The Frick Reveals Plans For New Collection Galleries On Second Floor Of Original Residence Frick To Reopen In Renovated Fifth Avenue Home In 2024
June 14, 2024
The Frick Collection announced details about the transformation of the second floor of the original Frick residence, which will become accessible to the public for the first time when the institution reopens in its renovated and expanded home in late 2024. Designed by Selldorf Architects, with Beyer Blinder Belle serving as executive architect, the project marks the most comprehensive upgrade to the Frick since opening nearly 90 years ago. The mansions second floor originally served as the private living quarters of the Frick family and subsequently became the institutions administrative offices after the residence was converted to a museum in 1935. The restoration of a suite of 10 rooms and their transition into galleries will, for the first time, enable the public to experience more of the Fricks historic buildings and remarkable collection, which has expanded significantly over the decades. A highlight of the second floor will be the rare opportunity to experience two rooms as they were installed when the Frick family lived in the mansion. This includes a new gallery in what was the Frick familys Breakfast Room and the Boucher Room, which is being returned to its original upstairs location in the private sitting room, or boudoir, of Adelaide Childs Frick, the wife of founder Henry Clay Frick. In a further series of second-floor galleries, visitors will experience installations inspired by the personal collecting interests of the Frick family through time, including beloved Renaissance gold-ground and Impressionist paintings. Also on view will be significant collections that have more recently entered into the museums holdings, some of which have yet to be regularly exhibited, ranging from ceramics to rare portrait medals and including the first permanent display of the Fricks important clocks and watches collection. Stated Ian Wardropper, the Fricks Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Director, Our renovation and enhancement project seamlessly integrates the old and new, while preserving the intimate visitor experience of the Fricks art and architecture. With the opening of the mansions historic second floor, we will be able to showcase significantly more of our unparalleled collections, which have expanded in strategic and significant ways over the years through acquisitions and a number of individual and collection gifts. We cannot wait to welcome the public back to our revitalized home, where they can revisit beloved spaces and discover new aspects of our history, collection, and buildings. The reopening of the Frick marks the first time in the museums history that the public will be able to access, via the grand staircase and new elevators, the historic mansions second floor, said Xavier F. Salomon, the Fricks deputy director and Peter Jay Sharp chief curator. While in the grand galleries of the first floor, we will continue to present larger works, such as our remarkable panel by Bellini, full-length portraits by Gainsborough and Van Dyck, and monumental canvases by Fragonard, Veronese, and Whistler, we will now have the ability to spotlight artworks and objects of a more intimate scale in focused presentations in new second-floor rooms, finished Salomon. Internationally recognized as a premier museum and research center, the collection originated with Henry Clay Frick (18491919), who bequeathed his home, paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts to the public for their enjoyment. The institutions holdings, which encompass masterworks from the Renaissance through the 19th century, have grown over the decades, more than doubling in size since the opening of the museum in 1935. A critical component of the institution is the Frick Art Reference Library, founded in 1920 by Helen Clay Frick, daughter of the museums founder. Recognized as one of the worlds top art history research centers, it has served students, scholars, and members of the public free of charge for generations. The Frick Collection is located at 1 East 70th St., New York City. To learn more, visit www.frick.org.
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