The Pérez Art Museum Miami
The Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) made its monumental debut on Biscayne Bay in December 2013 during Art Basel Miami. A tour de force, PAMM is a cultural epicenter that transcends regular museum-going into an overall multisensorial encounter. “The museum is an art space, an educational space and a social space,” says Thom Collins, director of the Miami facility. “It’s a total experience.”
Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the 200,000-square-foot, window-filled museum is a sight to behold that combines design and artistic excellence. PAMM is home to a collection of more than 1,300 pieces of international art of the 20th and 21st centuries with an emphasis on the Americas. The flow of the museum lets you meander easily through the six dedicated main galleries and sundry innovative exhibition spaces and expansive outdoor gardens. With various projects and exhibitions, film and video screenings, a restaurant, store, and outdoor views, come prepared to spend some time here. We talked to Collins for the inside scoop on what to see and do at PAMM right now to help you plan your visit.
Caribbean: Crossroads of the World
On display through August 17, this highly anticipated dynamic exhibition will showcase more than 150 works of art spanning more than 200 years of artistic production ranging from the Haitian Revolution to the present. Centered on four central themes — fluid motions, counterpoints, shades of history and kingdoms of this world — the eclectic collection features a range of paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, installations, film and video. Caribbean: Crossroads of the World combines a mix of historical works by artists such as Camille Pissarro, Amelia Peláez and Armando Reverón with contemporary pieces by artists including Janine Antoni, Renée Cox and Ebony G. Patterson.
Outdoor Living Walls
Lavish hanging gardens are suspended from the building’s trellised roof, taking greenery to new heights. Designed by famous vertical gardener Patrick Blanc, the self-irrigating gardens consist of 69 hanging columns covered with 77 different species of plants for a verdant sight to behold. The gardens create a lush backdrop for the expansive open-air shaded patio, where you can sit outside admiring the spectacular Biscayne Bay and downtown views.
Monika Sosnowska, “Market” (detail), 2013.
PAMM Night Out Third Thursdays
On the third Thursday of each month, PAMM stays open until 10 p.m. and turns into a happening cultural after-dark spot hosting live concerts by the bay. The museum’s restaurant, Verde, sets up an outdoor bar on the terrace for the night serving wine, beer and cocktails. The eatery also stays open for dinner that night. Explore the museum by day, enjoy a delicious dinner (with a menu featuring dishes such as squash blossom pizza and bigeye tuna tartare) and then head outside for a live music concert series. In May, you can listen to the tunes of British artist SOPHIE.
Family Fun Day Second Saturdays
PAMM is free on the second Saturday of the month and features special family-friends activities for a day of art-making, gallery tours and performances, from 1 to 4 p.m. Next month’s event (May 10) coincides with the museum’s exhibition from Miami-based Edouard Duval-Carrié — Edouard Duval-Carrié: Imagined Landscapes — and kids (both old and young) are invited to create their own “imaginary environments” on the terrace.
Verde
A STARR venture (the restaurant group behind Buddakan, Morimoto and Makoto), Verde is PAMM’s dining destination with waterfront indoor and outdoor seating. Executive chef Nicolay Adinaguev leads the kitchen, serving a menu inspired by Miami’s tropical influences. Choose from a variety of dishes ranging from fresh catches such as crab ceviche and hamachi sashimi to soups and salads to pizza and strip steak. End on a sweet note with sinfully delicious sugar cane doughnuts accompanied by Cuban coffee dip and flan. Cap it off with a passion fruit Caipirinha, guava margarita or blood orange mimosa. Verde is open for brunch and lunch Tuesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and dinner on Thursday until 9 p.m.
Photos Courtesy of Iwan Baan and Monika Sosnowska
