Art Basel Miami Beach events are ephemeral by nature. But the Tuesday, December 4, Basel-eve opening of La Galerie Bertin-Toublanc in the Design District is mere titillation, just  a taste of the avant-garde dishes to come, and stay.

The Miami arm of the renowned Parisian gallery, the 17,000 square foot space is devoted to collections that Armelle Bertin-Toublanc finds "profoundly human, but never cynical." She is drawn to international artists, such as Liu Bolin, Supkitch and Baba Andnd, who rely on contemporary material and find inspiration in everything from Swarovski crystals and Bollywood to graffiti and Daft Punk, yet who also rely on the eternal human condition: filled with conflict, lust and irony.

Thus a visit to the gallery is a witty and engaging journey as much as it is, however contemporary, also a timeless one.

2534 N. Miami Ave., Miami, www.galeriebertin.com