ASPEN ART MUSEUM REOPENS FOR MUSEUM-WIDE CELEBRATION OF ANDY WARHOL

Possession Obsession, a specially curated store conceived alongside the major retrospective exhibition, launches featuring contemporary artworks and special editions by acclaimed artists

AAM releases a special custom magazine published in partnership with Frieze, highlighting Warhol’s close connection to the Aspen region and the Museum

Museum concurrently opens new reimagined Rooftop Café

ASPEN, COLORADO (December 3, 2021) – The Aspen Art Museum (AAM) reopens today, December 3, 2021 for Andy Warhol: Lifetimes, a major international retrospective organized by Tate Modern and Museum Ludwig, Cologne in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Ontario and AAM. The exhibition, which focuses on the biographical underpinnings of Warhol’s practice and expands on lesser-known aspects of his work and persona, celebrates the artist and his enduring legacy. Accompanying the retrospective is the launch of Possession Obsession, a specially curated store conceived alongside the exhibition; a special publication created in partnership with Frieze, featuring essays by Frieze Associate Editor Terence Trouillot, Spike Art Magazine New York editor Dean Kissick, and Andrew Travers of the Aspen Times, as well as conversations with major Warhol patrons Jean and Marc Nathanson, among others; and the launch of the newly reimagined Rooftop Café led by Chef Brian Banister and Alex Fonseca.

 

Andy Warhol: Lifetimes

On view through March 27, 2022, the exhibition breaks new ground by casting a queer eye on the artist as an outsider and disruptor, who remade America’s image to resonate with his sensibility. Organized thematically with more than 200 of his works, Andy Warhol: Lifetimes serves as an encounter with Warhol’s output over the whole of his career, juxtaposing eras of the artist’s production in each gallery to propose connections among divergent bodies of work and gain insight into Warhol’s primary concerns.

In keeping with the Museum’s artist-centered approach, AAM invited artist Monica Majoli to re-conceptualize the staging of the exhibition from its previous iterations. The Aspen Art Museum’s presentation is structured to examine the artist’s life in parallel with his work, presenting them side by side to expand the public’s understanding of Warhol through biographical archival materials in tandem with artistic source materials and documentation of initial installations that return us to the foundations of the canonical works on display.

Exhibition organized by Tate Modern, London in collaboration with Museum Ludwig, Cologne, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto and Aspen Art Museum. Curated by Gregor Muir, Director of Collection, International Art and Fiontán Moran, Assistant Curator, Tate Modern; and Yilmaz Dziewior, Director and Stephan Diederich, Curator, Collection of Twentieth-Century Art, Museum Ludwig, Cologne.

Curated at Aspen Art Museum with archival and supplemental materials by Monica Majoli in collaboration with Nicola Lees, Nancy and Bob Magoon Director; Simone Krug, Assistant Curator; and the Aspen Art Museum team.

 

Warhol and Aspen

The exhibition at AAM continues a link between the artist and the city dating back to 1966, when Warhol came to present his work at the Aspen Institute. That same year, he designed and edited the third issue of Aspen Magazine (1965-71), creating a multimedia magazine-in-a-box. Over the years Warhol made the effort to ski Buttermilk Mountain and partied at Aspen’s beloved Andre’s Club, which he likened to Studio 54. At the Aspen Center for the Visual Arts (ACVA), the precursor to the Aspen Art Museum, Warhol’s work was featured in the Center’s inaugural exhibition in 1979 and was the subject of a solo show in 1984, which was Colorado’s last museum exhibition of Warhol’s work.

In conjunction with the exhibition, AAM will be a programming partner with the Powers Art Center in Carbondale, Colorado, which will present a complimentary presentation titled Warhol in Colorado: The Artist’s Relationship with John and Kimiko Powers. The exhibition will serve as a memorial to the life of influential collector John G. Powers, a former Aspen resident who became a longtime friend of Warhol in the early 1960s, as well as a patron and collector of Warhol’s work. Opening November 30, 2021, the presentation at the Powers Art Center highlights the social connections between the two, including works and memorabilia from Power’s private collection.

 

Possession Obsession

Possession Obsession is a specially curated store, conceived alongside and launching with the exhibition. Titled after John W. Smith’s book Possession Obsession: Andy Warhol and Collecting, the shop is inspired by Warhol’s practice as well as aspects of his work and persona, echoing themes that visitors will encounter in the exhibition. The store will offer additional insight into Warhol’s interests, tastes, and wider ideas of art, particularly his own interest in collecting and shopping at antique stores, galleries, and flea markets.

In this spirit, Possession Obsession brings together objects that playfully engage with associations between collecting and mass culture and cultural definitions of taste and kitsch. Items for sale range from animal balloons and stickers to tableware and clothing, through to fine leather shopping bags by Medea and contemporary artworks and special editions by acclaimed international artists including Keren Cytter, Goshka Macuga, Rob Pruitt, and Giles Round, among others.

 

Special Publication in Partnership with Frieze

To highlight Warhol’s close connection to the Aspen region and the Museum itself, AAM is pleased to present a 46-page supplement to Andy Warhol: Lifetimes with a custom magazine published in partnership with Frieze.

The magazine expands on themes explored in the exhibition including a conversation with exhibition curator Monica Majoli who discusses the importance Warhol holds for her as an artist and her approach to working on the exhibition. Other articles delve into Warhol’s image, both how he perceived himself and how he has been portrayed by others, and cast a light on less familiar areas of his practice, including his foray into the world of recipe books. The publication also features a collectors profile of longtime AAM supporters Jane and Marc Nathanson on their love of Aspen, approach to collecting, and their most treasured pieces by Warhol.

 

MUSEUM CONFIDENTIAL LIVE: Why Warhol Persists

On Saturday, December 4 at 2 PM on the Aspen Art Museum rooftop, the public is invited to join the Museum Confidential podcast for a lively, in-person discussion that begins with a seemingly simple question: Why does Andy Warhol persist? Host Jeff Martin will lead the discussion with Nancy and Bob Magoon Director Nicola Lees, artist and AAM Curator at Large Monica Majoli, and Assistant Curator Simone Krug. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged at aspenartmuseum.org.

Established in 2017, Museum Confidential is a behind-the-scenes look at museums hosted by Jeff Martin of the Philbrook Museum of Art and produced by Scott Gregory with Public Radio Tulsa. The co-production is distributed through National Public Radio’s NPR.org and the globally accessible NPR One app.

 

Rooftop Café

The Rooftop Café at the Aspen Art Museum will open for service on December 3, 2021, coinciding with the start Andy Warhol: Lifetimes, and will be led by Chef Brian Banister and Alex Fonseca, Food and Beverage Director. Formally joining the museum’s staff as the in-house culinary team, Banister and Fonseca have developed a unique concept for the museum that will work closely with nearby farms and community partners in a setting with sweeping 360-degree mountain views and premier outdoor art installations.

In addition to the new dining service, the museum will continue to operate The Slippery Slope, a functioning sculpture by Los Angeles-based artists Adam Stamp that serves as a bar on the AAM Rooftop. Built and conceived at the end of 2020, The Slippery Slope is poised to be the spot for Aspen après-ski in 2021–22. The bar features natural wines and specialty cocktails made with liquors generously provided by Woody Creek Distillers.

Cafe service hours will coincide with the museum’s schedule, Tuesday through Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM. In addition, there will be a focus on après from 3 PM to 6 PM, including an après food menu and activation of The Slippery Slope. The rooftop at the Aspen Art Museum features unique spaces made possible by the generous support of the museum’s donors. These include the Andrea and James Gordon Café, the Maria and Bill Smithburg Independence View, the Gayle and Paul Stoffel Rooftop Foyer, and the Bluhm-Kaul-Nessier Roof Deck Sculpture Garden.

 

ABOUT THE ASPEN ART MUSEUM

Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in 1979, the Aspen Art Museum is a globally engaged non-collecting contemporary art museum. Following the 2014 opening of the museum’s facility designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban, the AAM enjoys increased attendance, renewed civic interaction, and international media attention. In July 2017, the AAM was one of ten institutions to receive the United States’ National Medal for Museum and Library Services for its educational outreach to rural communities in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley and its learning partnerships with civic and cultural partners within a 100-mile radius of the museum’s Aspen location.

 

Museum hours

Tuesday–Sunday, 10 AM–6 PM

Closed Mondays

 

AAM will offer timed entry for Andy Warhol: Lifetimes. The Museum strongly suggests that visitors reserve a time slot in advance. AAM will accommodate walk-ins depending on capacity.

Additional ticketing information for Warhol events and the most up-to-date details on COVID-19 protocols, please refer to the museum website. Visit the AAM online at aspenartmuseum.org.

Admission to the AAM is free courtesy of Amy and John Phelan. The AAM is grateful for additional support and a suggested donation of $25.00 will be welcome at the door.

Members are an important part of the AAM community. Membership advances the AAM’s mission to present the newest, most important evolutions in international contemporary art. Membership levels begin at $50 for an Individual Membership. Members can enjoy access to the opening reception on December 2 as well as priority registration to select events surrounding the exhibition. For more information, please visit https://www.aspenartmuseum.org/join/membership.

Major support for Andy Warhol: Lifetimes is provided by Jane and Marc Nathanson.

Additional support is provided by the generosity and participation of the Warhol Exhibition Circle.

AAM exhibitions are made possible by the Marx Exhibition Fund. General exhibition support is provided by the Toby Devan Lewis Visiting Artist Fund. Additional support is provided by the AAM Board of Trustees and National Council. 

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