When a tech entrepreneur who favors Patagonia jackets and sneakers told San Francisco dealer Claudia Altman-Siegel he was headed to the Swiss art fair Art Basel, she had some advice: "I was like, 'No one's going to be nice to you if you're not dressed up, '" she said.

WSJ: Art's New High-Tech Patrons

It worked: Chicago dealer Kavi Gupta took one look at the towering wooden "thrones" that Gates started building and agreed to take a group to the country's pre-eminent art fair, Art Basel Miami Beach, in 2009.

WSJ: The Artist Next Door | Innovator of the Year 2012 Art

Thousands of art enthusiasts will flock to Miami from 2 to 5 December during the ninth run of Art Basel Miami Beach (the sister event of the 41-year-old Art Basel fair which takes place in Switzerland every June).

BBC: Uncovering treasures at Art Basel Miami Beach