SUN, FUN AND CULTURE

Fears that crowds might skip this year’s event out of fear of being bitten by a mosquito carrying the Zika virus were unfounded.

Zika- carrying mosquitoes showed up in Miami Beach in September, but seemed to have been eradicated after aggressive aerial spraying. Prior to the event, Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine told reporters: “We faced our challenges, we dealt with Zika, but we hope the entire [travel] advisory will go away in a couple of weeks.”

Art Basel Miami Beach head Norman Braman said he was happy with how the event has evolved since it began in 2002, and said that its growth in popularity has led to Miami’s growing reputation as a destination for art.

“An entirely new area, called Wynwood, evolved,” said Mr. Braman, a reference to an area north of Miami. “Now there are 60 art galleries there.” All of Miami, including Little Haiti, “have benefited from the presence of Art Basel,” he added.

Merchants and gallery owners said the annual fair has been an engine of cultural renovation in Miami Beach, which was previously known mainly for its beaches and wild Spring Break parties.

“We are the sun and fun capital,” said Mr. Levine. “But it’s better to be the sun, fun and cultural capital of the world.”

Several street fairs were held to coincide with Art Basel, while local museums put on their best exhibitions in an attempt to get the attention of art collectors and gallery owners who flocked to the city. Last year, 77,000 visitors came to Miami for Art Basel exhibits. Figures for the 2016 edition should be released soon. —