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Frick Collection
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The Frick is one of
the predominant small art museums in the whole of the United States. The
museum is located on Fifth Avenue
and 70th street, and faces onto Central Park.
 The
building is the former residence of steel magnate Henry Clay Frick
(1849-1919). It was constructed in 1913-1914 from a design by
Thomas Hastings.
Frick was generally regarded as a tough entrepreneur whose only interest
was in business, but within his family, he was regarded as a warm and
affectionate man. He became an
avid collector of art which he eventually left to the American people,
plus a large endowment for its upkeep.The
Frick Collection includes many very well known paintings by some of the
greatest artists in Europe, plus major works of sculpture and bronzes,
there is some superb eighteenth-century French furniture and porcelains,
also Limoges enamels, Oriental rugs, and other works of remarkable
quality. |
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Frick's, private art
collection was made into a museum after his death. It has been designed
to feel more like a private home than a public place, with the mansion
itself being considered to be a work of art in its own right. The low
stone building and courtyard take up almost an entire city block.
Over the years the
Collection has expanded, with about one third of the pictures now being
exhibited having been acquired since his death. In 1935 and again in
1977, the building was enlarged to accommodate the growing
collection. |
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 The
furniture that adorns all the rooms of the house is almost entirely from
the sixteenth century. Many rooms have rich wood walls and floors,
marble fireplaces and decorative columns, giving visitors the sense of
the grandeur of a bygone age. You will see nothing more recent than
1880’s French Impressionism here; most of the work is at least a century
older than that, with one piece being nearly seven hundred years old.
The house has several small, rooms set off from the main ones, so take
care not to miss any during your visit to the museum. |
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The
treasures found here include major works by Bellini, El Greco, Vermeer,
Velazquez, Goya, Turner, Van Dyke,
Rembrandt,
Renoir and Holbein, plus wall panels by Fragonard and Boucher. |
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The
indoor courtyard with a fountain and glass ceiling is a lovely tranquil
spot. Both the mansion
and the works in it serve as a monument to one of America's greatest art
collectors.
Many of the rooms are arranged
almost precisely the way Henry Clay Frick would have wanted them. Unlike
many other museums, the works of art are not displayed in any particular
order of date or style, which adds to the impression of intimacy.
Nowhere in New York, or in the United States for that matter, will you
find such an inviting, intimate museum displaying such rare works. |
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New
York City Guide
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