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For the past five years, the Gilded Age mansion that houses the Frick Collection in New York has been closed to the public for an enhancement of its historic Fifth Avenue home. On April 17, the Frick reopens its doors, unveiling its $220 million renovation by Selldorf Architects in collaboration with executive architect Beyer Blinder Belle marking the most comprehensive upgrade to the institution since its opening in 1935. The project has restored the Frick’s historic first-floor galleries and created a new suite of galleries on the second floor of the original Frick family home, welcoming the public to experience these spaces for the first time. Through the repurposing of existing space and a modest addition, the renovation and enhancement significantly expands exhibition and programmatic spaces, including new special exhibition galleries on the museum’s first floor, the Frick’s first dedicated education rooms, and a new 218-seat auditorium. The project also included the restoration of the 70th Street Garden, now visible from multiple new vantage points throughout the building. “The reopening of the Frick marks an exciting moment in the trajectory of this storied cultural institution,” says Axel Rüger, the Frick’s Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Director. “With the return of the Frick’s masterworks to their revitalized home, we welcome visitors to rediscover the beauty, intimacy and scholarship that have defined the Frick for nearly a century and that we hope will inspire generations of visitors to come.”
The reopening of the Frick invites visitors to experience the museum’s collection anew, with its iconic masterworks reinstalled in restored galleries on the first floor and smaller-scale paintings, sculptures, and decorative objects on view throughout its newly opened second floor. In addition, the Frick’s inaugural season features a slate of special installations and public programs, including a special commission of porcelain plants and flowers by sculptor Vladimir Kanevsky, a presentation that pays homage to the floral arrangements made for the Frick’s original opening in 1935. “Visitors will now be able to experience even more of our collection and programs, thanks to the many architects, preservation experts, curators, artisans and innumerable museum and library staff who have collaborated to restore the original mansion while also creating new galleries, program spaces, and public amenities,” says Ian Wardropper, the Frick’s former director.