One Life Spotlight: The Ace of Bass

They say good things come to those who wait. If that's the case, the art world has much to appreciate now that The Bass art museum has opened its doors following a two-and-a-half-year renovation. The Bass has been a mecca for cultural and curatorial ambition since opening in 1964 inside an art deco building. Now, after a $12 million renovationwhich increased programmable space by nearly 50 percent within the existing footprintthe institution will host some of the areas most exciting exhibits in its new space. The Bass is Miami Beachs contemporary art museum, and our programming has consistently presented exhibitions of established international contemporary art that reflect the spirit of our city, says Silvia Karman Cubi, the museums executive director and chief curator. The new space allows us even more opportunities to host larger scale exhibitions and connect with our community. Up first are Swiss native Ugo Rondinones good evening beautiful blue (on display until February 19) and Cameroonian-born Pascale Marthine Tayous Beautiful exhibits (on display until April 2), which both debuted in conjunction with the museums October 29 reopening. Rondinone is no stranger to The Bass, as his 42-foot-tall Miami Mountain work is permanently installed in Collins Park, on the corner of 21st Street and Collins Avenue. But his good evening beautiful blue exhibit is part of a multi-institution retrospective comprising works that span three decades. From poetic installations in public spaces to life-size drawings, Rondinones work balances on the edge of euphoria and depressioneven featuring an installation of 45 life-size clown figures in the piece vocabulary of solitude (2014).