President Helen Clay Chace announced the election of Juan A. Sabater to the Board of Trustees of The Frick Collection. Mr. Sabater assumes the seat for the remainder of the term of Dr. Henry Clay Frick II, grandson of the museum’s founder, who has served on the board for over forty-eight years. Dr. Frick steps down for health reasons and has been named Chairman Emeritus.
Retiring Trustee Dr. Henry Clay Frick II first joined the board in 1953. He took over the Presidency in 1965, and held this position until 2000, when his niece Helen Clay Chace assumed this role. During his tenure on the Board, he served with five Directors: Franklin Biebel, Harry Grier, Everett Fahy, Charles Ryskamp, and Samuel Sachs II. During his Presidency several remarkable paintings were added to the Collection, among them: Three Soldiers by Brueghel, Comte & Chevalier de Choiseuil by Drouais; Madonna & Child, with Sts. Lawrence & Julian by Gentile da Fabriano; Portrait of a Man by Memling; and The Portal of Valenciennes by Watteau. Also under his watch was the acquisition of the Widener property on 70th Street, which allowed for the construction of an addition to accommodate visitor needs as well as the Collection’s special exhibition galleries. Also significant during this period was the merger of the Frick Art Reference Library with the Collection in 1983, followed by a successful capital campaign to create the Library’s own endowment.
Fellow Trustee Paul G. Pennoyer, Jr. commented at a recent meeting of the Board, “During his many years of service to the Collection, Dr. Frick has provided wise and caring leadership as well as the constant loyalty and warmth of his devotion to the institution. As a result of his remarkable stewardship, The Frick Collection remains for us and for the public the treasure that his grandfather envisioned, and we offer heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Frick for leading us in the preservation and enhancement of this living legacy.”