Aspen Art Museum

Ugo Rondinone’s moonrise. east. july—one of twelve sculptures representing each calendar month in the artist’s Moonrise series—is a nearly nine-foot-tall bust of a masklike figure. Paying homage to the moon and its many changes and mythologies, each sculpture dons a different exaggerated expression, similar to the waxing and waning of the moon. First modeled in clay before being cast in aluminum and painted, some of these heads are inviting and playful, while others are more unsettling. In each of Rondinone’s striking creations, the artist’s hand is apparent through the texture of their fantastical shapes and enigmatic features.