Intersect Aspen Art + Design returns to the Aspen Ice Garden (233 W. Hyman Ave.) from July 28 to August 1, 2026, timed to Aspen Art Week. Now in its 16th edition, the fair mounts 38 gallery presentations — its most expansive lineup to date — spanning modern and contemporary art and design from galleries across the United States, Europe, and beyond.
The 2026 program leans into ambitious, large-scale installations and tightly curated booths that reward close looking, from painting and sculpture to photography, works on paper, and design objects. Participating galleries include Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Timothy Yarger Fine Art, Hilton Contemporary, Winston Wächter Fine Art, SEA Contemporary Art, and Denver’s GALLERY M.
Artist to watch: Paul Nicklen
The renowned Canadian photographer, filmmaker, and conservationist — a National Geographic and SeaLegacy veteran known for his images of polar wildlife — is a 2026 Intersect Aspen Artist Award recipient, honored during the fair’s July 28 opening. GALLERY M, again an Intersect exhibiting gallery, will feature “Eye of Time – An American Reflection.” The collection features museum and internationally credentialed photography masters including Paul Strand, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Robert Frank and Alfred Eisenstaedt. The gallery has represented select editioned works by Nicklen — including his Colorado River image Rio del Mar — The Mouth. The solo presentation of Nicklen’s works by Chicago’s Hilton Contemporary will further the fair’s reach into conservation-driven photography.
Paul Nicklen, Rio del Mar — The Mouth. Courtesy GALLERY M.
Light works: Mads Christensen (Timothy Yarger Fine Art)
Copenhagen-born, Los Angeles–based artist Mads Christensen — an electrical engineer turned light sculptor represented by Timothy Yarger Fine Art — builds hypnotic works from custom software, LEDs, and acrylic. His kinetic columns and panels wash a room in shifting color, turning illumination itself into the medium.
Mads Christensen, kinetic LED light sculpture, presented by Timothy Yarger Fine Art.
Also on view: Paula Crown
Chicago- and Aspen-based artist Paula Crown (Paula Crown Atelier, a 2026 Intersect exhibitor) is best known for SOLO TOGETHER, her ongoing meditation on the crushed red Solo cup as a symbol of single-use culture, shared experience, and environmental accountability.
Paula Crown, JOKESTER 2, installed at 95 NE 40th St., Miami, FL. Courtesy Paula Crown Atelier.
More: Paula Crown’s SOLO TOGETHER series and her #solotogether installation at Rockefeller Center.
Paul Nicklen’s wildlife and nature photography is represented nationally and with Denver’s GALLERY M.
