Mark your calendars for a unique cultural experience at Bal Harbour Shops, aligning with Miami Art Week and Art Basel. This premier luxury retail destination hosted ‘Illustrating Bal Harbour’ from November 9th, an exquisite three-floor art exhibition curated by the renowned Claire Breuke. Welcoming the public every day between 11:00am to 9:00pm, the exhibition transforms the venue into a dynamic art space, offering an immersive experience that continues until the end of the year.
Spanning all three floors of the tropical, open-air shopping complex, ‘Illustrating Bal Harbour’ features the work of four winners from Bal Harbour Shops’ Creative Impact Contest. Established by BHS in 2019, this annual fashion-oriented competition honors and showcases the exceptional, emerging talent of the next generation of illustrators. The diversity of creative work on display captures the essence of the shopping center’s contemporary, sophisticated style. This year’s winner for 2023 is Sebastian Graham, who joins a prestigious lineup of past winners including Claudia Radvanyi (2020), Amalia Restrepo (2021), and Victoria Tentler-Krylow (2022).
“Their oversized artworks depicting Bal Harbour are displayed above the escalator from Level 1 to Level 2, integrated within an elevator structure on Level 2 and behind the north and south elevators on Level 1, creating backdrops to the two fountain ponds. The art playfully depicts the spirit of BHS and our commitment to artists,” said Claire Breuke.
Since opening in 1965, Bal Harbour Shops has been a hub for artistic excellence in the illustration industry. Showcasing artistic talent is a key part of the brand’s DNA, with many illustrations gracing the covers and pages of Bal Harbour magazine, their highly respected, glossy fashion and lifestyle publication.
In addition to the Creative Impact Contest winners, the exhibition includes original artwork and images from past decades, including vintage magazine and newspaper advertisements from the Bal Harbour Shops collection and Whitman Family Archives, displayed over two floors of the destination.
On the second floor, visitors can explore illustrations created from 1980 to the present, featuring works like Jenny Kroik’s Chanel “alligator,” Reyna Noriega’s colorful, patterned portraits and landscapes, and Ruben Toledo’s mystical fairy atop the destination’s renowned koi pond. The third floor offers a glimpse into the period from 1965-1980, showcasing witty advertisements from the 1970s, some made using traditional copper plates.
“Since our inception over a century ago, Bal Harbour Shops has always acknowledged and respected artists. We have made it a point to cultivate and work with some of the most creative talents in the world. Illustration is an important part of our aesthetic for many of our advertising, branding and marketing initiatives,” says CEO Matthew Whitman Lazenby.
This event is not just an exhibition; it’s a celebration of artistic talent and a testament to Bal Harbour Shops’ commitment to the arts. Be sure to visit before the year ends and experience the wonder of “Illustrating Bal Harbour.”
