Specialties
In the elegant galleries of The Frick Collection--a museum housed in the former mansion of industrialist Henry Clay Frick--you will find some of the most exceptional works of Western art. Ranging from the Renaissance through the late nineteenth century, the Collection includes works by such celebrated artists as Bellini, Constable, Corot, Fragonard, Gainsborough, Goya, El Greco, Holbein, Ingres, Manet, Monet, Rembrandt, Renoir, Titian, Turner, Velázquez, Vermeer, and Whistler.
In addition to major paintings by these and other masters, the Frick's galleries contain fine French porcelains, Italian bronzes, sculptures, and period furniture. The permanent collection is further enriched by frequent presentations of special exhibitions.
Established by Henry Clay Frick, the museum was greeted with awe when the doors first opened in 1935. It has grown over the years, while maintaining the special ambiance of an art connoisseur's mansion, and today the Frick is internationally renowned as one of New York's most remarkable cultural treasures.
Your visit to the Frick will be enhanced by a complimentary audio tour, provided by Acoustiguide and available in several languages, as well as an educational video presentation on the history of the Frick and its founder. The Museum Shop offers a wide selection of books, catalogues, postcards, and other gift items. You can take a virtual tour of the Collection on our Web site.
History
Established in 1935.
Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), the coke and steel industrialist, philanthropist, and art collector, left his residence on 70th Street and his remarkable collection of Western paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts to the public "for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a gallery of art, [and] of encouraging and developing the study of fine arts and of advancing the general knowledge of kindred subjects." Designed and built for Mr. Frick in 1914 by Carrère and Hastings, the landmarked mansion provides a grand domestic setting reminiscent of the noble houses of Europe.
The house was adapted into the present museum in 1935 by architect John Russell Pope, who seamlessly added an interior Garden Court (that is today a signature space) and other elegant rooms for the display of art. He also constructed the present building that houses the Frick Art Reference Library (on 71st Street), which is one of the world's top art history libraries.