[title]
UPDATE 1/28/25:
Following its 2020 closure, the Frick Collection will officially reopen on April 17 inside its historic Gilded Age mansion at 1 East 70th Street by Fifth Avenue.
The art museum announced the official date on Tuesday, saying visitors will now be able to experience even more of its collection.
“The Frick’s reopening is an invitation to all New Yorkers and art lovers from around the world to discover—or rediscover—incredible works of art from our permanent collection, displayed in the painstakingly restored setting of our historic home,” said Elizabeth M. Eveillard, Chair of the Board of Trustees, in a statement. “Following this long-awaited unveiling, we look forward to giving our audiences the opportunity to experience several newly constructed spaces through the revitalization of signature Frick offerings, namely a classical concert series and a focused presentation featuring Vermeer’s beloved Mistress and Maid.”
The relaunch has been a long time coming: when the museum closed years ago, setting up for a massive renovation by Selldorf Architects, it temporarily relocated to the Breuer Building on Madison Avenue and 75th Street until March of 2024. Things are finally going back to normal with the revamping of the cultural institution's original home.
When it opens, visitors will be able to look through the museum's permanent collection inside restored spaces on the first floor while also walking around a new roster of galleries on the mansion's second floor, open to the public for the very first time. According to The Frick, the second floor used to be the Frick family’s private living quarters, but later became staff meeting rooms and administrative offices. So yes, you’ll be able to walk into the original bedroom of Henry Clay Frick.
“Careful restoration and preservation of architectural and decorative features—including ceiling murals, marble fireplaces, and elaborate carved woodwork—have brought these intimate rooms back to life, with varied arrangements of smaller-scale paintings, sculptures, and decorative objects from different schools and periods, along with rarely exhibited and recently acquired works,” a press release says.
The Frick Art Research Library and its refurbished Reading Room will reopen concurrently with the museum, with brand-new entry points on multiple levels that enable a seamless integration of the institution’s two branches.
The staff is preparing for a pretty busy inaugural season, which will include a whole slate of special installations and public programs, from a "a special commission by sculptor and ceramicist Vladimir Kanevsky of porcelain flowers that pay homage to the floral arrangements made for the Frick’s original opening, in 1935" to a weeklong music festival focusing on both classic and contemporary works, and an installation of paintings by Vermeer that will inaugurate the Frick's new special exhibition galleries.
Overall, the massive $330 million renovation project has upgraded the Frick Collection's infrastructure and look: the now restored "Gilded Age splendor" that has always defined the space is sure to excite and amuse guests moving forward.
Below are some renderings of what you can expect to see when it opens.
