Sabriah Rayford explores first-of-its-kind Pompeii art exhibit in Aspen

ASPEN, Colo. - Aspen, Colorado is known for its picturesque views — whether you’re in town at iconic spots for indulging like The Gant or 16,000 feet above, atop Aspen Mountain, there’s always something to explore. 

For the first time in American history, the town housed an exhibit at the Aspen Art Museum centered around pieces from ancient Pompeii, dating back 2,000 years.

"This show is very much all about history the same way it’s about art," said Simone Krug, Aspen Art Museum curator.

It’s called The House of the Trembling Eye, an exhibit staged by London artist Allison Katz.

"This architecture that you see on either side of me is a recreation of the atrium or the entryway in the Pompeiian Domus," Krug explained. 

A peek of what ancient Roman life was like more than 2,000 years ago.

"Pompeii is a town that very tragically sat next to a volcano that erupted," Krug said. "All of that ash from Vesuvius had preserved the town and so it’s this incredible example of Ancient Rome that we have today."

The multilevel exhibition also features modern pieces from their patrons’ private multi-million dollar collections. 

"What it means to live with art through time. From 2,000 years ago with the cheetah chasing the deer to this remarkable and very cheeky donkey piece by Maurizio Cattelan," Krug said. 

The frescos were imported for the first time in history from the archaeological park of Pompeii. A process that took several years for approval and execution.

"It looks like a television but it’s from 2,000 years ago," Krug explained referencing a fresco. 

A modern mystery— as we worked our way through the exhibit, downstairs — a more sinister reimagining.

"The bedroom space of the Pompeiian home this is a place that people would of gone for a nap, where people would have gone for a tryst with a lover at the same time it was also a dark space. Ultimately the cubiculum in some literature was the best place for a murder," Krug explained. "It feels also in many ways like a dream sequence or a nightmare sequence."

Nicole Dewolf also traveled from Seattle for the chance to experience Pompeii.

"It’s so cool seeing something that old isn’t it," she said. "To think that was in someone’s house. Just amazing."

"Pompeii was chaos," Krug said. "It’s interesting to think about the way that Vesuvius is a volcano that erupted and destroyed Pompeiian society, but at the same time it preserved Pompeiian society for us today."

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