Frick Collection

Frick Collection, paintings and works of art from the private collection of Pittsburgh coke and steel industrialist Henry Clay Frick, located in his New York town house which borders Fifth Avenue and faces Central Park. The imposing building, erected in 1913-1914, was designed by the American architect Thomas Hastings in a style reminiscent of European domestic architecture of the 18th century. The rooms recall English and French interiors of the same period. Upon his death, Frick bequeathed the house and the works of art he had collected over a period of 40 years to establish a public gallery for the purpose of “encouraging and developing the study of the fine arts”. Chief among his bequests were 131 paintings. After alterations and extensions were made to the house by the architect John Russell Pope, it was opened to the public in 1935.

The Collection comprises paintings by the greatest European artists, major works of sculpture, 18th-century French furniture and porcelains, Limoges enamels, Oriental rugs, and other works of art. Artists range from Giovanni Bellini and Piero Della Francesca to Hans Holbein the Younger and William Hogarth. The Collection successfully attempts to preserve the ambience of a private house. Where possible, works of art are displayed as they were during Henry Clay Frick's lifetime. Labels for the paintings and sculpture are extremely brief, and few of the pieces of furniture, porcelain, or other decorative arts bear any labels.