His studio in Pittsburgh is full of large tree trunks. He says they become sculptures when they are ready.”

Rashid Johnson, Untitled Totem (2024), Hauser & Wirth

“Johnson speaks about how the addition of plants in his work encourages people to inspect them closer, drawing them in. I also love its worked surface; you can tell he’s working in clay before casting it in bronze. There’s an element of care that people don’t often consider with outdoor sculpture—many works in Storm King’s collection must be constantly treated because they’re outdoors. I think the same of this work.”

Mary Ann Unger, Untitled (1997), Berry Campbell

“This work, made in clay with pigment, loosely resembles a heart and exemplifies the deeply intuitive and abstract way in which Unger worked. She’s definitely a feminist artist, sometimes placed alongside Louise Bourgeois and Lynda Benglis.”

Saif Azzuz, Private Collection (2023), Nicelle Beauchene Gallery

“The one non-sculptural work I’ve chosen has a relation to Storm King. Saif took part in our residency programme and during his time at Storm King, he became interested in how many signs along the Hudson River have the image of a sturgeon. He often uses elements of the natural world in his work, and he will make a sturgeon sculpture next year at Storm King.”

Paloma Varga Weisz, Bumpman Seated (2005), Konrad Fischer Galerie

“Varga Weisz is an idiosyncratic artist working in Dusseldorf. This work is from her Bumpman series; the man here looks rather quizzical. She trained as a woodworker, and her work is often compared to medieval art. This work has a fascinating texture: you think it’s ceramic but it’s actually glazed wood.”

Claes Oldenburg, Giant Saw: Soft Version (study) (1966), Paula Cooper

“This work has a connection to the Store, a storefront and conceptual work created by Oldenburg in 1961 in New York City. I like that it’s in the colours of the Swedish flag—the artist was Swedish and often included personal connections in his work. We have a piece at Storm King by Oldenburg: a drainpipe sculpture made with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen. By incorporating inanity, he brings people closer to contemporary art.”