Once a year, Aspen becomes a high-altitude art capital thanks to Aspen Art Week, which returns on July 29 with a reinvigorated sense of purpose and an increasingly ambitious slate of programming that stretches across fairs, institutions and a constellation of luxury venues. Now in its fifteenth edition, Intersect Aspen Art + Design Fair will transform the Aspen Ice Garden into the city’s largest cultural canvas with more than forty exhibitors. Concurrently, the sophomore edition of the Aspen Art Fair will stage its 2025 takeover of the historic Hotel Jerome, reimagining sixteen guest rooms, the ballroom and the bar as immersive gallery spaces.
“I looked for months to find a venue that was appropriate,” Becca Hoffman, co-founder of the fair, tells Observer when we connect ahead of Aspen Art Week. Hoffman has a deep understanding of the local scene, having previously served as managing director of Intersect Aspen Art + Design from 2020 to 2023, guiding its pandemic-era online edition and three subsequent in-person iterations. In launching the Aspen Art Fair last year with Bob Chase, she set out to create a boutique, destination-driven experience designed to draw more people to the city while spotlighting its vibrant cultural scene.
By all accounts, she succeeded, which should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with her background. Hoffman brought with her a wealth of art fair know-how from her time leading the Outsider Art Fair. She was also the brains behind a series of nomadic, curated events at the intersection of art and design, including “Window and Couch” in Vienna, “INFLUENCERS” in Milan, “LA MER” in Marseille and “The Feast” in Singapore. But in Aspen, Hoffman has found the philanthropic backing that every art fair needs to grow and thrive. “We believe it’s a destination that continues to evolve, spark dialogue, stimulate intellect and advance creative narratives,” she says.
Aspen now boasts a vibrant and rapidly expanding local art scene—not only among collectors and dealers but also among the artists who’ve chosen to make the Roaring Fork Valley their home. This year, Hoffman and Chase curated a summer exhibition of Colorado-based artists at the Red Brick Art Center that offered a broad and timely look at the region’s creative output. According to Hoffman, community engagement has grown steadily since the fair’s launch. “We’re seeing new doors opening for our 2025 edition. I absolutely see it growing and evolving—there are more events, more people in town and a much deeper engagement with the arts overall.”
As part of the fair’s VIP program, a series of exclusive home tours will highlight the remarkable collections held by Aspen residents. During Aspen Art Week, visitors can also explore the Aspen Art Museum’s roster of exhibitions, including a sweeping survey of Sherrie Levine’s most iconic works in “Sherrie Levine: 1977–1988.” In this landmark presentation, the seminal Pictures Generation artist reckons with the possibilities and limitations of artistic production in the postmodern era. Alongside it, the psychologically intense, visceral investigations of materiality and the body by Italian artist Carol Rama are brought into focus in “Carol Rama: THE TONGUE, THE EYE, THE FOOT,” featuring works spanning from the 1930s to the 1970s. VIP guests will also be treated to an early viewing of “Solange Pessoa: Catch the sun with your hand,” a poetic meditation on the relationship between nature and the human body by the Brazilian artist.
One other highlight of the week is the museum’s marquee summer gala, ArtCrush, which has become one of the most successful and well-attended fundraising events in the country. This year’s edition, “Celestial Nights,” honors acclaimed artist Glenn Ligon, and with the help of auction partner Christie’s, aims to surpass last year’s record-breaking $4.5 million haul in support of the museum’s exhibitions, education programs and ambitious commissions.
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But back to the fairs. This year’s roster of exhibitors mounting booths at the Aspen Art Fair is twice as long as last year’s. Among the twenty new participants are blue-chip and internationally recognized galleries including Marianne Boesky (New York and Aspen), Sean Kelly (New York and Los Angeles), The Sunday Painter (London), Vielmetter (Los Angeles) and 193 Gallery (Paris, Venice, Saint-Tropez). “We love our Aspen community and are excited for the opportunity to present such a broad range of our program in one energetic week,” Boesky, who has maintained a permanent presence in Aspen since 2017, tells Observer. “The Aspen Art Museum is bringing incredible artists to town for the AIR Festival, and we are excited for the fair to add another layer to the art ecosystem here.” The gallery plans to rotate its booth daily, in sync with the summer’s characteristic intensity. “It’s always about squeezing in as much as you can while here!”
Notable international participants include Perrotin, Ronchini, SECCI, Galerie Gmurzynska and Southern Guild, who will mount booths alongside a strong contingent of U.S. galleries such as Carlye Packer, Palo Gallery, PATRON and Harper’s. Eduardo Secci, founder of SECCI gallery, sees Aspen as a strategic destination. “During that particular week, the city draws an extraordinary concentration of high-profile international collectors,” he says. His gallery is presenting a curated intergenerational dialogue between historical masterpieces—including works by Botero and Basquiat—and pieces by leading contemporary artists like Ugo Rondinone, Barry X Ball and Kevin Francis Gray.
From London, Ronchini Gallery returns to Aspen this year after skipping the previous edition. “Aspen is best known as one of the most charming ski destinations in the U.S., but in summer, it quietly transforms into a hub for collectors from across the country, drawn by the pleasant climate, welcoming atmosphere and outdoor lifestyle,” Ruben Tanzi, a sales associate with the gallery, tells Observer. “The Aspen Art Fair itself attracts a small but select audience. It’s a valuable opportunity for us to maintain close ties with collectors and meet new ones. Despite the growing importance of digital platforms, nothing replaces the experience of seeing and feeling the work in person.”
This year, the gallery will present works by key artists from their program, including Rebecca Ward, Paul Jenkins, Gianpietro Carlesso and Hap Tivey—a pivotal figure in California’s 1960s Light and Space movement. They will also showcase two works by Alice Baber and a striking 1958 Frank Stella from Jenkins’ personal collection.
“What brings international exhibitors to Aspen is the collector base—it’s knowledgeable, informed and genuinely curious,” Hoffman emphasizes. “Collectors here walk through the door and want to spend time building meaningful connections. The trade, the community, the conviviality of the fair experience, shaped by Aspen’s unique context, is what makes it so appealing to dealers.”
Also important is the fact that Aspen Art Week moves at a slower, more relaxed pace than most other art world gatherings across the country. “Aspen is such a small town that you might go for a morning hike and run into the same people you’ll later see at the fair, the music tent, a lecture at Anderson Ranch or sipping martinis at Civic Park,” Hoffman says. “It’s a tight, self-contained community, but also one that’s highly engaged. People are out and really want to take advantage of everything the town offers.”
In that spirit, the Aspen Art Fair has renewed its cultural partnership with the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies, organizing a series of VIP tours and special programming that highlight the enduring relationship between Herbert Bayer and the Hotel Jerome, the founding of the Aspen Institute and the beginnings of modern Aspen. The fair also continues its collaboration with the Aspen Art Museum, offering a robust slate of programming throughout the week.
This year, the Aspen Art Fair is also partnering with the Red Brick Center for the Arts, Aspen Film and Dance Aspen to extend its cultural presence across the valley. “For 2025, visitors can join in on studio‑style conversations and market panels, explore local collectors’ home tours, experience Aspen’s natural, alpine beauty and dive into its singular philanthropic spirit,” says Hoffman. “By weaving these experiences into the fabric of the city, one of the world’s most sought‑after luxury destinations, we’re creating a week-long immersive celebration of contemporary art.”
The Aspen Art Fair has quickly established itself as a must-visit convening on the international art and cultural circuit, asserts Chase, owner of Aspen’s Hexton Gallery and a longtime fixture in the local art ecosystem. A longtime Aspen resident, he also serves on the National Councils of both the Aspen Art Museum and Anderson Ranch Arts Center.
Even as the fair continues to grow and attract buyers from further afield, Hoffman remains focused on presenting a thoughtful, highly curated mix of contemporary art and design that spans emerging and established voices, with works from local, regional, national and international artists. Context is key.
Adding to the fair’s momentum this year is the increasingly robust Art Prize Program. Anderson Ranch Arts Center is offering a one-week residency that builds on the center’s legacy of hosting artists such as Catherine Opie, Theaster Gates, Julie Mehretu, Mickalene Thomas, Tom Sachs, Kenny Scharf and Ed Ruscha. New this year, the Mack Art Foundation will award one participating artist a four-week residency in New York in 2026, along with a separate acquisition prize. Additionally, The Pardon Collection will present a $10,000 acquisition award to a selected artist, while Buckhorn Public Arts, a local nonprofit, will commission a new public project from one of the fair’s artists to be realized in Aspen.
Aspen itself has, for Hoffman, become a brand. “The local nonprofit institutions now offer an incredible range of programming to visitors, and there’s a remarkable group of artists working in the area,” she explains. While she concedes that Aspen may never become a global art hub, she sees its power as a seasonal destination deeply rooted in community—but one that increasingly sustains cultural activity throughout the year. “We really try to embrace the town,” she added. “We believe an art fair should be part of the community, not just for the weekend, but for the entire year.”
Intersect Aspen Art + Design is yet another draw
The city’s first fair, Intersect Aspen Art + Design, is also building on the momentum of last year’s successful Art Week with one of its most expansive editions to date. With forty exhibitors confirmed, the fair (which also opens July 29) has reconfigured and expanded its floor plan to accommodate new presentations and audiences. This year’s edition centers the Intersect Educational Series at the heart of the action, with a compelling lineup of talks and programs led by world-renowned artists, curators and dealers that are designed to activate Aspen and its arts scene.
“We are thrilled to be celebrating the fifteenth year of our art fair in Aspen with the largest presentation of galleries, artists, artworks and cultural partners to date,” Tim von Gal, CEO of Intersect Aspen Art + Design, tells Observer. “This unparalleled roster of participants and programming is generating strong interest from Aspen’s extraordinary art community. With ticket sales tracking at a record pace, we’re preparing for a vibrant and memorable edition of the fair.”
The public programming will feature a broad range of artist participation, with panel discussions and events organized around timely themes at the intersection of art and community, including Art and the Aspen Community, Art and the Environment, Art and Social Consciousness, Art and Mental Health and Wellbeing and Art and Design.
Among the new exhibitors, Aspen’s 212GALLERY will make its debut with a focused presentation of work by Shepard Fairey. Best known for his iconic HOPE poster—now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery—and for more than 135 public murals worldwide, Fairey will also unveil a new large-scale mural at one of Aspen’s most visible intersections. Painted live during the week of July 20, the mural will transform the site into a striking visual landmark and one of the week’s standout highlights. The unveiling will take place at a public event and be followed by a series of cultural programs hosted by 212GALLERY in partnership with Studio Como and The Snow Lodge.
Jackson Fine Art will unveil a multimedia installation by Michael Stipe, the multifaceted artist, producer and former R.E.M. frontman. Through a combination of video, soundscape and sculpture, Stipe’s work at the fair will reveal a psychedelic visual universe that affirms his creative legacy well beyond music in his first-ever presentation in Aspen.
Donna Isham, an artist with deep ties to Colorado’s art community and a recent artist-in-residence at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, will debut a large-scale collaborative installation at Varvara Rosa Gallery. Co-created with her husband, acclaimed composer Mark Isham, the mixed-media work combines vibrant acrylics, fluid ink and graphite with an original soundscape, forming a kaleidoscopic, immersive experience designed to engage all the senses.
With a growing base of engaged local collectors, Intersect Aspen Art + Design now attracts both regional and international galleries. Among this year’s international participants are LEE & BAE from Busan, South Korea; Kendra Art, which operates between Kyiv and Birmingham, Michigan; Tel Aviv’s Corridor Gallery; and Piero Atchugarry Gallery, which maintains spaces in Miami and Garzón, Uruguay. “We’re excited to return to Aspen this year,” Atchugarry tells Observer. “Last year, we had the pleasure of reconnecting with longtime friends and collectors, and we’re looking forward to deepening those relationships while also engaging with Aspen’s vibrant collector community, many of whom call the city home, even if only for part of the year.” For its 2025 presentation, the gallery will stage a curated dialogue between contemporary artists from its roster—including Emil Lukas, Radenko Milak, Linda Kohen and Guillermo Garcia Cruz—and historical masters including Jesús Rafael Soto and Anthony Caro.
During the week, Maryam Eisler will also host a special presentation and book signing for her new collaborative work, WEST WEST, accompanied by a conversation with internationally recognized art world figures Carrie Scott and Heidi Zuckerman. “It’s going to be an exciting and action-packed week,” adds Von Gal.