 Welcome
to the Frick Art Reference Library. This Library is one of the
world's great repositories for the documentation and visual study
of Western art and serves as the research arm of The Frick Collection.
The Library was founded in 1920 by Helen Clay Frick
as a memorial to her father, Henry Clay Frick, to further her father's
stated goals for The Frick Collection: “to encourage and develop
the study of the fine arts, and to advance the general knowledge
of kindred subjects.” Its mission has always been to gather
photographs of paintings, drawings, sculpture, and illuminated manuscripts
executed between the fourth and the mid-twentieth century by European
and American artists; to collate with each photograph facts relating
to the object’s history and present location; and to create
a comprehensive research library for the study of Western art. Today
the Library’s holdings of books, periodicals, auction catalogs, special collections, and archives complement the photoarchive and constitute one of the world’s most valued art research centers
and the most comprehensive resource on the history of collecting
and patronage.
For more than eighty-five years, the Library has been
committed to the highest standards in text and image collections
development and public service to benefit the research of all members
of the art community, including those who study art in its broader
historical and cultural context. The historic and tranquil setting
of the Library, adjacent to the Collection, welcomes all adults
with a serious interest in art.
Patricia Barnett
Andrew W. Mellon Librarian |
