New York Art Collectors Head West for ArtCrush Summer Benefit Gala at the Aspen Art Museum

Next week, over 300 of the world’s top art collectors, wine connoisseurs, artists, gallery owners, museum directors, curators, and global business leaders will head to Aspen for three days of events to celebrate the Aspen Art Museum’s 7^th annual ArtCrush summer benefit gala. ArtCrush and related events, WineCrush, PreviewCrush, and AfterpartyCrush, will be held August 3rd-5th, with the main ArtCrush Gala taking place on Friday August 5th, featuring the presentation of the 2011 Aspen Award for for Art to internationally renowned artist Roni Horn.  Friday’s event will also include a seated dinner followed by a live auction of one-of-a-kind works by such esteemed artists as David Altmejd, Richard Avedon, Huma Bhaba, Mark Manders, Mickalene Thomas, AAM exhibiting artist Stephen Shore, Cathy Wilkes and others, conducted by Sotheby’s principal auctioneer and Worldwide Head of Contemporary Art Tobias Meyer.

In addition, special ArtCrush-related events precede the Friday gala, beginning with wineCRUSH, hosted annually by John and Amy Phelan in their contemporary Aspen home and featuring the couple’s cutting-edge art collection. The remarkable limited-attendance evening features wine and food presented by master sommeliers led by Jay Fletcher who guides guests through rare vintages and pairings.

PreviewCrush is a cocktail reception held at Aspen’s Baldwin Gallery and hosted by gallery owner Richard Edwards, that allows guests to preview both live and silent auction offerings to be auctioned off at the main ArtCrush gala.

2011 Aspen Award for Art Honoree Roni Horn

For more than thirty years, artist Roni Horn has made work that combines conceptual rigor and formal beauty, often exploring issues of gender, identity, and the complex relationship between object and subject. Horn works in a variety of media, including photography and sculpture, creating intricate relationships between the viewer and her work by installing a single piece on opposing walls, in adjoining rooms, or throughout a series of buildings. Many works are composed of pairs, multisided parts, or series that invite comparison between their elements. The diversity of Horn’s works reflects her ongoing exploration of how one’s identity and memory can be as changeable and fleeting as flowing water, weather, and time.

Past recipients of the Aspen Award for Art include artists Marilyn Minter (2010), Fred Tomaselli (2009), Ed Ruscha (2008), Jim Hodges (2007), Tony Feher (2006), and Richard Tuttle (2005).

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011 (AT CAPACITY)

WineCrush

Presented by Sotheby’s and hosted by Amy and John Phelan in their Aspen Home.

6:00pm | Cocktails & 7:00pm | Dinner

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2011

PreviewCrush – Baldwin Gallery, Aspen (209 South Galena Street)

Public cocktail reception previewing ArtCrush live auction lots.

6:00pm – 8:00pm | Preview and Cocktails

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2011 (AT CAPACITY)

ArtCrush – Aspen Art Museum Grounds

Presented by Sotheby’s and sponsored by NetJets and Southern Wine and Spirits.

6:00pm | Cocktails, Silent Auction, and Wine Tasting

8:00pm | Seated Dinner, Presentation of the Aspen Award for Art, and Live Auction

AfterPartyCrush – Syzygy City (308 E. Hopkins)

Incredible dance party featuring a sponsored bar and musical entertainment by celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson.

10:00pm – 2:00am | DJ spun music and open bar

For more information call 970-925-8050 or visit online

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