Forthcoming Volumes Address Masterpieces by Titian, Fragonard, and Monet
New York (January 25, 2021)—The popular Frick Diptych series continues with books on masterpieces in the collection. Since 2018, five titles have been published, each illuminating a single work with an engaging, in-depth essay by a curator paired with a contribution from a contemporary cultural figure. Connecting the Old Masters with the voices of today, the series is designed to foster critical engagement appealing to the specialist and non-specialist alike. Comments Ian Wardropper, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Director, “These fresh takes on our holdings have often included close inspections and deeply personal reflections. We are delighted with the response to the first group of books, which focuses on Holbein’s Sir Thomas More, Vermeer’s Mistress and Maid, and Rembrandt’s Polish Rider, and are excited to announce upcoming titles on beloved works by Titian, Fragonard, and Monet.”
Published this month, in association with D Giles Ltd., the new volume on Constable’s White Horse puts the spotlight on a landscape. Included is a scholarly essay by Frick Curator Aimee Ng, who discusses how this work, the first of Constable's River Stour “six-footer” paintings, represents the artist’s unique process and his dedication to painting en plein air. As represented in this monumental work, the celebration of rural life led to recognition later in the artist’s life and influenced succeeding artists, among them, the French Impressionists. Complementing the essay is a meditation by artist William Kentridge, who writes about the contrast between the world represented in the painting and memories of his childhood in South Africa, comparing how he approaches his own relationship with landscape in his art.
In March 2021, the Frick will publish a Diptych devoted to Titian’s extraordinary portrait of Pietro Aretino, the famed writer, poet, playwright, and satirist. An essay by Xavier F. Salomon, the Frick’s Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, is paired with a contribution by acclaimed author Francine Prose. Future titles in the series will look at Fragonard’s Progress of Love, examined by Xavier F. Salomon and award-winning novelist Alan Hollinghurst; and Monet’s Vétheuil in Winter, considered by Frick Curator Emerita Susan Grace Galassi and artist Olafur Eliasson.
Published in 2018, the inaugural Frick Diptych is on Holbein’s 1527 portrait of the prominent Tudor-era figure Sir Thomas More and pairs an essay by Xavier F. Salomon with a literary piece by the award-winning writer Hilary Mantel. In the second volume, Johannes Vermeer’s extraordinary Mistress and Maid (1666–67) is illuminated with an essay by the Frick’s former Associate Research Curator Peggy Iacono and an imagined storyline by James Ivory, film director, writer and producer. In the third title, the Frick’s former Decorative Arts Curator Charlotte Vignon is joined by artist and bestselling author Edmund de Waal in considering a spectacular pair of porcelain and gilt-bronze candlesticks by Pierre Gouthière. The fourth diptych is devoted to Rembrandt’s enigmatic portrait of The Polish Rider. An essay by Salomon is accompanied by a charming illustrated essay by author and illustrator Maira Kalman.
The Frick Diptych series is published by The Frick Collection in association with D Giles Ltd., London, sold online through the Museum Shop at www.frick.org/shop or by emailing shop@frick.org.
Holbein’s Sir Thomas More by Hilary Mantel and Xavier F. Salomon
72 pages, 37 color illustrations, hardcover $17.95, member price $14.36
Vermeer’s Mistress and Maid, by James Ivory and Margaret Iacono
64 pages, 30 color illustrations, hardcover $19.95, member price $15.96
Gouthière’s Candelabras by Edmund de Waal and Charlotte Vignon
64 pages, 27 color illustrations, hardcover $19.95, member price $15.96
Rembrandt’s Polish Rider by Maira Kalman and Xavier F. Salomon
84 pages; 48 color illustrations, hardcover $19.95, member price $15.96
Constable’s White Horse by William Kentridge and Aimee Ng
72 pages; 37 color illustrations, hardcover $24.95, member price $19.96