This week, the snowy windows of Sotheby’s Aspen are lit up with pops of azure, cobalt, and cerulean. These are not the kinds of rich, ambient blues that Aspen's locals and visitors have come to expect from the mountain enclave at this time of the year—instead, a spectrum of vibrant and cool hues rendered in dynamic brush strokes adorn the auction house's walls.
On Dec. 21, Sotheby's Aspen opens for its second winter season with an exhibition titled “The Color of My Dreams.” The show examines the delicate qualities and connotations of the color blue—which has, throughout art history, accrued a potent symbolic resonance. Students of the canon will recognize the reference to Joan Miró’s 1952 work, ceci est la couleur de mes rêves, or “this is the color of my dreams.”
The exhibition features 17 works, including a snowy landscape by Jonas Wood, abstract paintings by Katharina Grosse and Laura Owens, and an American flag composition by Richard Pettibone. Other notable artists include David Hockney, Alexander Calder, George Condo, and Alex Katz. Ranging in price from $50,000 to $3 million, the artists' use of blue pigments and paints ranges from subtle to arresting.
Alongside the artworks, Sotheby’s Aspen is showcasing a highly anticipated selection of Belperron jewelry. Suzanne Belperron, one of the most influential female jewelers of the 20th century whose clients included Elsa Schiaparelli, the Duchess of Windsor and Diana Vreeland, has morphed into a marker of insider elegance—her work, which she never signed, is less known among the general public today than among avid collectors. As such, the designer’s pieces now surpass her name in recognizability. A Diamond Toggle Torque Necklace leads the collection, in which a slim lacquer torque circles a pavé diamond button. The design, made popular by Schiaparelli in Vogue Paris, is a mainstay of the Belperron oeuvre.
Sotheby’s Belperron lots range from $12,500 to $650,000, and include pieces crafted from what Belperron referred to as “virgin gold,” or 22 karat. These rare pieces are displayed alongside items from her Wave collection—namely cuffs, stackable bracelets, and rings—as well as geometric Roof ear clips, Swirl earrings, and Bouton or Button earrings with an array of stones.
As the auction house's doors open for previews, Aspen locals and seasonal travelers alike have already begun eyeing its most coveted pieces. One likely prediction for the new year ahead: this time next December, those on the mountain hideaway's social circuit will be adorned in Belperron.
