Last Friday evening in Aspen, Colorado, the Aspen Art Museum (AAM) held its 15th annual ArtCrush gala—the culmination of a three-day fundraising event for the museum, presented with support from J.P. Morgan, Southern Glaszer’s Wine and Spirits, and Sotheby’s. Held at the Buttermilk ski area, the night’s festivities included a live and silent auction and dinner, set within exquisite tents designed by STONEFOX, whose take on a “Heavenly Rapture” theme was inspired by the work of artist and event honoree, Lisa Yuskavage.
At the start of the night, guests like Marianne Boesky, Robert Casterline and Jordan Goodman, Eleanore and John Ceriale, Anne Ellgood, Bettina Korek, Alex Israel, and Hans-Ulrich Obrist mingled over drinks while browsing a silent auction. Following the cocktail hour and silent sale, partygoers made their way into the dinner and live auction tent, which glowed with purple lighting and table centerpieces reminiscent of intricate still lifes.
Fred Tomaselli, Soo Sunny Park, Marc Dennis, Ken Solomon, Nir Hod, Rodney McMillian, Heidi Zuckerman, Gisela Colon, Mickalene Thomas, and Oscar Murillo ©Zack Whitman for BFA
Courtesy of Aspen Art Museum.
Event chair Amy Phelan took the stage, introducing CEO and Director of Aspen Art Museum Heidi Zuckerman, and AAM leadership Nancy and Bob Magoon, who proceeded to award Lisa Yuskavage with the 2019 Aspen Award for Art.
Hosting the live auction for the eighth consecutive year, Sotheby’s Senior Director Oliver Barker presented works for sale by artists like Jennifer Allora & Guillermo Calzadilla, Urs Fischer, Dahn Vo, Nari Ward, John Armleder, and Rashid Johnson. The auction (sponsored by Artsy) also featured top selling paintings like Sam Gilliam’s Focus III and Yuskavages 2017 work Merlot.
Oliver Barker ©Zack Whitman for BFA
Courtesy of Aspen Art Museum.
After a successful evening—yielding $2.3 million in funds for the museum—guests were transported to BellyUp Aspen for AfterPartyCrush, where they danced into the morning hours, accompanied by a lively DJ set from Bloom Twins.
