December 3rd through the 5th brought the highly anticipated collaboration of Grammy Winning artist Swizz Beatz’s own Curated ‘Dean Collection’ and ‘Bacardi’s Untamable House Party’ to Art Basel. This event has now become one of the most talked about cultural events of this year’s Art Basel and presented an increasingly prevalent cultural appreciation for the contemporary art scene.
By day, attendees were permitted entry to the ‘No Commission Art Fair’ free of charge, a notion that succeeded in advocating both the spirit of the event and further spoke on the growing public acceptance of contemporary art. The art fair, inspired by Swizz Beatz’s very own ‘Dean Collection’, introduced the bold proposal of providing exhibition space at no cost and allowing artists to retain 100% their profits. Notable guests that visited the gallery included NBA all-star Dwayne Wade and fellow teammate Amar’e Stoudemire, Maxwell and Jeffrey Deitch, and Grammy Award winning artists Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz & Timbaland.
The visual artists whom exhibited their work included: KAWS, BK The Artist, SWOON, Jenks Imaging, Cyrcle, David Choong Lee, D*Face, Wolfbat, Derrick Adams, HOXXOH, Doze Green, Dustin Yellin, Eddie Colla, Gabriel Dawe, Gordon Parks Foundation, Gregory Siff, Hebru Brantley, Hyon Gyon, Jaybo Monk, Jerome Lagarrigue, Jill Greenberg, Kehinde Wiley, Lyle Owerko, Maya Hayuk, Michael Kagan, Michael Vasquez, Mickalene Thomas, Sandra Chevrier, Sanford Biggers, Sean HRT, Shepard Fairey, So Youn Lee, Sue Tsai, Timothy Buwalda, Todd James, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Miss Van, CRYPTIK & Zio Zigler.
By night, however, the event was transformed into the exclusive invite only ‘Bacardi Untamable House Party’ Casa Bacardi. The ‘Untamable Casa Bacardi Concert Series’ began on Thursday, December 3rd. The concert series was opened by Hannah Bronfman & Nana Kwabena, and even rain didn’t dampen the reveler spirits as the night ended with a very highly anticipated performance by Alicia Keys. Friday brought performances from GOOD Music president Pusha T, the Dream, DJ Khaled, Fabolous, DJ Esco & A-Trak. Saturday night closed out the house party with performances from host Swizz Beatz, DJ Araab Muzik, Wiz Khalifa, DJ Runna, DJ Khaled and featured the anticipated return of DMX. Notable attendees throughout the week included Ryan Seacrest, Salaam Remi, Shaina Shaik, Jesse Williams, Anchal Joseph, Earl Mitchell, Jermaine Dupri, Adriana De Moura, Lil’ Dicky, Terrance J, Daymond John, Mack Wilds, & A$AP Rocky.
As a longstanding patron with a heritage deeply rooted in the arts, Bacardi served as co-collaborator in bringing the creative vision of The Dean Collection to life through this innovative event. Intended to showcase emerging artists alongside notable artists. BACARDÍ created a platform for artists to showcase their passions, feed their ‘untamable’ spirit, and fuel their hustle.
Kasseem Dean (Swizz Beatz), an occasional painter, is an avid art collector and connoisseur who frequently displays his taste via Instagram. The curated collection of favorites was first introduced at SCOPE Art Show Miami Beach and has since become known as The Dean Collection, which continues to include work from emerging and well-established artists, including KAWS (artist), Keith Haring, Cleon Peterson, Ernest Zacharevic and Erik Jones. Swizz’s respect and enjoyment of art had allowed him to become a member of the board of the Brooklyn Museum in October.
Follow the ‘Dean Collection’ on Instagram @thedeancollection
PHOTO GALLERY
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