Aman New York Launches Collaboration with Storm King Art Center This Summer

The exhibition, titled “Girl Group,” is something of a career milestone for Shechet, featuring her largest artworks ever. Dotted across the verdant grounds are six monumental welded sculptures—some standing as high as 20 feet—that have been masterfully crafted out of steel and aluminum, each one painted in electric, vivid shades including blue and orange. Opened on May 4, the exhibition remains on view through November 10.  

The must-see show took three years to complete, with the works fabricated in different workshops due to their massive size. “The whole experience was a big learning curve, to make this girl group,” the artist said at a panel discussion with Nora Lawrence, director of Storm King, at the Aman hotel earlier in the spring. At the gallery at Storm King, there is a selection of intimately-sized ceramic-and-steel works on display that the artist completed during the pandemic, forced to work at a smaller scale due to being hunkered down. They sparked the impetus to create the larger works. “The sculptures come in part from my observations about the human body and life in general.”

Aman New York guests can wander the rolling grounds and take in the art from a variety of vantage points. “I wanted a group, a sighting of the works so that the viewer was always experiencing more than one,” says Arlene of the sightlines. “And in certain cases, seeing all of them, even though they’re spread out.” 

“I would say that this whole process has been exciting and delving into the unknown” says Shechet “I was working on these pieces for over three years. I asked Nora to come and take a look and we got into this discussion. The Storm King team were willing to take the gamble, which I really appreciated.” 

After visiting the show, guests will be flown back to the stunning New York property, located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, where they can continue the artful journey. 

All suites boast large-scale murals inspired by the 15th-century masterpiece Pine Trees (Shōrin-zu byōbu) by Hasegawa Tōhaku, and some even house original collections by Ulrike Arnold and Eleanor Herbosch. A striking work by Pascal Oudets titled Dendrochronology packs a punch at the entrance of the Nama restaurant, where guests can enjoy the finest Japanese omakase. Each dish is hand-selected by chef Takuma Yonemaru based on ingredients sourced that day.

During their stay, guests are also offered an array of cultural experiences nearby, including specialist sessions like learning about the art of photography with Leica master photographer on the streets of New York or taking a a three-day course on mastering portrait photography with celebrity portrait photographer Mark Mann. Depending on their interest, guests can arrange to visit artist studios and ateliers to get a better glimpse of the creation process behind the scenes, or even a chance to spend time touring the world-class museums nearby in private after-hours setting.