The Feel of the Newly-Restored Frick Collection

This Is a Home

Most museums were built to be museums. That is not the case here. The Frick Collection is housed in a building that was built to be the residence for Henry Clay Frick and his family. Of course, it is not at all like my home, and presumably not like yours either. His abode was a bit upscale from what we mortals live in.

Said politely, Henry Clay Frick was an American industrialist. But indeed, the term “robber baron” was coined to describe people like him. Either way, Mr. Frick made an incredible fortune, built this Gilded Age mansion next to Central Park in New York, and left it and the art collection that it housed for us to enjoy after his death.

Although visitors come here for the art, we are in fact guests in a home. The walls are covered with silks, satins, and hardwood paneling, not the blue-gray paints usually found in art museums. The space includes some 12 fireplaces, again a sign of a Gilded Age home rather than an art museum. There are no placards affixed to the walls adjacent to the paintings—sometimes an annoyance when one wants more information about the paintings—but an acknowledgment of the fact that this is fundamentally a home and not a museum.

Flowers

Homes are likely to be graced with cut flowers, and when the Collection opened as a museum in 1935 it was rife with flowers. For the Frick reopening, there is a collection of 19 flower arrangements in porcelain by the Ukrainian artist Vladimir Kanevsky taking the place of the cut flowers from the opening 90 years ago.

Music

People visiting the Frick generally go there to see what is hanging on the walls, but it is actually also home to music, and will be more so in the future. The old music room, relatively small and known for having bad acoustics, was demolished and replaced by a new 218-seat state-of-the-art auditorium built under the 70th Street garden.

At first glance, its modern white curvy walls seem out of place with the architecture upstairs, but one immediately is excited by the prospects of the concerts that will be taking place here. It kicks off in April with 18th-century music by Handel paired with the world premiere of a 21st-century commissioned piece by Nico Muhly inspired by Bellini’s St. Francis in the Desert, one of the most iconic pieces in the collection.

The Frick Art Research Library

The Research Library used to be in a separate building next door, but now that function is linked to the Frick Collection. This should not be regarded as symbolic, but be taken advantage of. The Research Library is open to the public and must be a part of any visit to the Frick Collection.

Why Did Henry Frick Pick This One?

It was Henry Frick himself who chose the paintings that were part of the collection when he died—he did not send an emissary to complete the task. He had a competitive thirst for acquiring the work of European masters and the wherewithal to do so. He was fond of portraits: the collection contains 78 of them. There are also 20 paintings with religious themes and 13 landscapes. He also had some favorite artists, including Anthony van Dyck (9 paintings), Jean-Honoré Fragonard (8 paintings), and François Boucher (8 paintings as well).

Why did he choose this one by Francisco Goya?

This is not a typical painting by Goya—it is not a portrait or a religious or mythological motif more common in paintings by Goya. There are three other paintings by the artist in the collection, all of which are portraits. This painting depicts three men in a forge; two working to hammer out a piece of iron, and an apprentice looking on.

The work is noted for its depiction of the dignity of labor and the working class. Frick did not seem to have much respect for labor during his life. Perhaps the theme having to do with steelworkers was appealing, or perhaps at long last he had a modicum of respect for the laborer in the factory.

The People in the Building

I have chatted up museum security people all over the world. Many of them may be tired of answering questions like “Where is the bathroom” and “Where is that Picasso painting that I like so much,” and may approach their jobs with a bit of weariness. That does not seem to be the case at the Frick. Everyone here seems to know that they are stewards of a special place. Ask any of them what their favorite painting is in the collection or their favorite story about the Frick, and a wonderful teacher will emerge with a great story.

We heard one story of a French visitor to the Collection’s temporary home at Frick Madison. The gentleman arrived early, went to his favorite Rembrandt self-portrait, and stood on a chair to be able to look the master in the eye. He soon got down, and with tears streaming down his face, tried to thank those around him for the experience and explain it to them. Everyone was moved—everyone was part of his experience.

One of the guards told us that his favorite painting was a Turner landscape called The Harbor of Dieppe: Changement de Domicile. He told us that there is a group of escaped birds in the sky over the building on the right. I can find the birds, but the birdcages might be visible only to him. He is sure that he can see them.

Come to the Frick

Come for any of the reasons outlined here, or for any of the reasons outlined in countless other articles about the renovation. But come. The Frick Collection is a crown jewel in a city of jewels.

The Frick Collection in New York officially reopens on April 17, 2025. You can read more about the highlights of its collection here.