Powder Mountain ski resort owner Reed Hastings has ambitions to create a “skiable outdoor art museum” with never-before-seen works by Paul McCarthy.
Skiing among works of art? It will soon be possible in Utah in the United States. This is the project of Reed Hastings, the co-founder of Netflix. He is also the owner of the Powder Mountain ski resort, since September 2023. The businessman will create a “skiable open-air art museum”.
If the resort with 156 slopes mainly welcomes the public in winter, it will also be attractive the rest of the year thanks to these works of art. The goal is to make this place a destination “a must-see from January to December”The owner assures that this is the only way to keep a stable economy for the station.
Famous artists
James Turrell, Jenny Holzer and Paul McCarthy will be exhibiting in this five-thousand-hectare “art park”. Diana Nawi and Matthew Thompson, who have worked for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), will be in charge of choosing and arranging the works. The park is modeled on the Storm King Art Center in New York State, which is an outdoor museum of contemporary art on two hundred hectares.
Relay de Gerard & Kelly et We’ll All Go Together (2007) by Susan Philipsz have already been installed but by 2026, the light installation by artist James Turrel, Ganzfeld Apani – created for the 2011 Venice Biennale – will be placed at the edge of the track. Like all the works, it will be visible for free.
WOLFGANG KUMM / AFP
But new creations have been commissioned from several artists including the audacious Paul McCarthy, known for his 24-metre inflatable structure resembling a sex toy in 2014. Tree , This fake Christmas tree had caused a scandal and had only remained for 48 hours at the foot of the Vendôme column in Paris. The artist, originally from Utah, confided to the New York Times : “The mountains (of Utah) are a big part of my job. I’m excited to have this opportunity and be a part of this special project at Powder Mountain.”
