ArtCrush Gala

ArtCrush, Aspen Art Museum’s signature summer gala and auction, returned in 2026 with an extraordinary lineup of artists contributing works. Each piece was generously donated by the artists and their galleries in support of the Museum’s mission and programming.

Curated in collaboration with the ArtCrush Gala Co-Chairs and advisors Mary Zlot and Bernie Lagrange, the auction brought together boundary-pushing talent from around the world. 

The Museum’s auction partner, Christie’s, conducted the live auction during the ArtCrush gala. All of the works were generously donated to the Museum by artists and galleries in support of the Museum’s artistic and educational programs. In celebration of the founding of the Aspen Art Museum by artists, the Museum again invited artists to retain a percentage of the value of their works for the third year in a row.
Nicola Lees, the CEO and Artistic Director of the Aspen Art Museum, welcomed guests to the ArtCrush gala on July 31, 2026. The gala celebrated artist Adrián Villar Rojas, recipient of the 2026 Lewis Family Art Award at the Aspen Art Museum.

About the Honoree

Adrián Villar Rojas was born in Rosario, Argentina, in 1980. He lives and works nomadically.

Recent solo exhibitions have been held at Art Sonje Center, Seoul (2025); The Tank, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (2022); The Bass, Miami (2022); Oude Kerk, Amsterdam (2019); TANK Shanghai, China (2019); The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles (2017); NEON at the National Observatory of Athens, Greece (2017); Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria (2017); and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (2017).

Participation in international group exhibitions includes A Time Between Ashes and Roses, Aichi Triennale (2025), Japan; Dance with Daemons, Fondation Beyeler, Basel (2024); New Directions May Emerge, Helsinki Biennial (2023); Chosen Memories: Contemporary Latin American Art from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Gift and Beyond, Museum of Modern Art, New York (2023); Portals, Hellenic Parliament + NEON, Athens (2021); Bruges Triennial, Belgium (2021); 12th and 13th Gwangju Biennales, South Korea (2018 and 2020); 2nd Lahore Biennale, Pakistan (2020); Dhaka Art Summit, Bangladesh (2020); Layers of Time, Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2019); 1st Riga Biennial, Latvia (2018); 12th and 14th Istanbul Biennials (2011 and 2015); 12th Havana Biennial (2015); 12th Sharjah Biennial, UAE (2015); Documenta 13, Kassel and Kabul (2012); The Ungovernables, New Museum Triennial, New York (2012); and the 54th Venice Biennale, Argentine Pavilion (2011).

Villar Rojas has been the recipient of numerous prizes, including the Konex Award (2012 and 2022); Sharjah Biennial Prize (2015); Prix Canson, Paris (2015); Zurich Art Prize at the Museum Haus Konstruktiv (2013); 9th Benesse Prize at the 54th Venice Biennale (2011); Nuevo Banco de Santa Fe Scholarship for Young Artists (2006); and the First Prize at the National Art Biennial of Bahía Blanca, Argentina (2005). In 2020 he was nominated for the Hugo Boss Prize.

His 2013 film, Lo que el fuego me trajo, screened at the Locarno Film Festival (2013). His 2017 film trilogy, The Theater of Disappearance, screened at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival (2017).