In fact, it wasn’t until after she had majored in sociology and anthropology that she took a couple of art courses and realised that it she should throw caution to the wind and follow her heart.

‘Originally I wanted to go to art school and my parents discouraged it, so I think I had this idea that it wasn’t a real legitimate pursuit.’ Clearly she has proved them all wrong.

Hannah Berry

‘Producing something that actually can’t be sold probably interests some artists and for others it’s just about having people look at you and being noticed.’

Hannah Berry

‘I think the idea of doing something spectacular here is something that probably interests a lot of artists because there is a sense that your work becomes commodified here - it’s kind of a shopping mall experience.’

According to Brown, it is this commercial sense of the event that urges fellow artists on to do something that little bit different - a feature that will make them stand out from the arty crowd.

‘It’s empowering for the artist and it creates a different dynamic to actually looking at work in the art fair.’

Hannah Berry

‘I took over part of my New York gallery’s booth and created sort of an artist’s studio, closed off by a velvet curtain and the viewer would walk behind the curtain to enter a very closet-like space with a very small peep window in front.’

When glancing through the peep hole, they would catch a glimpse of Brown, canvas and pencil in hand, sketching a nude model.

‘So they were peeping in on a classical life drawing situation but it also had a voyeuristic, girly show element to it as well.’

Hannah Berry

The event has boosted Miami’s prominence as an international art hub, and there is a thriving community of dealers, collectors, museums and artists that act as the foundation of the event. The exhibition sites are in the historic and trendy Art Deco district, once the preserve of gangsters and drug-runners, now a playground for the hottest names in design, art, music and showbiz. All of the sites are within walking distance of the world famous Miami Beach.

The best of contemporary art is on show, with more than two thousand artists exhibiting work from the twentieth and twenty first centuries. Although it draws the household names of modern art, it especially helps to raise the profile of emerging talent, with large spaces devoted to young artists and newly created work. It is the best showcase of contemporary art in North America, bringing together the most talented and influential artists from every corner of the world.

More than 220 specially selected dealers exhibit pieces from artists in their galleries, showing a range of works. From video installations and sculptures to major public art projects, Art Basel Miami Beach showcases the variety of art and cutting-edge techniques used around the world today.