Must-see art calendar highlights for 2011

Art-lovers will want to spend the year trotting around the globe to attend the events on this list of the world's major art events. Expect to see artists explore the use of cutting-edge technology within their work and art fairs focus on new curatorial experiences.

35th Sydney Festival
January 8-30
Various locations
Sydney, Australia

The Sydney Festival is Australia's largest summer festival. With its more than one million visitors, it outshines Australia's other arts festivals, including the Perth International Arts Festival, the Brisbane Festival and the Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts. It has been running since 1977 and aims to showcase local and international talent while at the same time celebrating Australian culture. More than 1,500 artists in the fields of dance, theater, music, visual arts, and cross media platforms will be involved in the 2011 Sydney Festival. Most events are free to the public.
http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/


30th ARCO Madrid
February 16-20
Feria de Madrid
Madrid, Spain

The 30th edition of the Spanish-based arts festival aims to provide a truly global perspective on modern art and emerging creative expression. Around 180,000 visitors will travel to the festival to view cutting-edge contemporary works. Twelve of the Fair's 160 galleries hail from Russia in 2011 as part of the event's FOCUS RUSSIA program. Other noteworthy Spanish art events include PHotoEspaña, ArtFutura, Loop and Swab.
http://www.ifema.es/ferias/arco/default_i.html


12th Armory Arts Week
March 3-6
Various locations
New York City, USA

Centered around the Armory Show (New York's biggest art fair), Armory Arts Week has become an international institution that involves artists, galleries, collectors, critics and curators from around the world. Armory Arts Week has been running for 12 years and draws a healthy crowd of around 60,000 international and local visitors. Concurrent art fairs in 2010 included the ADAA Art Show, Volta NY, Independent, Pulse, Scope, Dutch Art Now, Red Dot, Fountain, Pool, Korean Art show and Verge.
http://www.armoryartsweek.com/


45th ART COLOGNE
April 13-17
Cologne-Deutz Exhibition Centre
Cologne, Germany

Two hundred leading local and international galleries will showcase classical 20th century art, post-war art and contemporary art at the 45th edition of Art Cologne. Hailed as the world's oldest international art fair, Art Cologne is all about "looking at art, discovering art, buying art." Art Cologne is the most prominent contemporary art fair in Germany and is a must-see event in Germany's art calendar along with Art.Fair 21, Art Forum Berlin, and the Fine Art Fair Frankfurt. Roughly 60,000 people are expected to attend Art Cologne in 2011.
http://www.artcologne.com/


15th CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival
May
Various locations
Toronto, Canada

CONTACT is the world's largest annual photography event. It attracts more than 1,500,000 visitors each year. The month-long festival is organized in collaboration with galleries throughout Toronto and is comprised of exhibitions, public installations, lectures, films and events. The festival aims to help audiences explore how photography informs and transforms our experience of the world. Additional photography events in 2011 include PHotoEspaña, Les Rencontres d'Arles, the New York Photo Festival, Photo London, Paris Photo and the Hereford Photography Festival.
http://www.contactphoto.com


14th PHotoEspaña
June 1 - July 24
Various locations
Madrid, Spain

PHotoEspaña is Europe's answer to Canada's CONTACT photography festival. This major international annual photography and visual arts festival attracted more than 700,000 visitors in 2010 and has become the most popular cultural event in Spain. The 14th edition of PHotoEspaña will be curated by Havana-based independent critic, curator and art historian Gerardo Mosquera.
http://www.phe.es/festival/


54th Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition
June 4 - November 27
Various locations
Venice, Italy

The 54th International Art Exhibition will once again take place in Venice under the guise of the Venice Biennale. Since it was founded in 1895, the Venice Biennale has been synonymous with avant-garde and new artistic trends. For over 100 years it has promoted contemporary art through its organization of international events and has become one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. The International Art Exhibition is second only to Documenta - an exhibition that takes place once every five years. A record 375,700 people visited the Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition in 2009.
http://www.labiennale.org/en/art/index.html


42nd Art Basel
June 15-19
Messe Basel, Messeplatz
Basel, Switzerland

Art Basel is heralded as the world's premier international art show for modern and contemporary art. Works from more than 2,500 artists - from the great masters of modern art to fresh-faced contemporaries creating the trends of tomorrow - will be shown at the 42st edition of Art Basel in 2011. 62,500 people attended Art 41 Basel. The American leg of the art fair, Art Basel Miami Beach is also one of the most keenly-attended events on the international art calendar.
http://www.artbasel.com


19th Art Taipei
August 26-29
Taipei World Trade Center
Taipei, Taiwan

Now in its 19th year, Art Taipei is the longest-standing art fair in Asia. It touts itself as the most professional Art Fair dealing in Chinese art and a hot-spot for international collectors looking to invest in young Asian artists. Approximately 50,000 people attended Art Taipei in 2010. Asia is home to a long list of "international" art fairs in 2011 including Art Hong Kong, Art Singapore, Art Tokyo, the Korean International Art Fair, Beijing Contemporary Art Fair, and ShContemporary.
http://www.art-taipei.com


38th FIAC
October 20-23
Grand Palais & Cour Carrée, Louvre Museum
Paris, France

Started in 1974, this famous contemporary Art Fair showcases the best in modern and contemporary art and is one of the leading launch-pads for up-and-coming artists. Artworks ranging from electronic arts through painting, sculpture, installations, soundworks and conceptual art will be showcased alongside large-scale outdoor projects. FIAC attracts around 80,000 visitors each year. Fringe fairs Slick, Show Off, Cutlog and Art Elysées will be accompanied by a host of events, performances and gallery openings taking place in Paris during FIAC.
http://www.fiac.com


10th Art Basel Miami Beach
December 1-4
Miami Beach Convention Center
Miami, FL, USA

As the sister event of Switzerland's Art Basel, the "most prestigious art show worldwide for the past 41 years," Art Basel Miami Beach is an event firmly fixed on every art-collector's calender. In 2010 over 250 leading art galleries showcased artworks from more than 2,000 artists and a record 46,000 people attended the show. The prestigious event is now in its 10th year and functions as a space for showcasing the crème de la crème of contemporary art and as a social networking event for the who's who of the American art scene. A range of exhibitions, special events and parties will be held in conjunction with Art Basel Miami Beach including Design Miami, Art Miami, the Scope Art Show, and Aqua Art.
http://www.artbaselmiamibeach.com