Palm Beach's Art Basel

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That wasn't H1N1 you caught earlier this month. That was Baselitis, the dreaded art flu that comes with dry mouth (from the excessive Perrier-Jouet) and lower back pain (from walking up and down and up the aisles of the Miami Beach Convention Center). But trust us: with Art Basel Miami Beach and its many offspring in the rearview, and Christmas/New Year's set to be history in a matter of weeks, your appetite for art will return by early January. Just in time for Palm Beach to once again unveil its trio of formidable art shows, all of which take place at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. The first is Art Palm Beach (Jan 15-19). This wide-ranging fair covers everything from traditional over-the-sofa paintings to out-of-the-box video, installation and design. The American International Fine Art Fair arrives next (Feb 3-8), and feeds Palm Beach's more traditional cravings: classical, Victorian, gilded, decorative. Munich's Galerie Thomas will exhibit museum heavyweights like Max Beckmann, Edvard Munch and Pablo Picasso next to first editions of Hemingway and Faulker presented by Imperial Fine Books of New York.  The Palm Beach Jewelry, Art and Antique Show (Feb 12-16) is the last red circle on the calendar. And it's something of a time warp: Tiffany glass neighbors a decorative Gio Ponti secretary; antique maps face Ming stoneware. It's the kind of Gilded Age fair that would have inspired Henry Flagler to build a new hotel just to decorate the lobby.

Tags: arts and culture