The Ultimate Guide to Aspen Art Week 2026

Every July, Aspen becomes the country’s most compelling destination for contemporary art. Museum exhibitions, gallery openings, performances, fairs, and benefit auctions transform the mountain town into a gathering place for artists, collectors, curators, and patrons, all against the gorgeous backdrop of the Rockies.

This year’s calendar is among the strongest yet. The Aspen Art Museum’s ambitious AIR festival returns with newly commissioned performances and installations by Matthew Barney, Camille Henrot, Lyle Ashton Harris, and more, while ArtCrush once again anchors the week with one of the country’s most important museum benefit galas. Add two art and design fairs, major exhibitions, and a full schedule of talks and performances, and it’s easy to see why so many Palm Beach collectors make the trip west each year.

Whether you’re planning your itinerary or looking to fill an afternoon between lunch and dinner, here’s our guide to Aspen Art Week 2026.

 

AIR
July 27–31

The Aspen Art Museum’s annual AIR festival has become the intellectual heart of Aspen Art Week. This year’s edition, Figures in a Landscape, brings together newly commissioned performances, talks, screenings, and installations by some of the most compelling voices in contemporary art, including Matthew Barney, Camille Henrot, Lucy Raven, Lyle Ashton Harris, Ivan Cheng, Kali Malone, and more. Spread across the museum and venues throughout town, it’s the event that sets the tone for the entire week.

 

 

 

Collector Camp
July 28-31

New this year, the Aspen Art Museum, in partnership with Art Basel, launches Collector Camp, a four-day program designed to demystify the contemporary art market for both new and experienced collectors. Available exclusively to Castle Peak and Maroon Peak members, the program brings together Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz, Global Director of Fairs Vincenzo de Bellis, Global Head of Collector and Institutional Relations Carly Murphy, alongside leading advisors, academics, and established collectors for intimate conversations, private collection visits, and exclusive access to select AIR and ArtCrush events. If you’re serious about collecting, there may be no better classroom in Aspen this week.

 

 

 

Intersect Aspen Art + Design Fair
VIP Opening Preview: Tuesday, July 28
Fair: July 28–August 1

Celebrating its 16th edition, Intersect Aspen returns to the Aspen Ice Garden with a curated presentation of modern and contemporary art from leading international galleries. Formerly known as Art Aspen, the fair has evolved under Intersect Art + Design into a multidisciplinary event that places equal emphasis on cultural programming and community engagement, with partnerships spanning the Aspen Art Museum, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Aspen Film, the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies, and other local institutions. The VIP Opening Preview on July 28 marks one of the first gatherings of Aspen Art Week. This year’s edition also includes the presentation of the Intersect Artist Awards honoring Paul Nicklen and Jay Kelly, along with a robust schedule of conversations, screenings, and special events throughout the week.

 

 

 

Aspen Art Fair
VIP Preview: Wednesday, July 29
Public Fair: July 30–August 1

Now in its third edition, the Aspen Art Fair has become a fixture of Aspen Art Week. Staged throughout the historic Hotel Jerome, the boutique fair brings together more than 35 international galleries in an intimate setting of purpose-built installations and hotel-room presentations. The VIP Preview on July 29 kicks off four days of exhibitions, talks, performances, screenings, and private events. Be sure to check out the fair’s robust public program. It’s also one of the easiest places all week to discover emerging artists, reconnect with dealers, and run into friends from Palm Beach and beyond before the weekend’s marquee events begin.

 

 

 

ArtCrush Gala & Christie’s Live Auction
Friday, July 31

The social centerpiece of Aspen Art Week, the Aspen Art Museum’s annual ArtCrush Gala returns for its 21st edition, chaired this year by Sarah Arison and Charlie Pohlad. The evening honors Adrián Villar Rojas, recipient of the 2026 Lewis Family Art Award, before culminating in Christie’s live auction of works donated by leading contemporary artists, including Villar Rojas, Camille Henrot, Xinyi Cheng, Kelly Akashi, Keith Mayerson, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Sayre Gomez.

If you’re arriving early in the week, don’t miss the opportunity to preview the works headed to the auction at the museum ahead of the gala, on view from July 14 through July 30. Presented in partnership with Christie’s, the auction raises critical funds for the museum while bringing together many of the art world’s most sought-after artists, galleries, and collectors.

 

 

 

Aspen Art Museum Exhibitions
Throughout Art Week

Between events, leave time to explore the museum itself. Adrián Villar Rojas‘s First Gods, Lost Animals transforms multiple floors of the building, while Arch Connelly: Straighten Your Wig and Pray revisits the exuberant work of the late influential East Village artist in his first museum survey. Before you leave, head to the rooftop for Kerstin Brätsch‘s colorful site-specific commission, Fossil Psychic Stone Mimicry (Aspen), created especially for the museum’s rooftop sculpture garden.