ML - Aspen Peak

2014 - Issue 1 - Summer

Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak

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N oting "the excitement of discovery" when collecting contemporary art, Melva Bucksbaum—curator, author, Aspen Institute board member, and philanthropist—relied upon instinct and a cultivated eye to develop the private art collection that spawned her curatorial debut, "The Distaff Side." A reference to traditional feminine work domains, the word "distaff" speaks to an exhibition of paintings, photography, sculpture, and video by more than 100 female artists. "I just bought work that I thought was strong," says Bucksbaum. "It was never my intention to buy works spe- cifically by female artists." Over time, these works emerged as her favorites. Following two curated shows by her husband, author Raymond Learsy (since 2003, the couple has been consistently listed among the globe's top 200 collectors by Artnews), at the Granary, their private exhibition space in Litchfield County, Connecticut, Bucksbaum decided to explore the ties between these gender-specific works while tracing the larger evolution of the feminine mystique in contemporary art. "When I started out collecting," she says, "women artists were underrecognized and underappreciated. [Now] I've witnessed the significant impact that women artists have made—Cindy Sherman, Agnes Martin, and Louise Bourgeois, among so many others." When "The Distaff Side" proved successful, a book would be next. The result- ing clothbound catalog by the same name "has been a wonderful way to document the project and give recognition that artists in the exhibition rightly deserve," she adds. A recent lecturer at the Aspen Institute, Bucksbaum led an insightful art talk, explaining, "Many who attended the discussion were art collector friends, yet how often do we discuss our philosophies of collecting?" Bucksbaum was first introduced to the Valley in the 1960s by her late- husband Martin's brother and sister-in-law, longtime Aspen residents Matt and Kay Bucksbaum. She eventually purchased her house in 1996. She says, "As soon as I alight from a plane landing in Aspen, I am always wel- comed by the scent of the ponderosa pines and clean fresh air, and I know I am home." The Aspen Institute, 970-925-7010; aspeninstitute.org AP The Uncanny Curator ART AFICIONADO MELVA BUCKSBAUM CURATES HER FIRST EXHIBITION, "THE DISTAFF SIDE." BY SUE HOSTETLER PHOTOGRAPHY BY KARL WOLFGANG Melva Bucksbaum has been inspired by the natural and artistic beauty of Aspen since the 1960s. 72 ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM VIEWS FROM THE TOP 062-072_AP_SP_VFT_V3_SUM_FALL_14.indd 72 5/7/14 3:25 PM

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