The Frick Collection, known for hosting one of the world's leading collections of fine and decorative arts, recently announced the reopening of its historic 5th Avenue location. The reopening follows an extensive, nearly five-year, $330 million renovation overseen by Selldorf Architects, marking the first complete overhaul of its buildings in nearly nine decades. During the restoration, the Frick Collection was temporarily housed in the Whitney-owned then Brutalist Breuer building, which has notably housed a collection of famous art collections and will become Suthu's new headquarters in 2025 after the auctioneer announced it would buy the building last year.
The restored building redecorates the 60,000-square-foot property and adds 27,000 square feet of new construction, reviving the building's Period splendor. Iconic works of art from the permanent collection of artists such as François Boucher, Gentile and Giovanni Bellini, Anthony Van Dyck, El Greco, Giambattista Tiepolo and Paolo Veronese, among others, will also be installed on the first floor in restored galleries in its true beauty. The owners of the Frick spared no expense in finishing; the fabrics and wall hangings were carefully restored by the same companies commissioned by the Frick family a century ago, including the green velvet in the West Gallery. This backdrop for the paintings and objects in the great room was rewoven by Prelle, the French manufactory that created the original in 1914. Another Parisian workshop, Verrier Passementerie, restored and added silk trimmings and other decorative materials that adorn the draperies and upholstery. These efforts make the Frick one of the few remaining Gilded Age buildings with original fabric wall and furniture coverings. Additionally, the ceiling and historic light fixtures have been completely remodeled and wired with modern features, improving energy efficiency and lighting quality.
Among other notable restorations, eight caryatids from the original facade of the Frick mansion on East 70th Street will be displayed in a new space connecting the museum and the Frick Art Reference Library. The Beaux-Arts facades have been painstakingly restored, including a long-needed face-lift of the fragile limestone.
With this new phase, the Frick will open its second floor for the first time, presenting rarely exhibited and recently acquired works. Previously serving as staff administrative offices since the museum opened in 1935, the second floor of the building has now been transformed into a ten-gallery enclosure, where visitors can find installations inspired by the Frick family's collection of interests over time.
“The intimate encounters with art offered by our historic galleries, as well as new spaces adapted from the domestic interior, remain central to the Frick experience,” Ian Wardropper, the Frick's outgoing Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Director, told the Observer. “These areas have been improved thanks to the efforts of architects, artisans, conservationists, conservators, and many others who have made our historic restoration and development a reality. We are honored and very happy with the generous support of donors for this project, which is very important in our history.”
Last September, the Frick Collection appointed Axel Rüger to the former role of Wardropper, and he will begin his tenure with the reopening in April. A two-time museum director, Rüger joins the Frick after leading the Royal Academy of Arts in London and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
The opening will bring exciting exhibitions, including “Vermeer's Love Letters” (June 18 – September 8, 2025), which will open the first floor galleries, continuing the tradition of focused presentations that re-examine art from the Frick's permanent collection. The exhibition will focus on three works by Vermeer: Frick's Wife and Maidthe Rijksmuseum's A Love Letter and the National Gallery of Ireland A Woman Writes a Letter, and Her Maid. These three variations allow viewers to consider Vermeer's varied treatment of the theme, exploring the portrayal of women from different social classes.
During the reopening, the first and second floor museums will also host a special exhibition of ceramic flower sculptures by Vladimir Kanevsky (b. Ukraine, 1951), evoking the new flowers that originally decorated the museum. it was opened to the public in 1935.
Finally, the new Cabinet Gallery will showcase twelve unique works on paper, from sketches to highly finished paintings by artists such as Degas, Goya, Ingres, Rubens and Whistler. These works are rarely shown due to their high sensitivity to light. The presentation will be on view from the reopening until the summer of 2025 and was organized by Aimee Ng, the Frick's John Updike Curator.
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As the Frick Collection will be reopened, the museum will resume its rich program of on-site cultural activities for all ages and interests starting with the new Education Room, an ideal space for schools, students and partners to host courses, seminars, creative activities. , workshops and other programs that will expand the institution's reach and impact. Meanwhile, the Frick Art Reference Library and its renovated Reading Room will reopen alongside the museum, providing new entrances on multiple levels to enhance the integration of the two branches of the institution.
In this first week, from April 26 to May 8, the Frick organizes a festival of performances and special events, including concerts of Classical, Baroque and twentieth-century music, as well as a new contemporary commission. Organized by Jeremy Ney, Frick's Matthew Christopher Pietras Head of Music and Performance, the series will mark the opening of the new 220-seat, circular Stephen A. Schwarzman Auditorium, also designed by Selldorf Architects.
