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.
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.”