“Miami is somewhere between New York and Kansas City,” says Bill Brady. “It’s very international, has people coming and going, but you can sit in your backyard and do a whole lotta’ nothin’.” He would know: born in Kansas City, Brady studied painting and printmaking at Kansas City Art Institute. After attending the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, he moved to New York in 1993 and got his master’s at the School of Visual Arts. He opened ATM Gallery, which got about half its rent from the literal ATM installed in the front window.
A newcomer to Miami’s gallery scene—this is his second Basel show—Brady is intent on programming local artists at his Little River gallery, but also wants to bring in people he’s worked with. A recent show with Miami artist Kathryn Marks showcased her digitally manipulated pornographic images, psychedelically textured and demonic, while an exhibition of New York-based artist Ethan Cook displayed his calmly woven, minimalist abstractions.
Brady’s expansive interests were fomented while managing the JPMorgan Chase Manhattan Art Collection and working with the Guggenheim. This was a highly educational experience, and Brady is looking forward to functioning as a node for learning in Miami. Rather than scoffing at the college students attending a recent opening, he embraces them. “I feel like when you reach them, you’re reaching the beginning of a new idea,” Brady says. “They’re the next artists.”
