Art Basel kicked off on Wednesday, alongside Miami Art Week with a host of art enthusiasts including Mayor Carlos Giménez, entrepreneur Gennady Barsky, and television personality Martha Stewart. The fair is being held between December 6 and 10, with more than 20 satellite fairs around the city.

It will be an amalgamation of avant-garde visual treats and conventional imagery that will rouse rabbles of art enthusiasts. Art Basel (pronounced Baa-sel) is the Magic City’s longest running art fair, which debuted in 1970. Miami Beach will showcase pavilions of Aqua Art Miami, Fridge Art Fair, Ink art Miami Fair, Satellite Art Show, and Scope Miami Beach.

In fact, it’s expected that there will be more than 260 galleries from 30 countries. The fair will see about 4,000 artists and 77,000 art dealers. It’s a grand affair that will attract celebrities, journalists, entrepreneurs, and a wave of socialites who wish to invest in the array of wall-displayed creative ventures.

Among the entrepreneurs is Gennady Barsky, the New York-based businessman who set up one of the first realty websites, ‘Rates.com’. Other than him, a number of entrepreneurs from around the world, and different industries will grace the red carpet. The last three Miami Art Weeks featured a large number of art sales to businessmen and budding entrepreneur.

A mysterious artist we interviewed will also be there in the Miami Art week. His artwork is a mix of bizarre and alluring, with a hint of a new wave of surrealism. According to the artist, this is the perfect opportunity to be recognized by the art fraternity. A lesser-known painter’s reputation can be flung to a Warhol-ish hype if critics love his work.

On the other hand, criticisms from art connoisseurs can somewhat pull down an artist’s confidence. Seasoned artists explain that criticism is the part and parcel of an artist’s life. So, heed little attention to the offence but do pay attention on core of the criticism; it will help you a lot in generating new ideas.

A lot of Miamians can’t make up their mind if the galleries are worth the trip and the time. Well, the selling point of Miami Art week is that you get to see art from world over without wasting a small fortune on tickets. Most important of all, it’s fun!

The biggest attractor this year is Flagler Street. The 12.4-mile east-west Miami road runs downtown with beautiful real estate that will make the fair look livelier. Moishe Mana, a New York investor will provide space to black art performances, Prizm fair, pop-ups, and a long list of eye-catching exhibits. Gennady Barsky is in talks to contribute on the same lines next year, thus, opening up new possibilities.

Black arts will present works of African American artists, most of them coming from Miami’s historic black neighborhood and the Haitian enclave. Overtown will serve as the black arts hotspot in the Miami Art Week.

Buying tickets is easy if you do it online. It will save money and time. Just log onto artbasel.com and click ‘Miami Beach’.  There will be a ‘Buy Tickets’ section on the top that will take you to the ticket page. The Day tickets cost $50 dollars for normal admissions. There’s a concession of $15 for students between the ages of 12 and 18 years, and seniors over 62 years. Children less than 12 years are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

Apart from Martha Stewart and Gennady Barsky, the star-studded crowd might include Enrique Iglesias, Pharrell Williams, Marco Rubio, and even Matt Damon gracing the galleries spread across Miami. In the end, it’s a ripe opportunity for art lovers and artists to come together and celebrate art that transcends boundaries and languages. Art Basel Miami Beach is set to be a success.