The
Frick Collection was established posthumously by the estate of
Henry Clay Frick in his landmark
Gilded Age mansion in 1935. When he died, he bequeathed his residence at 71st Street and
Fifth Avenue and most of his art for a
museum to be created in his
name.
It currently has around 1,100 works of art, including paintings, rugs,
porcelain, and sculpture. The Frick Collection doesn't have a specific focus and contains examples of
Old Masters, English 18th century
portraits, Dutch 17th century,
Renaissance, Chinese porcelains, and more. They have some excellent Rembrandts, El Grecos,
Vermeers, and Whistlers, among others.
Though the collection is rather small, it has played a significant role in collecting in the United States-- The paintings that Frick and his colleagues Andrew Mellon and
Andrew Carnegie collected reflect the attutude and nature of Americans with regards to
art.
I've been a
fellow of this museum for about a year now, and it's not as much for the
art as for the atmosphere. The Frick also contains a reference library used by thousands of
art historians every year, as well as a garden with flowering
magnolia trees in the middle of
Fifth Avenue (a rare occurence in New York City). The architecture is absolutely exacting and
grand-- overall a nice place to spend a
Saturday afternoon with a good
book. They often have free
lectures and
concerts open to the public.
For anybody visiting
New York and looking for
museums, I'd advise you visit this one first. The
Metropolitan Museum of Art is huge, it's got lots of
stuff, but its atmosphere is huge and
marble and sanitized. Too many
tourists. The
Frick is unique in that it is an accessible
museum with
intimacy and
privacy.
Thanks to www.frick.org and the wonderful world of tax deductions.