Art Basel Miami Beach celebrates its 10th birthday

Art Basel Miami Beach started off on Thursday with works of more than 2000 artists. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the art fair, the U.S. extension of the contemporary art fair held each June in Basel, Switzerland.

Superstorm Sandy almost kept roughly 50 New York City art galleries from participating in Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the world's most prestigious contemporary art fairs, officials said. New York's Chelsea gallery district is home to many of the 257 galleries participating in the main exhibitions that opened Thursday at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

The district was one of those areas hard hit when Superstorm Sandy blew into the Northeast in October with flood waters and high winds. Still, none skipped the four-day fair.

In conjunction with Art Basel, about two dozen other fairs also opened across Miami on Thursday with gimmicks that organizers hope will attract collectors, critics, charitable donors and partygoers.

A Bugatti has become a drivable painting, a menacing dog looms over a South Beach hotel and a scattering of Steinway pianos have been transformed by teams of artists for pop-up concerts. The Miami art season has developed into a see-and-be-seen event as luxury brands and celebrities have sponsored or been featured in an increasing number of independent fairs and exhibitions.

Julian Lennon,  the son of the late Beatles legend John Lennon has about a dozen landscapes in a show titled "Alone" at the Overture Art Fair. Lennon also exhibited his photography during the 2010 art fairs, and he was looking forward to enjoying Miami's social scene.

White Cube, London

Randy Polumbo: Love Stream 2, 2012, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York

impression: Art Positions

Mother's tankstation, Atsushi Kaga, Dublin