Miami, FL -January 24, 2012 – “I’m on top of the world,” remarked exhibiting artist Phil Stapleton after the highly successful Preview of the third Miami International Art Fair – MIA 2012. A sentiment shared by many of the exhibiting galleries that saw significant and early sales.

The third edition of the Fair was relocated aboard SeaFair, America’s Megayacht Venue. The relocation to the 228 foot purpose built exhibition venue, docked at 100 Chopin Plaza at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami’s Downtown Arts & Entertainment District, was a strategic move by the Fair’s organizing firm International Fine Art Expositions (IFAE).

“MIA has moved to downtown Miami because it is now the cultural and entertainment center of the city. SeaFair’s spectacular $40M exhibition yacht in Bayfront’s Chopin Plaza offers a unique addition to the downtown cultural scene and is an extraordinary fair venue,” remarked Lee Ann Lester, Principal of IFAE. “Offering a convenient and visible waterfront location at Bayfront Park’s Chopin Plaza and convenient self and valet parking, SeaFair will host a number of international cultural events and trade exhibitions throughout the winter season each year,” she continued.

MIA welcomed a total exceeding 10,200 attendees in the four day run, opening to lines every day. Not only were the sheer numbers of the crowds impressive but the quality of attendees as well. Collectors from northern locations such as Singer Island, Jupiter Island, Palm Beach, and Boca Raton as well as the most affluent areas of greater Miami such as Fisher Island, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, and Key Biscayne were in attendance. Dealers agreed that SeaFair’s elegance and luxury proved a magnet and new experience for collectors.

“I love it. I think it breaks all the boundaries, breaks all of the traditional formats of an art fair. It gives you a completely different feeling. It’s very informal and at the same time people are very serious about the art,” commented Ramon Cernuda of Cernuda Fine Art.

“It’s a very interesting venue. I like it because it’s very intimate. In a more traditional art fair setting the ceilings are so high, the walkways are so wide, people tend to walk through and miss a lot of things because there’s almost too much. This is a nice venue because it’s intimate and you really can see everything. I like also that they’ve been selective about the galleries. All the galleries that you see here are galleries that are well established with artists that are all very recognizable, so you know what you’re coming to see. You’re coming to see a very high level of work, a very interesting crowd that are all collectors, you don’t have a lot of the “looky-loos”, people that are coming here are all qualified collectors,” said Evan Lurie, Evan Lurie Gallery.

“SeaFair is a beautiful location, the service is great, and it allows galleries to present their work in a very refined environment, so for me that’s very important. It shows off the art the way it should be,” remarked Paco, Butter Gallery.

IFAE has plans to return SeaFair to the popular port and bayside location for an art and design fair in March.

For more information on Miami International Art Fair – MIA 2013 visit mia-artfair.com.

For more information on the upcoming SeaFair schedule please visit expoships.com.