New York, NY – The Frick Collection, housed in one of New York City’s last great Gilded Age homes, offers intimate encounters with one of the world’s foremost collections of fine and decorative arts. Its highly anticipated reopening on 17 April 2025 follows a multi-year renovation and enhancement of this opulent gem.
Redesigned by Selldorf Architects, with Beyer Blinder Belle serving as executive architect, the project honours Frick’s architectural legacy while addressing critical infrastructure and operational needs. This marks the most comprehensive upgrade to the institution since its opening in 1935, ensuring its vibrancy for decades to come.
The renovation has restored the Frick’s historic first-floor galleries and opened the second floor of the original Frick family home to the public for the first time. The project significantly expands exhibition and programmatic spaces by repurposing existing space and a modest addition. New features include special exhibition galleries on the first floor, the Frick’s first dedicated education rooms, and a new 220-seat auditorium. The restoration of the 70th Street Garden, now visible from multiple vantage points within the building, adds to the enhanced visitor experience.
Major infrastructure upgrades, improved accessibility, and new public amenities—including advanced art and library conservation facilities—ensure Frick’s continued excellence. The Frick Art Research Library will reopen concurrently with the museum, featuring refurbished reading rooms and new entry points that seamlessly integrate the institution’s two branches.
Visitors will encounter Frick’s iconic masterworks reinstalled in the restored first-floor galleries, while the newly opened second-floor showcases smaller-scale paintings, sculptures, and decorative objects. The inaugural season features a slate of unique installations and public programs, including a special commission of porcelain flowers by sculptor Vladimir Kanevsky, paying homage to the floral arrangements displayed at the Frick’s original opening in 1935.
In June, the museum’s new first-floor special exhibition galleries will debut with Vermeer’s Love Letters, a focused presentation that re-examines masterworks from the collection.
Ian Wardropper, the Frick’s Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Director, expressed his excitement: “We are delighted to welcome visitors to a revitalized Frick Collection. Intimate encounters with iconic works of art remain a cornerstone of the Frick experience. Thanks to the collaboration of architects, preservation experts, curators, artisans, and staff, visitors will enjoy our collection and programs even more. We deeply thank the generous donors who made this project possible.”
Elizabeth M. Eveillard, Chair of the Board of Trustees, added, “The Frick’s reopening invites New Yorkers and art lovers worldwide to discover—or rediscover—incredible works of art in our painstakingly restored historic home. We look forward to sharing our revitalized spaces through signature Frick offerings, including a classical concert series and a focused presentation featuring Vermeer’s beloved Mistress and Maid.”
For the first time, the public will have access to the second floor of the Frick mansion, once the private living quarters of the Frick family. These intimate rooms restored to their original splendour, now house smaller-scale paintings, sculptures, and decorative objects from various schools and periods. Highlights include installations inspired by the personal collecting interests of the Frick family, such as portrait paintings in Henry Clay Frick’s original bedroom and Renaissance gold-ground panels in Helen Clay Frick’s former bedroom.
The Boucher Room, relocated to its original setting in Adelaide Childs Frick’s private sitting room, is another highlight. The second floor also features significant recent acquisitions, including French faience, Viennese Du Paquier porcelain, rare portrait medals, and Frick’s collection of clocks and watches.
The Frick’s new 220-seat Stephen A. Schwarzman Auditorium will host a two-week music festival from 26 April to 11 May 2025, featuring classical, Baroque, and modern music, including a new commission by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tyshawn Sorey. The festival is made possible through generous support from the Christian Keesee Charitable Trust, Karen Z. Gray-Krehbiel and John H. Krehbiel Jr., and Jane Moss and Ravenel Curry.
The new Cabinet Gallery on the first floor will open with a rare display of twelve exceptional works on paper from the Frick’s collection, including sketches and finished drawings by Degas, Goya, Ingres, Rubens, and Whistler. This installation, organized by Aimee Ng, John Updike Curator, is generously funded by The Gilbert & Ildiko Butler Family Foundation.
Vladimir Kanevsky’s porcelain flower sculptures, commissioned by the Frick, will evoke the floral arrangements displayed at the museum’s 1935 opening. The installation will remain on view for six months, and it was organized by Xavier F. Salomon, Deputy Director, and Peter Jay Sharp, Chief Curator.
The renovation and enhancement project, the first comprehensive upgrade in nearly ninety years, repurposes 60,000 square feet of existing space and adds 27,000 square feet of new construction. The project restores the mansion to its late Gilded Age splendour, recreating textiles and wall hangings manufactured by the same firms commissioned by the Frick family over a century ago. Architectural features have been meticulously preserved, including carved wood panelling, decorative marble, and bronze fixtures.
With a total project cost of $330 million, the Frick has raised approximately 80% of the funds needed. The Campaign for the Frick, supported by generous donors, ensures the institution’s continued vitality.
Established in 1935, the museum originated with Henry Clay Frick’s bequest of his Fifth Avenue residence and collection. Over the decades, the museum’s holdings have doubled, encompassing masterworks from the Renaissance through the late nineteenth century.
Top Photo Jim.henderson Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
The Frick Collection 1 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021 From 17 April 2025