Bass Museum

John Bass (1891-1978) and Johanna Redlich (m. Feb. 21, 1921) were Jewish-immigrants from Vienna, Austria who resided in Miami Beach. As President of the Fajardo Sugar Company of Puerto Rico, John Bass was also an amateur journalist, artist (namely painting and etching) and composer of published music. Mr. Bass collected both fine art and cultural artifacts, including a sizeable manuscript collection that now lives in the Carnegie Hall Archives.[1] In 1963, the couple bequeathed a collection of more than 500 works, including Old Master paintings, textiles and sculptures to the City of Miami Beach, under the agreement that a Bass Museum of Art would remain open to the public in perpetuity.

The museum opened its doors on April 7, 1964; at the time, it was the only municipally operated art gallery in South Florida.[2] The city spent $160,000 to renovate the structure, which includes what was formerly the Miami Beach Public Library.[3] John Bass directed the museum from its founding until his death in 1978.[4]

Following a series of published reports casting serious doubts upon the authenticity of many of the Bass collection paintings, a group of citizens asked the Art Dealers Association early in 1969 for an independent appraisal.[5] In its September 1969 report, the Art Dealers Association wrote: “We believe that it [the Bass collection] comprises the most flagrant and pervasive mislabeling by any museum known to this association.”[6] In 1973, the Miami Beach City Council closed the John Bass Art Museum.[7]

In 1980, art historian Diane Camber was hired as Executive Director of the museum.[8] For the next thirty years, Camber worked to professionalize museum operations, obtain AAM accreditation, produce scholarly exhibitions and successfully run a capital campaign for a building expansion, developing the museum into a significant cultural institution. Renovations took place in 2001, and a 1,500 m² (16,000 sq ft) expansion[9] designed by Arata Isozaki[10] was inaugurated with the exhibition Globe Miami Island in 2002.

In 2013, the Bass announced a $7.5 million grant from the City of Miami Beach to begin a second phase of transformation and expansion. The museum closed for construction in May 2015 and opened on October 29, 2017. The $12 million expansion designed by David Gauld increased the programmable space by almost 50 percent,[11][12] adding four new galleries of 380 m² (4,100 sq ft);[13] Isozaki served as design consultant.[14] As part of a rebranding, the Bass removed “Museum of Art” from its name.[15]

In 2022, the Bass received $20.1 million in city-issued funds as part of a municipal general obligation bond that voters authorized in the US midterm elections; it will be used to add a new wing to the museum's building for additional exhibition space.[16]

The Bass has an annual operating budget of around $4.5 million.[19] Aligning with rapid urban development of City of Miami Beach, support from the John L. and James S. Knight Foundation and the success of Art Basel Miami Beach, the museum converted to a 501c3 non-profit corporation.

In 2009, George Lindemann Jr. became President of the Board of Directors and Silvia Karman Cubiñá was appointed as executive director.

Silvia Karman Cubiñá is the Executive Director and Chief Curator of The Bass Museum of Art. As of April 2018, the board members are George Lindemann (President), Lida Rodriguez-Taseff (Parliamentarian), Olga Blavatnik, Criselda Breene, Clara Bullrich, Hugh Bush, Trudy Cejas, Michael Comras, Brian Ehrlich, Gaby Garza, Solomon Genet, Christina Getty, José Ramón González, Sarah Harrelson, Lisa Heiden-Koffler, Naeem Khan, Diane Lieberman, Alice S. Matlick, Jimmy Morales, Thomas C. Murphy, Laura Paresky Gould, Tui Pranich, Alisa Romano, Tatyana Silva, Christine J. Taplin, and Cathy Vedovi.[20]