Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/601986
aspenpeak-magazine.com 149 Fine arts frontrunner Richard edwards, along with his late partner, Harley Baldwin, opened aspen's Baldwin gallery in 1994 to showcase art- ists of both national and international renown. Here, the 59-year-old englishman discusses aspen's ever-expanding art scene, and how town is attracting more art afi- cionados and collectors than ever before. What was the art scene like in town when you first opened, more than 20 years ago? There had been a few previous attempts to present interesting contemporary art in aspen, but by the time we opened, there was nothing much happening commercially that would attract collectors. They all bought elsewhere. How has the scene changed? it was always our goal that our program be viewed in a national and international context, as well as in a local one. aspen art buyers see work from galleries all over the world. They appreciate the vibrancy of the collecting world in aspen, but only buy here if the right work is available. The scene has changed in that there are now galleries that have risen to fill gaps in the market, such as to deal in multiples or in secondary market works. and there are tons of collectors here now. it became a lot more competitive when people were exposed to the fact that there was great art in the houses here. What can we expect from Baldwin Gallery this winter? We have a full winter schedule of great exhibi- tions, but our next show features new hyper-real- istic paintings and richly colored photographs from Marilyn Minter in the show "pretty/Dirty" (november 27 through December 21). minter is the subject of a touring museum retrospective currently at the museum of contemporary art in Denver, which then travels to other venues, including the Brooklyn museum of art. Her work is an investigation of glamour and beauty, which is perfect for aspen! 209 S. Galena St., 970-920-9797; baldwingallery.com One of the latest entries into the Aspen art scene, Gallery 1949—which most recently featured acclaimed shows from Abstract Expressionist Bernie Taupin (also the writer of many of Elton John's greatest hits), along with the three-dimensional, mixed-media assemblages of Hunt Rettig—will host solo exhibitions from two Latino artists this winter. First up is Fernando Al- lende (opening December 30 and running through January), a Mexican painter, singer, actor, and director whose colorful abstractions represent the major events that have shaped our collective history. During the month of February, works from Cuban-American artist Nelson De La Nuez , whose unique blend of Pop Art and surrealism created the movement known as "art juxtaposed," will take center stage. 402 S. Hunter St., 970-710-7138; gallery1949.com Gallery 1949 Portr ait of the Gallerist Baldwin Gallery Owner richard edwards reflects On 22 years Of art in aspen. Q+A Many of town's top-tier galleries are imports. Here, we take a look at the latest homegrown gallery making art waves in Aspen. $70M The total raised for the building and endowment of the Aspen Art Museum $2.5M Amount raised in one night during the museum's 2015 summer ArtCrush Beneft SpotligHt Rorschach by Marilyn Minter, 2011. + By The NumBers: