Aspen Art Museum

I rarely leave negative reviews, but my experience at the Aspen Art Museum was surprisingly unpleasant. The front desk staff came across as openly unhappy to be there — curt, unwelcoming, and giving off the strong impression they’d rather be anywhere else. It set a sour tone before I even stepped into the exhibits. For a place meant to inspire creativity and curiosity, the lack of basic hospitality was disappointing.

Cafe on the top is fantastic. 2 floors of the museum devoted to an artist who just reprints other people's work... not so thrilling. Really enjoyed the basement sensory exhibits though.

I have never encountered a more unpleasant and unwelcoming environment toward both children and adults. The staff at the Aspen Art Museum were shockingly rude, dismissive, and made the entire experience uncomfortable. What should have been an inspiring visit to enjoy art turned into an example of how not to treat guests. Truly disappointing.

If the Aspen Art Museum is trying to make visitors feel unwelcome, mission accomplished. The woman at the front desk was dismissive to the point of being comical — barely looking up, answering questions like they were an imposition, and radiating “I hate my job” energy. It’s hard to appreciate any art when the first thing you encounter is someone making you feel like you’ve already overstayed your welcome. In a town that thrives on tourism, this kind of front-line attitude is baffling.

During a ski trip to Aspen, I enjoyed my visit to the museum. I'm not sure why this museum has received so many low reviews, as I found the current exhibitions to be both interesting and informative. The café on the top floor also offered a decent variety of food and drink options.

I love to visit the museum every time I go to Aspen and I always love the experience!, I appreciate that the admission is free, so must people can afford to admire and sumerge in the art ☺️

We were there for an event. It was so much fun. The views are amazing. The Charcuterie boards were delicious. The drink selections were well planed out and fun. Thank you to the museum for such a wonderful fun time.

The best and most interesting is the building itself, glass, concrete and wooden architecture, don't miss the terrace for a good look at the town and mountains or if you want to have some basic food and drinks. The art itself is a random collection of weird stuff, good for visiting before going to the airport if you have some extra time. Street parking.

For someone who doesn't ski, I needed a place to kill time while my husband hit the slopes. I loved that the museum is free to enter since nothing in Aspen is cheap! I got there right when they opened and pretty much had the place to myself which was lovely! The workers were all super friendly and knowledgeable! I also loved the rooftop cafe. After I walked around and saw the art I sat and drank coffee while looking at the mountains. I highly recommend!

The people working there are nice, not a critique of them. The art is terrible though. Walked through in about 10 minutes.

In awe I am with Aspen Art Museum's striking architecture and the majestic mountain view on their roof deck. No permanent art collection do they have; instead, a contemporary artist is featured on each of their floors. Discovering new artists at an art gallery is more of my take here. Presently, with additional support of David Zwirner, one of my favorite galleries in NYC, "Lisa Yuskavage: Wilderness" and "Rose Wylie: where i am and was" exhibits captured my attention. Additionally, the sculpture pieces of "Kelly Akashi" and "Maren Hassinger" has captured my heart. CHEERS!

Lisa Yusavage's ouvre outrages some for provocative scenes. She's often criticized by other women for having a sometimes cheesy Playboy aesthetic. Sure, hyper-sexual cartoon-like images may be thrust toward the viewer in this exhibition but it's relatively tame nonetheless. For me, it's often the 1970s era saturated colors found in Polaroids or tomographic images that draw me in and take me to her oh-so-vivid otherworld. Whether you like her work or not, you can't ignore it. The pandemic has shut down most everything right now. I hope her images are still on the walls of the museum by the time we are all allowed to be reborn back into the world.

The artwork at Aspen Art Museum is not for everyone. In fact, I am not a fan of it. I guess contemporary abstract art is not my thing. The museum is still a cool place to check out though if you have some free time. Admission is free, and the museum is small so you will walk through it pretty quickly. The gift shop is interesting and has some exotic stuff. The art exhibits and gift shop items rotate seasonally, but the cafe is why I come back. The cafe is on the rooftop, and it is a great place to catch a view of the area. Also, the food at the cafe is pretty good. It is a little pricey, but everything is expensive in Aspen. The BOGO happy hour for drinks is a good deal though. I really enjoy spending time at Aspen Art Museum. I could care less about the artwork, but the cafe is a great spot to grab a bite or a drink, relax, and enjoy the view.

The Aspen Art Museum is free and has a great restaurant on the top floor with a nice view. They only had one exhibit open on the second floor when we went. They have a small, eclectic gift shop as well. I would recommend to anyone visiting Aspen to stop by. It is very warm inside and they also have nice bathrooms. You are supposed to make reservations online to visit, but we just walked in and they were fine with it.

This art museum, a term I use loosely, does not charge admission yet I came away from our visit feeling as if I had been overcharged. Yes, the exterior with wood lattice and the glass elevator are attractive, however, the works currently on display may have been contemporary, but hardly qualify as art IMHO. We started off at the roof top "sculpture garden" which was primarily devoted to a cafe with but a solitary sculpture, Larry Bell's Aspen Blues, on display. The basement housed only a few pieces of "art" by Yto Barrrada that totally defy interpretation though I am sure the "artist" had something in mind. Another floor was closed for a change over in exhibits so maybe that is where the "good stuff" is or will be located.

Visiting the Aspen Museum of Art is time well spent! It's rather small, but that does not diminish the impact of the exhibits. First, the building itself is a beautiful open-weaved wooden facade that's drowned in natural light. When I walked in, I was greeted by the friendly woman at the desk who briefed me on some of the vital info- like the various exhibits and that admission to the museum is free! I happen to arrive on the last day that a Yayoi Kusama Infinity Room was going to be on display. I was told that no bags were allowed in the exhibit, but the museum has free lockers and coat check- so this was a huge plus! Wandered through the various galleries and was really blown away at how great the exhibits were. They were all distinctly different and felt very relevant and impactful. There were programs available at the entrance of each gallery, so this really helps to put the art in context and gives a deeper understanding of the work. At the very top of the museum is a nice cafe called SO. It has an outdoor observation deck with great views of Aspen Mountain (Mt. Ajax) and the food- while an abbreviated menu, is very good. On the side of the building is a staircase that has various landings at the entrance to the galleries and the cafe. It reminded me of the staircase at the Pompidou Centre in Paris. A very cool feature of this building no doubt. Overall, I think this is a lovely small museum with pleasant people, and thoughtfully presented exhibitions. It's free so take your time and enjoy. Aspen should be really proud of this place!

Not really stuff I would call art there just weird random stuff they have. But the employees were very nice

After hiking up and down the Ute Trail to a pretty rock outcropping with gorgeous views,I spent 2 quality hours at the Aspen Art Museum.I saw delightful creations by Contemporary Artist,Gaetano Pesce which is on display until October 9 2022.I expecially liked Pesce's"Friend Skin"."Este Self Portrait",and his depictions of volcanic mountains.I especially relished the videos produced by Contemporary Artist,Douglas Aitkin featuring wildlife in the homes of human beings.The staff at the Aspen Art Museum was very helpful and improved my knowledge of Contemporary Art,Admission is free,but donations help this art museum flourish.

The highlight of the museum is definitely the building itself. It's a showstopper. The museum doesn't have a permanent collection, and I wasn't inspired or impressed by any of the exhibitions when I was there. BUT...it's free! So it's well worth a look around. (They supposedly have a cool cafe on the third floor, but I can't speak to that, because the third floor was closed for a private event when I was there. However, it was AWESOME to hear the jazz band rehearse - they played "La Vie en Rose" - while I was wandering around the galleries.)

Wow. This absolutely beautiful building has the worst curation of art I've ever seen. 3 galleries with what looked like the art work of a 3 year old. The one collection looked like paint and trash thrown on a canvas. Admission was free so that was good. If I had payed to get in I absolutely would have asked for a refund. Hopefully they can pull it together and find some good artist to display. Such a waste of a beautiful gallery space.

Was on a business trip. Had a couple hours to kill on the last day. Pretty impressive African America art collection. Shigeru ban building quite nice too. I dig the open stair. Cafe on top is limited in terms of menu items but nice place to chill and meet up with someone. Free admission.

This is one strange place and really needs to be divided into three parts for review - the building itself, the top floor cafe, and the "art".The building is interesting architecturally with an unusual wood lattice work front. The glass elevator that takes you up the outside of the building to the third floor cafe is neat. The stairwell that goes straight up to the third floor with a landing on 2, looks intimidating. It's pretty steep so this old guy took the elevator and walked down. The cafe looks nice, but I can't speak to the food as I had already eaten. It was airy and has a good view of the town. It's also called a sculpture garden, but there is only one sculpture there. OK, whatever. The artwork is truly a mess and seems to be done as a joke or a put-on. I won't try to describe most of it, but it is junk to me. There was one room filled with framed "obituaries" of famous people that had been done while they were alive. Bill Clinton and Nicole Kidman are two that I remember A couple are now dead. Clever, but not worth spending much time on. Another display was two tables with the detritus of life - a loser's life it appeared - cigarettes, etc. I didn't notice the guides staring at me, but they have to look at something and since the place had next to no one there, I guess they did spend time looking at me. The restroom was clean as was the whole place. Go for the architecture and maybe the cafe, but forget about the art. Come on, Aspen, there's lots of money in your town, so why not up your game?

This is a splendid art museum with terrific curation. Jay Defeo retrospective caught the mood of late avant- garde. Her work didn't get the attention it deserved at the time. Well displayed and described, but I wanted more pieces in the show Cheryl Donegan was excellent. Her video was the star. The fabric art; the dresses, made a complex picture but a simple message. Good going, Aspen!

Architectually stunning with a very avant garde design. Contemporary 3 story building with a great collection, wonderful lectures and speakers. Friendly and attentive staff

We had the best experience at the Aspen Art Museum. First things first the museum is free admission! Coming from New York City this is something to be applauded. The museum guides and staff were so friendly and helpful, giving us great facts and insights about the artists and collections (special shout-out to Lynn who was so kind and knowledgeable!) The current collections for fall 2020 featured all women artists which I found particularly inspiring. Additionally, the exhibitions were great for both veteran art lovers and children alike, with colorful, interesting, and immersive exhibitions. While the museum is on the smaller side, only capable of holding a few collections, it is for sure worth walking around for an hour or two. The Aspen Art museum also had great Covid-19 precautions in place- with timed and capped capacity entry into the museum, hand sanitizers, mask requirements, and directional arrows to keep traffic socially distanced. I try to stay away from indoor activities because of the pandemic, but I felt very clean and safe in the museum. I'll be back once the new exhibitions arrive in the winter!

I had a really bad experience at the Aspen Art Museum (AAM). I'm an Aspen local and I'll admit that I was not a fan of the politics, greed and ego that resulted in the new AAM. The building has been built and that's not going to change. i do like art so I visit AAM from time to time. I usually do not find the art and the exhibitions at AAM stimulating. In my opinion the displays are often pretentious and try way too hard. I usually leave feeling alienated and stupid because I don't "get it" In my opinion the art at AAM is never accessible. I've been to many of the world's great museums...clearly this is not one of them. Today, Dec 26 is the peak of the holiday tourist season Aspen. I decided to visit AAM in all its holiday glory. I figured the place would be packed...it was not. I was the only guest in the ground floor gallery when I entered. A security guard approached me very quickly and stared me down from head to toe.. He got very close to me. It was weird and uncomfortable. I'm not one to feel intimidated...but that's exactly how I felt. I asked him "am I walking on the art or something?" He answered in as officious fashion "I'll let you know if you do" he said. The guy gave me the creeps. I immediately left the gallery and exited the museum. The whole experience was unsettling. Was this performance art? If their intention was to turn me off and leave me with a negative feeling... it worked. I have never had a more unfriendly experience in a museum. I was still a little upset an hour later so I called the museum to share my story The young lady who took my call explained that he was not a security guard. "They're called guides" I was informed. I said "OK your uniformed, ear piece wearing, para-military boot wearing guide made me feel uncomfortable". While she apologized for the way I felt she continued to explain that at AAM they encourage their "guides to interact with the guests". So that's my tale and I'm sticking with it. I felt intimidated by the guide at the museum...and the only explanation i could get was that it's by design. I still don't 'get it" I'm going to get my art somewhere else from now on.

This place is a shithole and does not show nor celebrate art. It's not even a real museum as it does not have any permanent pieces, so it's basically a huge box filled with random crap they rotate out every few months, replacing it with new random crap that has nothing to do with art. I've been to art museums all over the world... Amsterdam, Barcelona, Havana, São Paulo, New York, Chicago, Madrid, etc etc. this is hands down the worst one I've ever seen, although you can't really compare this dump to a real museum. Don't waste your time, there's millions of better things to do in Aspen than fall asleep at the supposed Aspen Art Museum. I'd give it zero stars if I could.

Great local find. Menu changes weekly. Beautiful space to eat and food is great! Free entrance to the museum. After this find, we eat there a few times monthly.

'Meh' sums it up for me. The most interesting thing I saw here was the building itself. There weren't that many exhibits, and those that were there just didn't do it for me. To each his/her own. At least it was free ;-)

Visited the Aspen Art Museum with a friend. Seems to be a nice small art museum with a handful of rooms on different levels with different themed pieces of art. Had a good time and it didn't take up too much of our time during the day while we visited Aspen. Check it out.

If they would let me I would give it a 0 star. Modern "art" ......good think it was free to enter. I would have asked for my money back plus a tip. 8th grade work at best.

Decided to check this place out after reading such negative reviews to see for myself. While it is small, the exhibits we were able to see made up for lack of space. The museum is designed to view from the top down, modeled after the experience of skiing a mountain. Pictured: is the glass exhibit on the rooftop. Very breathtaking to see against the mountains. The art itself was very modern and minimalist. I would definitely give it a shot to see for yourself

Fantastic architecture and gallery spaces. Small Musuem but fantastic noteworthy exhibitions. It is free!!! Cafe is expensive but the again it is a museum cafe. The staff are all so friendly and welcoming.

Super boring. "Art" wasn't interesting. Included exhibits such as a room full of half built furniture, children's teddy bears on the floor, and a radio playing music.

Art is marginal, architecture is beautiful and the guards are HAWKISH AND INTRUSIVE! I have NEVER, in my life had guards make me fearful of looking at art but this place was something else. I no joke had a guard stand less than 2' from me as I looked at a piece. Giving me a look "like what the fuck are you looking at?" I felt like I was on display. I've never once, been treated this way in all the art museums I have frequented in NYC, LA and Paris. I drove nearly 3 hours to see the museum. I won't frequent this place. I left completely stressed out. I was able to get closer to the Mona Lisa than their tapestried receipts, which is mind blowing.

Go to this museum for cafe, but only if you don't like flavored coffee. They're just too classy for vanilla in their lattes. The rooftop cafe and fountain was pretty cool, gorgeous. Beautiful building and awesome views. Honestly this museum is the weirdest place I've ever been. The art isn't that awesome- it's all unusual, tortured and angst-y. There are five or so different rooms featuring different artists and a museum staff member in each one that stares at you. They constantly switched rooms so we felt like we were being followed. We were the only people looking at anything, so being in a huge empty room getting stared at doesn't let you relax at all. It's more like you're the display!!! Bad art, creepy rooms, weird staff staring at you but trying not to let on. Weirdest experience of my life.

I have lived in Aspen for about 18 years and the art scene is as good as it gets for a town it's size. So when the museum moved from it's location at the old power station to what was and still is a very controversial building in the downtown core, I was also a skeptic. But as time as gone on, it has really grown on me and I find the design to be fun and engaging, art it self. As a professional artist for nearly 30 years, I have learned to have an open mind in terms of the subjective nature of art and it helps with any museum visit. Art by nature is meant to do both nothing at all and everything at once to no one and everyone, it is that kind of manic journey that keeps us on the edge of our proverbial seats. So as far as the curation at the new Aspen Art Museum, some works have not really done it for me while others have, what else is new? One recent show however just blew my mind and most of those I know who can truly appreciate art. Chris Ofili "Night & Day" was a staggering if not overwhelming display of the raw power of art in about the best curation I have ever seen in Aspen. Just spectacular. As far as the staff, the community rooftop experience and the food, I have come to really enjoy it. For the most part, everyone is pretty helpful and food and giant mugs of coffee are reasonably priced not to mention very good in quality and corresponding service. The roof a total delight giving locals a place to hang out or meet up if town is too busy otherwise, just a nice overall feel and of course, great views. In regards to the really combative and nasty rantings one will read here, well....these are not from happy people, they often have axes to grind and proven track records of doing so, take their nastiness with a grain of salt.

Wouldn't it be great if an art museum could feed the creativity and love of culture for people of all ages? Instead, aspens art museum adds to the stereotype that art is for stuffed up pretentious folks. Not a place for a family. We were followed like we were criminals because we had two kids in tow. The art was in fact childish and playful, with ponytails and animated eyeballs. Unfortunately forgettable and absent of depth or meaning. Very disappointed. My art history professor would be very sad.