Art Basel Celebrates Miami's Leading Ladies of Glamour

Kicking off on December 1, Art Basel Miami welcomes all to "La Force de Femmes au Naturel" (The Power of Natural Women), a new exhibition featuring portraits by Artist Henry Perez. The event benefits The Sabrina Cohen Foundation For Individuals Living with Paralysis (SCF), and is being held at the Mayfair Hotel & Spa Miami.

"These are the most inspiring and beautiful women I am blessed to know," said the artist Henry Perez. The women span in age from their early 20s to nearly 80, representing a wide variety of races and ethnicities. The series is a culmination of over a year's worth of photo-shoots.

The celebration features portraits taken by Miami artist Perez of "Miami's Leading Ladies of Glamour" at some of the area's most iconic cultural locations: Wynwood, Coconut Grove, the Miami Design District, South Beach's Art Deco District, Coral Gables and Little Havana.

The exhibition is titled "La Force de Femmes au Naturel" (The Power of Natural Women) and features fifty of Florida's fabulous females without any retouching or photo-shop (au naturel!), honoring the spirit and power of women leaders who make a difference in the community, like Sabrina Cohen.

The exhibition features 128 artworks (25 portrait prints plus a projection installation of all of the images), and will remain on view for the public at the Mayfair Hotel throughout Art Basel Week. All portraits were shot in black-and-white, and have not been retouched or photo-shopped in any way to preserve the natural beauty of the subjects.

"These women all influenced their surroundings and the style and energy of their individual photo-shoots," said Perez. "I wanted them to all feel totally comfortable and at ease, while I captured their natural spirit and force of energy as women who contribute to Miami's community."

Proceeds from the raffling of specially framed artwork from the show and a silent auction will benefit SCF, the non-profit organization that advocates for research and quality-of-life health initiatives, dedicated to building a global network of top scientists and clinicians in the field of Regenerative Medicine, while funding cutting-edge research and innovative therapies to reverse paralysis and treat other impairments of the Central Nervous System.

"We are honored that the Mayfair Hotel has selected the Sabrina Cohen Foundation for its Art Basel Week kickoff event this year," said Sabrina Cohen, founder of the organization. "Partnering with one of Miami's most iconic hotel landmarks, and with one of Miami's most beloved photographers Henry Perez, is a winning combination for Art Basel Week in Miami."

Born and raised in Miami Beach, Sabrina endured a severe C3-5 spinal cord injury in 1992 at the age of 14 from a car accident. She has been confined to a wheelchair ever since.

In 2006, she established the Sabrina Cohen Foundation to educate the public about the cause and raise funds for research. She has lectured at educational and scientific conferences, including at Harvard University, Stanford University, Baylor College of Medicine at the University of Texas, University of Michigan and at the United Nations.

The exhibition is held at the iconic Mayfair Hotel in Coconut Grove, the only Gaudi-inspired boutique hotel in the United States. The architectural gem feels like walking into a living, breathing work of art. Handcrafted elements were custom designed by artisans who broke each mold after installing one-of-a-kind sculptural creations.

"The Mayfair Hotel is proud of our ongoing initiatives to support Miami's arts and culture," said the General Manager Axel Gasser. "The Mayfair Hotel's Art Basel kick-off happens every year on the Monday of Art Basel Week, and this season we are thrilled to showcase artist Henry Perez and The Sabrina Cohen Foundation for Individuals Living with Paralysis."

"La Force de Femmes au Naturel" will be held at through Dec. 7 at the Mayfair Hotel & Spa Miami, 3000 Florida Ave., Miami. For information, visit https://www.artbasel.com/miami-beach or http://www.mayfairhotelandspa.com/about-us/