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Art Basel meets Cibo Wine Bar, Miami Beach

Amid all the madness of this year’s instalment of Art Basel Miami Beach, held from Dec. 3 to 7, Canadian content made its mark. Windsor, Ont.-born Kris Knight, commissioned by Gucci’s soon-to-depart creative director Frida Giannini to design prints for the fall 2014 collection, was feted by the Italian brand and Spinello Projects at the buzzy opening of Knight’s solo pop-up show, Smell The Magic, in Miami’s Design District. At UNTITLED., the pop-up gallery on the beach, Montreal-based gallery Parisian Laundry presented works by the Quebec-based artist collective BGL and the sculptures of Valérie Blass. George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, the recent Order of Canada inductees behind the design firm Yabu Pushelberg, unveiled their latest creation, Miami Beach Edition Hotel, to a legion of admirers, including the Canadian-born, London-based designer Erdem Moralioglu. Photographer David Drebin, meanwhile, presented his backlit photos and neon-light works at the Art Miami pavilion.

Cibo Wine Bar, the Italian eatery in Toronto’s King West district, unveiled its latest Florida outpost (there’s another in Coral Gables) with a two-part artcentric opening. Party No. 1, the official launch of the sprawling, three-floor space on South Point Drive, was packed with invitees (and some crashers) seeking a first peek at both the new eatery and its permanent collection of works by street artist Mr. Brainwash. Among those out to support this latest venture from Liberty Entertainment Group CEO Nick Di Donato were Liberty Group creative director and Cibo designer Nadia Di Donato, entrepreneurs Kevin O’Leary and Daymond John, artist and Mantella-clan member Ray Mantella, his interior designing partner Giancarlo Milazzo, Carol Casis and Raymond Bolduc of Sotheby’s and lawyer Max Gotlieb and his wife, Heather. Night No. 2 featured Mr. Brainwash himself (on a hydraladder with spray can in hand) completing a site-specific installation aptly titled Life is Beautiful.

Mr. Brainwash and Nadia Di Donato. (Photos courtesy of Liberty Entertainment Group)

Raymond Baduc of Sotheby’s.

From left, an event guest, Kevin O’Leary, Nick Di Donato and Daymon John.

Daniel Paszynski and Dr. Laura Vovan.

From left, Ray Mantella and Giancarlo Milazzo.

Inside Cibo South Beach.