The Art Hotel, the Sagamore Collection, South Beach

The Sagamore Collection

While the acquisition of all forms of art is a constant for the Sagamore, recently a special emphasis has been placed on collecting Video Art, with the goal of turning the Sagamore into a renowned venue for video artists throughout the world. To broaden the recognition of this art medium, we have been working to create an annual video competition to be judged by major museum and art institution representatives. To this end, we've been working closely with the Lincoln Center in New York City, who will also soon exhibit a video art collection.
Art videos are essentially mini-movies, often written, produced, directed by and starring the artists. Art videos often seek to convey a message about society, its people, events or quirky items of interest, and in doing so they push creative boundaries to make truly unique pieces.

The Art Hotel
The Sagamore Hotel has evolved into "The Art Hotel" due to its extensive private rotating art gallery, personally overseen and privately owned by Cricket and Marty Taplin, proprietors of the hotel. The Sagamore Collection is a showcase of contemporary art, including oils, acrylics, water colors, photography and mixed media sculptures by nationally recognized and world-renown artists. The Taplins have spent over 15 years assembling this unique collection, featuring artists from, among other places, the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden and Norway.
The majority of the art in at The Sagamore Hotel is purchased through recognized, reputable art galleries from around the world and many of the artists featured in The Sagamore Collection have their works displayed in museums and other important private collections. Rarely are works purchased directly from an artist. It is through the owners' confidence in these galleries together with the curator's eye and knowledge of the market that this collection has evolved.

The curator of The Sagamore Collection is Christine "Cricket" Taplin, one of the owners of the hotel.
Video Interview from The Art Newspaper with Cricket Taplin
Cricket Taplin, co-owner of Miami's so called 'Art Hotel' acts as curator for the large collection of works which adorn the walls and public areas of the Sagamore Hotel.
In this interview, Cricket talks about how she began collecting with the help of her husband's best friend, Martin Margulies and how her tastes have evolved to create such a diverse collection.
Interview by Jean Wainwright