ArtCrush 2014 and the Opening of the Aspen Art Museum

Collectors Amy and John Phelan

ArtCrush 2014 and the Opening of the Aspen Art Museum

By PAUL LASTER, AUG, 2014

The Aspen Art Museum kicked off a four-day celebration for it’s new, 33,000-square-foot Shigeru Ban-designed building, which opens to the public on August 9, with its tenth annual ArtCrush Summer Benefit.

Museum directors, curators, collectors and artists got the party started on Wednesday night at WineCrush, the annual reception and dinner for art and wine lovers at the Aspen home of art patrons Amy and John Phelan.

Thursday evening saw preview receptions for the benefit auction lots at Baldwin Gallery and Casterline|Goodman Gallery in Aspen, followed by a dinner for AAM board members and lenders to the inaugural exhibitions at the new Aspen Art Museum.

The ArtCrush reception, dinner and auction—plus the presentation of the Aspen Art Award to Ernesto Neto—took place on Friday night on the grounds of the old museum building and inside a massive, decorated tent in Rio Grande Park, before revelers headed to AfterpartyCrush at Belly Up Aspen, where The Dolls performed.

A ribbon cutting for the new Aspen Art Museum took place on Saturday afternoon, with Shigeru Ban and Colorado governor John Hickenlooper joining AAM director Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson and board members for the ceremony.

Cai Guo-Qiang’s firework performance Black Lightning, which lit the skies above Aspen Mountain with black smoke, commemorated the event. Later in the day the galleries were opened to members and Shigeru Ban gave a walk-through a special exhibition of his Humanitarian Architecture.

Visitors viewed additional new exhibitions by Tomma Abts, Rosemarie Trockel, Jim Hodges, Cai Guo-Qiang and a show that paired works by David Hammons with Yves Klein, and then proceeded to the roof deck to enjoy refreshments while soaking up the amazing views of Aspen and its all-encompassing nature.

Aspen Art Museum CEO and director Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson

Guggenheim Museum curator Alexandra Munroe and artist Cai Guo-Qiang

Pritzker-prize winning architect Shigeru Ban

Collectors Bob and Nancy Magoon

Collector Toby Devan Lewis and Orange County Museum of Art curator Dan Cameron

Baldwin Gallery owner Richard Edwards

Collectors Gayle and Paul Stoffel

Aspen Art Museum curator Courtney Finn

Artist Ernesto Neto on one of his interactive sculptures

Model and actress Barbi Benton

Artist Ryan Gander and Lisson Gallery New York director Alex Logsdail

Dolce & Gabbana president Federica Marchionni, artist Marc Dennis and Dolce & Gabbana Aspen manager Annie Bal

Collectors Don and Mera Rubell

Artist Mickalene Thomas and Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Foundation president Joel Wachs

Artist Randy Polumbo

ArtCrush chairperson Amy Phelan and artist Fred Tomaselli

Carnegie Museum of Art's Heinz Architectural Center curator Raymund Ryan

Collectors Anna Hansen and Lance Armstrong

Sotheby's Vice Chairman Americas Anthony Grant

303 Gallery associate director Erika Weiss and University of Chicago curator Jacob Proctor

Artist Tony Feher

Financial adviser Bill Miller, artist Marilyn Minter , W Magazine editor Stefano Tonchi, and gallerist David Maupin

Collector Eugenio López

Collectors Rebecca and Marty Eisenberg

Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art director Janis Cecil Gardner

Collectors Adam Fields and Jenny Halegua

Artist and White Columns director Matthew Higgs and Frieze Magazine New York editor Dan Fox

Artist Richard Phillips and musician Liza Thorn

Expo Chicago director Tony and Body Balancing Pilates owner Sondra Karman