How PAMM became Miami’s beacon for Latin American and Caribbean art

Located in a striking Herzog & de Meuron building, PAMM’s inclusive programming opens up the contemporary narrative

‘I would like people to feel a connection to what they’re seeing, and to feel that art is not in some place that is very far from their experience.’ – Tobias Ostrander, Chief Curator at PAMM

At the Pérez Art Museum (PAMM), art, architecture, and nature blend into each other to create a unique public space overlooking Biscayne Bay. Founded in 1984, PAMM’s collection and program reflect Miami’s cultural dynamics, with a particular emphasis on art from the Caribbean, Latin America, and the African diaspora. The museum’s main mission, says Chief Curator Tobias Ostrander, ‘is to highlight the vicinity between the art it shows and the lives of its visitors.’

During Art Basel Miami Beach, three major exhibitions will be on view at PAMM: A retrospective of Miami-based painter Lynne Golob Gelfman’s subtle abstract paintings; an exploration of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s legendary installation Surrounded Islands, which the artist duo realized off the Miami coast in 1983; and Arthur Jafa’s acclaimed 2016 video Love is the Message, the Message is Death.