The scene is constantly in flux, with new institutions opening and old ones closing, sometimes permanently. Great museums such as the Wolfsonian in Miami Beach and the Museum of Art and Design at Miami Dade College are currently partially or fully closed for renovation. We also decided not to include places like the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU and the Historic Hampton House, which are more history-focused despite occasionally putting on outstanding art shows. Here are Miami's best art museums.
El Espacio 23
2270 NW 23rd St., Miami786-490-9090
elespacio23.com
Collector-driven museums are a feature of Miami's art landscape whether we like it or not, and none are as well-resourced as El Espacio 23, backed by none other than billionaire property developer Jorge Pérez. His name may be on another, much bigger museum in the city center, but this converted warehouse in Allapattah, which opened the same year as the Rubell Museum nearby, sources all its exhibitions from the large and impressive Pérez collection, all of which will eventually go to PAMM. Some extraordinary artists have been shown at El Espacio, with its most recent show incorporating works from Willem De Kooning, Carrie Mae Weems, Marta Minujin, Shirin Neshat, and other major voices of contemporary art. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Admission is free; walk-ins welcome, reservations preferred; book via elespacio23.org/visit.
Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami
61 NE 41st St., Miami305-901-5272
icamiami.org
ICA Miami has a bad habit of courting controversy for all the wrong reasons. Despite this, the ICA's reputation as one of the city's major sites for boundary-pushing art remains intact, and its ambitions are expected to grow even further with an expansion into the former de la Cruz Collection building next door. The museum has spotlighted great underappreciated artists like Keiichi Tanaami, Judy Chicago, Betye Saar, and Denzil Forrester, and boosted emerging talents such as Claire Tabouret. It's also consistently hosted great events, from performances by cool musicians like Actress and Aja Monet to lectures by exhibiting artists. Crucially, admission has always been free, a cornerstone of the museum's appeal. Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is free.
Bootleg marionettes of characters like Jose Carioca, Mafalda, and Panchito Pistoles hang from the ceiling.
World Red Eye photo
Locust Projects
297 NE 67th St., Miami305-576-8570
locustprojects.org
Art fills the rooms at Locust Projects, though not in the way one might expect. The nonprofit art space gives each of its cavernous gallery spaces over to a single artist for each show, and they're allowed to do whatever they want with it short of destroying the building itself (though a few have come close). Recent highlights include Jen Clay's mix of fabric art with an interactive visual novel and Daniel Almeida and Adrian Rivera's fusion of anime and Latin American folk art. Also housing studio spaces and sponsoring other resources for artists, Locust's community-oriented approach has made it a crucial incubator for emerging artists in Miami and an inspiration for even pluckier spots like Little Havana's Tunnel Projects. They also throw great parties. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. Admission is free.
Mad Arts
481 S. Federal Hwy, Dania Beach754-239-0707
yeswearemadarts.com
Plenty of places in Miami have tackled the "immersive art" trend, from the massive warehouse art park Superblue to Yayoi Kusama installations at PAMM and the Rubell Museum. But Mad Arts, recently opened in the former Graves Museum of Natural History in Dania Beach, feels different — pluckier, more communitarian, and home to more interesting ideas. It doesn't necessarily show art from big stars; instead, the place's appeal lies in its exploration of the supposed cutting-edge of art. Sometimes that includes questionable AI-assisted pieces. Other times you'll find video projections and interactive sculptures, both physical and virtual — ever seen digital ikebana? The space also hosts cult film screenings and community events like the SPF Small Press Fair. Mad Arts is the kind of "anything goes" space the arts needs more of, and we're interested to see where they head next. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission costs $24.99 for visitors ages 13 and up; $19.99 for Florida residents; $22.16 for children under 12, families of four or more, and groups of eight or more via universe.com.
Anselm Kiefer, Die Erdzeitalter, 2014. Two gouache and charcoal works on photographic paper and canvas and one sculpture. Dimensions variable.
Collection Martin Z. Margulies / © Anselm Kiefer. Photo © White Cube (Jon Lowe)
The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse
591 NW 27th Ave., Miami305-576-1051
margulieswarehouse.com
Bigger is better at the Margulies. Another collector-driven museum, drawing from the holdings of property developer Martin Z. Margulies, this space at the western edge of Wynwood next to I-95 is best known for conceptual art and installations, particularly a group of stark, striking environments by Anselm Kiefer and an outdoor piece by Olafur Eliasson. Sculptures by Richard Serra and Isamu Noguchi can be reliably found in the warehouse space, and the museum's recent rehang included rare works from Warhol, Lichtenstein, Pollock, and Robert Indiana, as well as contemporary pieces by Italian artist Mimmo Paladino. Photography is another major focus, with recent shows focusing on images from 20th-century Spain and Portugal, and the work of Danny Lyon of The Bikeriders fame. Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission costs $10; $5 for out-of-state students, and is free for Florida students with ID.
Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami has been punching well above its weight for years.
Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami photo
Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami
770 NE 125th St., North Miami305-893-6211
mocanomi.org
North Miami may not exactly be in the heart of Miami's art scene, but this city-owned institution still manages to put on impressive exhibitions from major artists. Recent shows have included a show from Southern outsider art mastermind Lonnie Holley, a comprehensive survey of Cuban legend Juan Francisco Elso, and a show by Andrea Chung analyzing the Caribbean tourism industry's connections with colonialism and slavery. Haitian artists are a consistent theme, and the museum might be the only one in the country with Haitian Creole wall text. Open noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Admission costs $10 for the general public and $5 for students, seniors, and persons with disabilities. Free for members, children under 12, North Miami residents and city employees, veterans, and caregivers accompanying persons with disabilities.
NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale gives you several good reasons to travel north.
NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale photo
NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale
1 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale954-525-5500
nsuartmuseum.org
Caught between the much flashier Miami scene and wealthier Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale doesn't get much attention from art lovers. But those in the know understand that NSU Art Museum in the city's downtown cannot be ignored as a vital part of the wider region's art ecosystem. The museum is a crucial stop for emerging artists, and its curatorial team has supported rising Florida-based voices such as Jared McGriff, Joel Gaitan, Susan Kim Alvarez, and CiCi McMonigle. Recent years have seen major shows on color field painting and influential photographer Joel Meyerowitz. The museum has also put on retros for underseen artists like Walasse Ting and Jacqueline de Jong. This year, the museum becomes the official home of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's epochal Surrounded Islands, launching the monumental artwork's documentation exhibition in February. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m Sunday. Admission costs $16 for adults, $10 for seniors, $8 for military, and $5 for students. Admission is free for members, NSU students, faculty and staff, and children under 12. Admission is free every first Thursday of the month.
Pérez Art Museum Miami
1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami305-375-3000
pamm.org
The PAMM considers itself Miami's flagship art museum, and with good reason. Housed in a Herzog and de Meuron-designed building on Biscayne Bay since 2013, the museum's focus on postwar and contemporary art makes it unique among many civically associated museums while also reflecting Miami's forward-thinking spirit. High-profile contemporary artists like Gary Simmons and Cecilia Vicuña are frequently spotlighted here, including those with local roots like José Parlá, Antonia Wright, and Jason Seife. Video and immersive art are touchstones of its curatorial program, and in recent years the PAMM has also become a crucial venue for traveling shows such as last year's "Xican.o.a.x Body," a survey of Mexican-American art, and "Joan Didion: What She Means," an artistic perspective on the trailblazing author. Open 11 a.m to 9 p.m.Thursday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Monday. Admission costs $18 for adults; $14 for visitors ages 7 to 18, students, and seniors ages 62 or older. Admission is free for children under 6, persons with disabilities and caregivers, Florida educators, healthcare professionals, first responders, and active U.S. military and veterans.
Rubell Museum
1100 NW 23rd St., Miami305-573-6090
rubellmuseum.org/miami
Allapattah's art scene expands seemingly every year, but no museum or gallery has yet to outdo the one that started the neighborhood's transformation, for better or worse. With over 52,000 square feet of exhibition space, the privately-owned Rubell Museum is one of the largest art museums in the city and houses the Rubell family's equally massive art collection (or some of it, at least – it's 7,200 works strong and includes more than 1,000 artists). A few heavy hitters are almost always on display: The museum's holdings are strong in artists from the '80s Downtown NYC scene including Basquiat and Keith Haring; African Americans such as Glenn Ligon, Rashid Johnson, and Kerry James Marshall; pop artists from Jeff Koons to Yoshitomo Nara and Takeshi Murakami; and much more. Their residency program is considered a major tastemaker – past artists in residence have included Sterling Ruby and Alexandre Diop – and locals like Reginald O'Neal and Alejandro Piñeiro Bello have created outstanding work for them. The museum library is open by appointment to members, and the restaurant and garden, once occupied by the upscale Spanish restaurant Leku, is now the more accessible, but still refined pizza and pasta joint Jon & Vinny's. Open 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission costs $15 for adults; $12 for seniors ages 65 or older; and $10 for students and visitors ages 7 to 18.
World Erotic Art Museum
1205 Washington Ave., Miami Beach305-532-9336
weam.com
With the arrival of the Museum of Sex in Allapattah, Miami now has two museums dedicated to the erotic arts. But while the new place is undoubtedly bigger and flashier, we're still enamored with this tiny institution on Miami Beach. The passion project of erotic art collector and philanthropist Naomi Wilzig, who died in 2015 after a lifetime of advocating for healthier attitudes toward sexuality, the WEAM's collection is outstanding, comprising erotic art from all over the world. There are Japanese shunga prints, Kama Sutra illustrations from India, sexy tribal masks from Africa, and erotic figurines from Native American cultures. Work from famous artists, from Picasso and Purvis Young to Robert Mapplethorpe and Tom of Finland, is also on display. You might even see some sexy Hollywood props and pin-ups. All of it is treated respectfully and venerated as fine art. Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Admission costs $20.
