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My wife and I had a plan. We'd spend a few days in the Vail and Beaver Creek area, poking around galleries and antique shops, hunting for interesting pieces to bring back to our Austin gallery. We had spreadsheets. We had a route mapped out. We were prepared.
What we weren't prepared for was falling in love with the art hanging in our hotel lobby.
Key Takeaways
- The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch features museum-quality contemporary art by Alexis Zambrano and Aldo Chaparro throughout its public spaces
- Zambrano's vintage ski paintings blend archival photography with geometric abstraction — originals range from $2,800 to $11,200, prints from $450
- Chaparro's crumpled stainless steel sculptures are in major museum collections including Pérez Art Museum Miami and the Jumex Foundation
- The two artists share a hidden connection: Zambrano apprenticed under Chaparro in Monterrey, Mexico at age twelve
- Both artists are represented by galleries in the U.S. and internationally
How We Discovered Two Connected Artists in a Colorado Ski Lodge
The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch has that cozy mountain lodge thing down pat — big stone fireplaces, timber beams, the works. But wandering through the public spaces, coffee in hand, we kept stopping to stare at the walls. And then the sculptures. And then back to the walls again.
Two artists in particular had us completely charmed: Alexis Zambrano and Aldo Chaparro.
And it wasn't until I started researching them back home that I discovered these two aren't just hanging in the same hotel by coincidence. They share a history that goes back decades — to a twelve-year-old apprentice in Monterrey, Mexico.
Alexis Zambrano: Vintage Ski Paintings Meet Geometric Abstraction
"Colorado Skies" (2022) by Alexis Zambrano — Oil on canvas, 130 × 100 cm | Photo credit: Austin Gallery
Here's the thing about Zambrano's work — at first glance, you think you're looking at old ski photographs. The kind your grandparents might have tucked away in a shoebox. Stylish people in vintage gear, striking poses against snowy peaks.
And then you notice the geometric patterns.
Zambrano, born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1988, trained as an architect at Parsons in New York before turning to painting full time. He builds his compositions from a collage process — photographing images from auction catalogues, assembling them in a leather-bound notebook, and then translating those arrangements into meticulously rendered oil paintings. The result is this uncanny blend of archival black-and-white imagery with vivid, almost hallucinatory color. He paints in mostly black and white, then adds these wonderful chevrons and shapes in blues and teals that radiate across the canvas like quilted skies. It's nostalgic and modern at the same time, and honestly? It just makes you smile.
The Tony Kelly Homage
"Homage to Tony Kelly's Paradise" by Alexis Zambrano — Oil on canvas | Photo credit: Austin Gallery
This one really got us. There's a waiter on skis — on a roof — casually serving champagne while people lounge at a bar below. Each figure has their own little halo of color: orange, yellow, blue. It's absurd and glamorous and exactly the kind of thing you want to look at while sipping hot chocolate after a day on the slopes. The title references fashion photographer Tony Kelly, whose over-the-top luxury imagery clearly resonates with Zambrano's aesthetic.
Beyond the Slopes
A Palm Springs pool party, Zambrano style | Photo credit: Austin Gallery
Not everything is about skiing, though. This pool scene could be straight out of a Slim Aarons photograph — mid-century swimmers, a beach ball, palm trees — all given that same Zambrano treatment. Black and white with pops of carefully chosen color.
A skier carving through powder with those signature colored circles | Photo credit: Austin Gallery
And then there's this beauty. All that movement and energy, snow flying everywhere, with bold colored circles floating through the composition like celestial bodies — a recurring motif in Zambrano's recent work exploring the links between the earthly and the cosmic. It's playful and dynamic — exactly the kind of art that makes you want to know more about the person who made it.
Where to Buy Alexis Zambrano's Work
Zambrano's work is represented by Public Service Gallery in Stockholm, Salt Fine Art in Laguna Beach, and available online through Z-Unordinary. Originals range from $2,800 to $11,200, with signed limited-edition prints starting around $450. He maintains studios in New York, Monterrey, and Taos, New Mexico.
$2,800
Originals range from to $11,200, with signed limited-edition prints starting around $450
Artist Quick Reference: Alexis Zambrano
- Born: 1988, Monterrey, Mexico
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Education: Parsons School of Design, New York
- Style: Vintage photography meets geometric abstraction
- Price range: $2,800–$11,200 (originals), from $450 (prints)
- Studios: New York, Monterrey, Taos
- Website: alexiszambrano.com
- Instagram: @alexiszambrano
Aldo Chaparro: The Sculptor Who Crumples Steel With His Body
Now for something completely different.
"Mx Pink, February 25, 2023, 18:03" by Aldo Chaparro — Stainless steel and electrostatic paint | Photo credit: Austin Gallery
Meet Aldo Chaparro, a sculptor born in Lima, Peru in 1965 (now based in Mexico City) who makes industrial stainless steel look like crumpled wrapping paper.
Seriously. These are heavy metal sheets, and somehow they look like you could unfold them and smooth them out with your hands. The hot pink one stopped us in our tracks. It shouldn't work — it's rigid industrial material painted the color of bubblegum — but it absolutely does.
How Chaparro Creates His Sculptures
Chaparro creates these pieces using mostly his own body weight — kicking, bending, jumping on flat sheets of stainless steel until they take form. It's part performance, part physics, all fascinating. The electrostatic paint is applied before the folding, so the coating crystallizes and fractures with the metal, creating depth and luminosity that no brush could achieve. He's also worked with BMW automotive paint for certain pieces, which explains that impossible high-gloss finish.
The Mx Series
"Mx Copper, February 23, 2023, 18:27" by Aldo Chaparro — Stainless steel and electrostatic paint, 105 × 142 × 29 cm | Photo credit: Austin Gallery
The copper-gold piece has a completely different feel — warmer, more ancient somehow. Like something you might find in a very fancy archaeological dig.
What pictures can't really show you is how these pieces change as you move around them. The polished surfaces catch everything — the stone walls, the firelight, the snowy windows, even your own reflection walking past. They're never quite the same twice.
Each piece in the "Mx" series — likely a nod to Mexico, Chaparro's adopted country — is titled with a color and a precise timestamp marking the moment of its creation. They're records of a performance as much as they are objects.
Where to See and Buy Aldo Chaparro's Work
Chaparro's work lives in serious collections: the Pérez Art Museum Miami, the Jumex Foundation in Mexico City, and the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, among others. He's represented by Madison Gallery in La Jolla, Cheryl Hazan Gallery in New York, and Gallery Sonja Roesch in Houston. His work has appeared at Christie's and art fairs including Art Miami and Zona Maco.
Artist Quick Reference: Aldo Chaparro
- Born: 1965, Lima, Peru
- Based: Mexico City
- Medium: Stainless steel, electrostatic paint
- Technique: Body-formed — sculpted by kicking, bending, and jumping on flat steel sheets
- Notable collections: Pérez Art Museum Miami, Jumex Foundation, Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation
- Auction history: Christie's, Art Miami, Zona Maco
- Website: aldochaparro.com
- Instagram: @aldochaparrostudios
The Hidden Connection: A Twelve-Year-Old Apprentice in Monterrey
Here's the part that makes this story worth telling.
When Aldo Chaparro left Peru during the political turmoil of the early 1990s, he settled in Monterrey, Mexico. Around that same time, a young Alexis Zambrano was growing up in Monterrey in an avid art-collecting family. By the age of twelve, Zambrano was apprenticing with established artists in the city — and one of his earliest mentors was Aldo Chaparro.
So the two artists hanging side by side in a Colorado ski lodge aren't a random curatorial pairing. They're connected by a relationship that predates Zambrano's professional career by decades. The young apprentice and the established sculptor, reunited on the walls of a mountain resort twenty-some years later.
I don't know if the art consultant who placed these works at Bachelor Gulch knew this story, or if it was a happy accident of aesthetic taste. Either way, it made the discovery richer — the kind of thing that turns a hallway walk into something you write about later.
Why Hotel Art Matters More Than You Think
The Great Room with its intricate lodge model and (sometimes) Bachelor the St. Bernard | Photo credit: Austin Gallery
What made finding these works so delightful was the context. This isn't a quiet gallery with track lighting and hushed voices. It's a living room. Families troop through in ski boots. The hotel's St. Bernard, Bachelor, occasionally wanders by to say hello. People are drinking wine, kids are being kids, and right there on the walls is genuinely exciting contemporary art.
Zambrano's paintings feel like they belong here — like memories of glamorous ski trips past. Chaparro's sculptures catch the firelight and the mountain glow, always shifting and surprising.
Hotels and resorts are increasingly investing in museum-quality art programs, and The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch is a standout example. For art lovers, it's worth paying attention to what's on the walls wherever you travel — you might discover your next favorite artist between the elevator and the bar.
The Takeaway
We came to Colorado with our scouting hats on, ready to find art in all the usual places. We did find great things in the galleries we visited. But the work that really stuck with us? We found it before we even unpacked our bags.
Sometimes the best discoveries are the ones you weren't looking for. If you're interested in contemporary Latin American art — or just enjoy stumbling across beautiful things in unexpected places — The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch deserves a closer look.
Have art you'd like to sell or want to learn more about pieces like these? Email us at t@austingallery.org or visit our consignment page to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Alexis Zambrano?
Alexis Zambrano is a Mexican-American artist born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1988. He trained as an architect at Parsons School of Design in New York before becoming a full-time painter. His work blends vintage photography aesthetics — particularly mid-century ski and leisure culture — with geometric abstraction. Originals range from $2,800 to $11,200, with signed limited-edition prints starting around $450.
Alexis Zambrano is a Mexican-American artist born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1988.
Who is Aldo Chaparro?
Aldo Chaparro is a Peruvian-born sculptor (b. 1965, Lima) based in Mexico City. He is internationally recognized for his body-formed stainless steel sculptures, which he creates by physically kicking, bending, and jumping on painted metal sheets. His work is held in major collections including Pérez Art Museum Miami, the Jumex Foundation, and the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation.
What art is at The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch?
The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek, Colorado features contemporary art throughout its public spaces, including paintings by Alexis Zambrano and sculptures by Aldo Chaparro. The property's art program showcases museum-quality works that complement its mountain lodge setting.
While not related by family, the two artists share a meaningful connection. When Chaparro settled in Monterrey, Mexico after leaving Peru in the early 1990s, a twelve-year-old Zambrano became one of his apprentices. Their work now hangs side by side at The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, decades after that early mentorship.
Where can I buy Alexis Zambrano prints or paintings?
Alexis Zambrano's work is available through Public Service Gallery in Stockholm, Salt Fine Art in Laguna Beach, and online through Z-Unordinary. Originals are priced between $2,800 and $11,200. Signed limited-edition prints start around $450. Visit alexiszambrano.com for his full portfolio.
Alexis Zambrano's work is available through Public Service Gallery in Stockholm, Salt Fine Art in Laguna Beach, and online through Z-Unordinary.
How does Aldo Chaparro make his sculptures?
Chaparro creates his sculptures using a performative process — he physically kicks, bends, and jumps on flat sheets of stainless steel until they take form. The electrostatic paint is applied before the folding, so the coating crystallizes and fractures with the metal, creating unique depth and luminosity. Each piece in his Mx series is titled with a color and the precise timestamp of its creation.
