Xavier F. Salomon

Xavier F. Salomon is the Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator of The Frick Collection, a post he assumed in January of 2014. More »

Cocktails with a Curator: Fragonard's Progress of Love Series, Part One

video still of Xavier Salomon and gallery in The Frick Collection

In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” join Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon as he discusses Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s Progress of Love paintings and the capricious countess who commissioned the series, Madame du Barry, mistress of Louis XV. Delve into the tumultuous life of Du Barry, who was born in poverty and clashed with Marie-Antoinette at Versailles. Tune in next week to discover how the Progress of Love series made its way from eighteenth-century France to the Frick’s beloved Fragonard Room.

Cocktails with a Curator: Beechey's 'Elizabeth Sophia Baillie'

video still of Xavier Salomon and painting of woman

In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon enjoys a Great Maiden’s Blush cocktail while discussing a 1795 portrait of Elizabeth Sophia Baillie (née de Vismes) by Sir William Beechey. A work of mysterious origin—and thought for a century to be by the English portraitist John Hoppner—it was only recently attributed to Beechey by Eloise Owens during her time as a curatorial assistant at the Frick.

Travels with a Curator: Pittsburgh

video still of Xavier Salomon and estate
In the final episode of “Travels with a Curator,” journey just 370 miles west of New York to explore The Frick Pittsburgh with Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon. A beautiful property where visitors may enjoy both modern galleries and the Frick family home, The Frick Pittsburgh houses works of art and personal objects that provide an intimate look at the lives of the Frick family, from bedrooms with house slippers to children's rooms with toys.

Cocktails with a Curator: Böttger's 'Teapot'

video still of Xavier Salomon and porcelain teapot

In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon delves into the significance of a deceptively simple teapot designed by Johann Friedrich Böttger and given to the Frick by the great German-born collector Henry H. Arnhold (1921–2018). Enjoy a Saxon cocktail while exploring the complicated history behind Böttger’s quest to discover the formula for porcelain in a clifftop fortress outside Dresden in the early 18th century.

Travels with a Curator: Chantilly

video still of Xavier Salomon and garden
In this week’s episode of “Travels with a Curator,” Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon takes viewers on a journey through the grand halls of the Château de Chantilly, one of his favorite places in France. Like the Frick, Chantilly began as an opulent residence and was once the home of the Grand Condé, a cousin of Louis XIV. Today, the château houses one of the best collections of European paintings in France as well as the world-famous illuminated manuscript “Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.” Watch closely for a guest appearance by Jadwiga, Xavier’s kitten.

Cocktails with a Curator: 'Vase Japon'

video still of Xavier Salomon and porcelain vase

In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” examine one of the Frick’s recent acquisitions, the Sèvres “Vase Japon,” with Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon. A unique interpretation of a Chinese (not Japanese) bronze vase from the Han Dynasty, the object represents the 18th-century influence of China on European porcelain design. This week’s program is paired with a Long Island Iced Tea.

Travels with a Curator: Grasse

video still of Xavier Salomon and building
In this week’s episode of “Travels with a Curator,” journey to Grasse on the French Riviera with Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon as he explores the birthplace of Jean-Honoré Fragonard and the Villa-Musée Fragonard. Once a private residence owned by Fragonard’s cousin, Alexandre Maubert, the villa was home to the Frick’s beloved “Progress of Love” series for about 100 years before the paintings were sold and eventually acquired by Henry Clay Frick in the early 20th century.

Travels with a Curator: Genoa

video still of Xavier Salomon and city scene on water
In this week’s episode of “Travels with a Curator,” join Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon on a journey to Genoa, one of his favorite cities in Italy. A rich maritime and financial center in the 17th century, Genoa was a natural draw for artists at the time, including the great Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck. The Frick owns three portraits painted by Van Dyck while he resided in Genoa, allowing viewers to peek into the past at a flourishing city at the height of its power and influence.

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