It's art season in the Miami area.

Art Basel Miami Beach and about two dozen other independent art fairs open Thursday. Tens of thousands of people are expected through Sunday at the fairs throughout Miami and South Beach.

The international art fair is an offshoot of a big European festival, Art Basel in Switzerland. It runs through Sunday.

Art Basel officials say Superstorm Sandy almost kept some New York City galleries from participating this year. About 20 percent of the 257 galleries showing work in Art Basel Miami Beach's main hall are from New York's hard-hit Chelsea gallery district.

Art Basel director Marc Spiegler says some of the Chelsea galleries just had minor water damage. Others lost everything they had in storage. However, none chose to skip the prestigious contemporary art fair.