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 »

Travels with a Curator: The Mount of Quarantine, Jericho

video still of Xavier Salomon and interior of building

In this episode of “Travels with a Curator,” Xavier F. Salomon, Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, takes us to the site depicted in one of the Frick’s gold-ground masterpieces, The Temptation of Christ on the Mountain, by Duccio di Buoninsegna. The Mount of Quarantine—the origin of the word “quarantine” as we know it today—is the site of the Monastery of Temptation, built on the rocky bluff where Christ was tempted by the devil after fasting in the Judean Desert for forty days and nights.

Travels with a Curator: Westminster Abbey, London

video still of photo of Westminster Abbey with Xavier Salomon lecturing corner window

In this episode of "Travels with a Curator," we visit the world-famous Westminster Abbey in London, with Xavier F. Salomon, Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator. Xavier shares connections between Westminster Abbey and the Frick through an examination of the life of General John Burgoyne, a playwright, parliamentarian, and military officer buried in the Abbey’s north cloister. Sir Joshua Reynolds’s portrait of Burgoyne was acquired by The Frick Collection in 1943.

Cocktails with a Curator: Velázquez's 'King Philip'

video still of Xavier Salomon and oil painting of King with staff

In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” join Xavier F. Salomon, Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, as he discusses the sole Velázquez painting at the Frick, “King Philip IV of Spain,” while enjoying a Fitifiti, the popular Spanish cocktail. Examine the extraordinary details and painterly skills that illustrate why the artist is regarded by many (including Xavier) as the greatest European painter who ever lived, and why this work was Henry Clay Frick’s favorite.

Cocktail Recipe

Cocktails with a Curator: Boucher's 'A Lady on Her Day Bed'

video still of Xavier Salomon and oil painting of lady on bed

In this episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” Xavier F. Salomon, Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, examines the life and work of French painter François Boucher, with a focus on “A Lady on Her Daybed.” Discover why Boucher was said to epitomize the taste of the eighteenth century. This week’s complementary cocktail has a kick: the potent French 75, named after the powerful French 75mm field gun.

Cocktail Recipe

French "75"
2/3 gin
1/3 lemon juice
simple syrup
fill up with champagne

Travels with a Curator: Łazienki Palace, Warsaw

video still of Xavier Salomon and building

In this episode of "Travels with a Curator," we travel to Warsaw, Poland, with Xavier F. Salomon, Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator. Xavier enchants us with the romantic Łazienki Park and Palace, also known as the Palace on the Isle. The idyllic gardens and ornately decorated interior spaces are similar in many ways to our own Frick mansion. One of the Frick's Rembrandt paintings, "The Polish Rider," once hung in the royal apartments on the second floor.

Frick Five: Nathaniel Silver

In the inaugural episode of “Frick Five,” Xavier F. Salomon, Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, interviews Nathaniel Silver, the William and Lia Poorvu Curator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Nat answers our five questions including "What work of art changed your life?" Listen in on this entertaining and exciting exchange of viewpoints.

Cocktails with a Curator: Turner's 'Harbor of Dieppe'

screenshot of Xavier Salomon speaking alongside oil painting of harbor scene

In this episode of "Cocktails with a Curator," Xavier F. Salomon, Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, discusses the French port city depicted in J. M. W. Turner's painting “Harbor of Dieppe: Changement de Domicile,” and how the artist’s extensive travel throughout Europe helped to develop his affinity for harbors. The complementary cocktail is the Widow's Kiss, a French drink traditionally given to women who had lost their husbands at sea.

Cocktail Recipe

Travels with a Curator: Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome

screenshot of Xavier Salomon speaking alongside image of building in Rome

In the second episode of "Travels with a Curator," Xavier F. Salomon, Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, takes us to his hometown of Rome. We visit the Castel Sant'Angelo, an important historic site that is often overlooked by tourists. In this video, Xavier explains how the Castel Sant'Angelo's ancient structure experienced transformations over the centuries, and he makes connections to our current pandemic situation and to works of art in The Frick Collection.

Cocktails with a Curator: Van Dyck's 'Sir John Suckling'

screenshot of Xavier Salomon speaking alongside image of painting of man standing with book

In this episode of "Cocktails with a Curator," Xavier F. Salomon, Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, tells us the story of Sir John Suckling, the subject of Anthony van Dyck's full-length portrait in The Frick Collection. Xavier has appropriately paired his story of art and literature with an English cocktail called Pink Gin.

Cocktail Recipe

Pink Gin
1 part Plymouth gin
1 dash of Angostura bitters
on ice

Audiences under 21 are encouraged to join with a non-alcoholic drink.

Travels with a Curator: Ca' d'Oro, Venice

video still of Ca' d'Oro, a house museum in Venice, with Xavier Salomon in corner window

In the first episode of "Travels with a Curator," Xavier F. Salomon, Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, transports us to Venice. He introduces us to the Ca' d'Oro, a house museum which was lovingly restored around the same time that the Frick mansion was built in New York City.

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