“Vibe check?” the text message read.

The query from an art adviser on a group chat came across my phone as my Uber was stuck in horrendous Collins Avenue traffic. Ah yes, the question everyone wants answered: What is the vibe in Miami Beach during Art Basel? The art fairs in London and Paris were big hits, and November auctions did well. The art market, by all indications, is on an uptick…but Miami Beach, which opened for VIPs Wednesday, is feeling squeezed by the ever-expanding art fair circuit. Galleries dropped out. Collectors opted out of making the trek. Subscribe to True Colors, Nate Freeman’s art-world dispatch. Arrow

What was the vibe exactly? There were a few ways to answer the question. The vibe was traffic so horrible that the fair had to organize water taxis to get V

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