Herbert Bayer x Aspen
August 15, 2023
Last April, I was on a backcountry ski trip in the Elks, staying in a hut high above Aspen for a few nights. One evening we were relaxing at the hut, after a long, beautiful day of climbing and skiing peaks, shooting pictures, and just soaking up the alpine energy. I grabbed a book from the tattered hut library — a random mishmash that various guests had carried to the hut and donated/abadoned.
The book was a 70’s era compilation of profiles of local characters that had been photographed and interviewed by The Aspen Times. I opened the book to the middle, and was dropped right into a story about Herbert Bayer, the iconic designer who lived in Aspen from 1946 until 1974. A native of Austria, and a skier, Bayer was lured to the Roaring Fork Valley by industrialist Walter Paepcke. During that time, Bayer created much of the town’s unique alpine modern vibe and had a hand in countless projects, from Aspen Meadows to the Aspen Ski Co. to the Jerome Hotel, and many others. He also created a ton of art — paintings, sculptures, murals, works on paper, all of it.
As a student of the Bauhaus, Bayer believed that all parts of the human environment should be designed. Design as a way of life, a way of living. Or in his own words:
“Art of the future…would go…out into the street, to the people, into the environment.”
Over his lifetime, Bayer studied and practiced architecture, advertising, painting, typography, illustration, graphic design, publishing, printmaking, photography, and sculpture. He was comfortable in all media, and able to create thousands of coherent works over the course of his prolific career.
There was a Bayer quote from that old Aspen Times book that I really loved. So I photographed that quote, but then somehow I lost it. It had to do with the alpine landscape, and how it can be interpreted as a series of basic shapes and colors, sort of how the Bauhaus aimed to break things down into their elemental forms and colors. I love this idea of a kind of language existing within things, and that with enough time, we can learn to read and speak this language.
So I was super excited to learn that the new Bayer Center had opened in Aspen. Committed to showcasing the designer’s life work in a series of rotating exhibitions, it’s a beautiful new building designed by local firm Rowland & Broughton. The entry to the museum is a fitting one — crossing under Bayer’s Four Chromatic Gates before entering through the front doors. (Photo by Bernard Jazzar)
Inside, there is a wide variety of work spanning several decades, all beautifully presented. And the museum is free, which is a plus. This one was my personal fave:
Getting to know HB and his work a little better has reinforced my belief in the path I’m following as an artist. It’s a path that’s not tied to any one medium, but instead uses a focused and unique visual language across a wide range of creative projects that I find compelling.