The Frick Collection
The Frick Collection is a magnificent art gallery housed in a mansion built by Henry Clay Frick in 1914; the second floor of the house is closed for viewing, which is a pity.
General Information
Henry Frick (1849-1919) was a steel magnate from Pittsburgh. He moved to New York City in 1913 and lived and stored his art collection in a mansion near Central Park until his death. The interiors of those times are quite well preserved (since 1934 the house was turned into a museum), and it is very interesting to look at them. Where else will you see how mythical kings, Mr. Twisters and other owners of factories, newspapers and steamships lived? However, the main interest, of course, is not in the furnishings, but in the collection of Western European paintings.
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This collection is small, so it can be leisurely and with pleasure to consider at one time, but very carefully selected. There are Italian Quattrocento, some Flemish paintings (including three Vermeers and four Rembrandts), as well as charming Rococo genre scenes and works by French Impressionists. But perhaps the most recognizable painting in the collection is the Holbein portrait of Sir Thomas More. The image of a not-young man in rich clothes, with tired eyes and a golden ring on his interlocked hands is one of the most famous portraits in world painting, and looking at it, one realizes that the fame of both the portrait and Thomas More himself, recently declared the patron saint of statesmen by the Vatican, is well deserved. From time to time the Frick Museum hosts lectures and classical music concerts. Admission is free, but seating is limited, so you must sign up in advance, by mail.
.Perhaps the museum’s biggest plus is that it is rarely crowded, so it’s a nice break from the hundreds of gawkers hanging around in the larger museums, especially on weekends.
.Tel: 212-288-0700; www.frick.org; 1 East 70th Street (between Madison and 5th Avenues); admission $18; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat-Sat, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
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