Pascale Marthine Tayou's 'Beautiful' at The Bass Museum Miami

The Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach reopened on October 29 after a $12 million renovation that expanded exhibition spaces while preserving its original Art Deco structure from the 1930s, previously modified by Arata Isozaki in 2001. At the entrance, a 2015 commission by Pascale Marthine Tayou titled 'Welcome' features 70 LED signs saying 'Benvenuti' in different languages. The exhibition 'Beautiful,' on view until April 2, 2018, mixes Tayou's recent works with selections from the museum's permanent collection, including a Botticelli and Ghirlandaio coronation of the Virgin, an ancient Greek icon, a 330 BC vase, a Flemish Golden Age tapestry, and two 9th-century BC sarcophagi. Tayou, born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and based in Belgium, uses diverse materials like plaster, gold leaf, wood, iron, and alabaster eggs. His practice aims to decolonize and demythify history, subverting social, political, and economic relationships. The show reflects Miami's cosmopolitan, transient character, where 70% of the population is of Hispanic origin.