Eighty years ago, The Frick Collection opened its doors to the public, thereby fulfilling the aim of Henry Clay Frick (1849–1919) to present to New York City his extraordinary art collection and magnificent mansion. The museum’s opening was accompanied by national headlines, and luminaries of the social and political worlds attended the inaugural celebration. Decades later, the museum remains one of New York City’s cultural treasures, famed for its unique ambiance and masterpieces by Bellini, Fragonard, Gainsborough, Goya, El Greco, Holbein, Houdon, Ingres, Rembrandt, Renoir, Turner, Vermeer, Whistler, and others. Members of the public also enjoy acclaimed special exhibitions and related publications, diverse education programs, concerts, and the riches of the Frick Art Reference Library. To mark this milestone, the Frick will offer a day of Pay-What-You-Wish admission and free programing on December 16, 2015, the anniversary of the museum’s public opening in 1935.
Visitors will have access to the permanent collection, as well as the acclaimed special exhibition Andrea del Sarto: The Renaissance Workshop in Action, the first major monographic show on the artist to be hosted in the United States. The exhibition explores the important role drawings played in Andrea’s paintings and sheds new light on his creative process. Also on view will be From Sèvres to Fifth Avenue: French Porcelain at The Frick Collection. This exhibition marks the first time in 35 years that the museum has shown these objects together and explores the role that Sèvres porcelain played in eighteenth-century France as well as during the American Gilded Age.
Please consult www.frick.org/anniversary for further information and additions to the 2015 celebration.