This week in Aspen, the fourth annual Aspen Art Week kicks off, reveling in the groundbreaking institution’s 45th anniversary. Spearheaded by Nicola Lees, the Nancy and Bob Magoon Director of the Aspen Art Museum, the sweeping program takes place through August 3, featuring scintillating artist performances, live events, and conversations alongside must-see exhibitions.
Singular encounters include a dialogue between visionary painters Allison Katz and Jacqueline Humphries, a melodic duet unfolding on the rooftop of the museum with Alicia Hall Moran and Jason Moran, as well as a spirited performance by Ryan Trecartin. The week’s annual ArtCrush Auction and Gala, newly partnering with Christie’s, is sure to be a lively experience on August 2, rejoicing in the momentous 10th anniversary of the captivating museum building designed by architect Shigeru Ban. This year three pivotal creatives will be honored by Aspen Art Museum, including Ban, Humphries, and Jason Moran, sparking an especially festive iteration of Aspen Art Week.
Jason Moran performing at Aspen ArtWeek 2024, courtesy of Aspen Art Museum.
Rejoicing in 45 Years of Collaboration, Transformation, and Imagination
“For this special anniversary edition of Aspen ArtWeek, we are building upon what a visionary group of artists initiated 45 years ago—an experimental institution nestled in the mountains to celebrate and respond to the greatest creators working today,” said Lees. Our honorees, artist Jacqueline Humphries, architect Shigeru Ban, and artist and composer Jason Moran, exemplify the pursuit of collaboration, transformation, and imagination that are at the heart of this institution. The new, expanded group of co-chairs has supported this work, enabling us to be a creative haven of innovation envisioned nearly half a century ago and going stronger than ever today.”
“We are building upon what a visionary group of artists initiated 45 years ago,”
— Nicola Lees
Courtesy of Himali Singh Soin, David Tappesser, and Aspen Art Museum.
Exploring the Intimate Relationship Between Painting and Sound
At its heart this year, Aspen ArtWeek calls attention to the intrinsic link between painting and sound, beginning with a ravishing welcome party hosted by Bottega Veneta with beats to dance by DJ Cardamami.
Live performances delve into this unique voyage through sonic artistry, including Trecartin’s AUDIENCE PLANT 2024, which brings together Aspen Music School students and collaborative voices Lizzie Fitch and Ashland Mines. In this unique show unfolding on August 1, in partnership with Aspen One, music created with the assistance of digital software evolves into a live orchestra of avant-garde contemporary prowess.
On August 2, the Aspen Art Museum will brim with the tranquil melodies of multidisciplinary artist Himali Singh Soin beside composer David Tappesser, interweaving poetry and gong percussion for astounding and meditative effect.
Ryan Trecartin’s “AUDIENCE PLANT 2024,” courtesy of the artist and Aspen Art Museum.
Discover Allison Katz’s “In the House of the Trembling Eye”
This sunny season’s exhibition highlight at the museum is titled “In the House of the Trembling Eye,” organized by the imaginative London-based Allison Katz, with research and concept development by the artist and Stella Bottai, Senior Curator at Large. The group exhibition ebbs and flows throughout the institution, created in partnership with the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, and impresses with more than 100 objects and works of art.
Juxtaposing personal collections of Aspen art collectors, Katz’s own new investigations, as well as the creations of more than 50 artists such as Gertrude Abercrombie, Lisa Yuskavage, Damien Hirst, Herbert Bayer, Anish Kapoor, Rashid Johnson, and Bharti Kher, an immersive presentation is in store for visitors. A noteworthy series of frescoes derived from Pompeii joins the show, sparking mesmeric dialogue on global art experiences in the private and public realms.
Installation view: “In the House of the Trembling Eye,” an exhibition staged by Allison Katz, Aspen Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Daniel Perez.
The exhibition design by Katz and Caitlin Tobias Kenessey is of equal importance, embedding the arrangement of an ancient Pompeian domus into three floors of the Aspen Art Museum, inviting guests on a surreal voyage of paintings through bespoke architecture and dramatic vistas, invoking history, emotion, and memory into every corner of the presentation.
“Painting is for me a call and response, a question posed across time, techniques, and traditions to see who and what answers,” said Katz. “Because at its core, painting is a conversation.”
Installation view: “In the House of the Trembling Eye,” an exhibition staged by Allison Katz, Aspen Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Daniel Perez.
