By Andra Zeppelin
Photography by David Marlow
Aspen was founded on art as much as it was skiing: Charles Eames, Andy Warhol, and Roy Lichtenstein are just a few of the notable talents who were drawn to the mountain town’s natural beauty and creative energy. For two decades, Aspen One has continued to foster an artistic community through Art in Unexpected Places (ArtUP). First established as a collaboration with the Aspen Art Museum, the program has brought contemporary works to Aspen Snowmass in ways both surprising (using lift tickets as canvases) and accessible (outdoor sculptures).
Last summer, Aspen One announced a comprehensive art initiative that will expand ArtUP and refresh works across multiple Aspen One properties. The Little Nell alone currently exhibits 26 newly acquired artworks by 13 contemporary artists. Highlights include Richard Serra’s monumental Hitchcock II and Hitchcock III, produced in 2024, at the end of his life; Ed Ruscha’s enigmatic Mysteries (2021), which superimposes the work’s title over a crimson canvas (Ruscha is also this year’s lift ticket artist); and Robert Rauschenberg’s collage-like Daydream (Speculations), (1997), which evokes a sense of fragmented memory.
The convergence of world-class art and first-class hospitality creates a truly unrivaled alpine experience, says Michael Miracle, Aspen One’s vice president of community engagement: “We believe that the visceral, riotous fun of skiing can exist alongside something more contemplative and thoughtful.”