The Frick Collection in New York

The Frick Collection in New York is a small art museum located on Fifth Avenue in Upper East Side. However, what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in grandeur. This museum’s collection in addition to the building in which it is housed, a New York City landmark, are nothing short of grand and are definitely worth a visit.

Buy your tickets for The Frick Collection here

Frick New York – Mansion and Museum

The Frick Collection is housed in the striking and stately mansion of the late Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919). Compared to museum giants such as the Guggenheim and the MET, The Frick Museum is quite small. However, this Fifth Avenue mansion, also known as the Henry Clay Frick House, has beautiful decor, from the furnishings and wood panelling to marble surfaces and velvet wall hangings.

The latest renovation opened up access to the Frick family’s private quarters on the second floor, sonow you can walk up the grand staircase like Mr. Frick himself. The decorative ceilings of this museum alone are a sight to behold.

What to see in The Frick Collection

The museum houses numerous permanent galleries and simultaneously often displays several special exhibitions. It offers magnificent paintings from the hand of Europe’s renowned masters, such as Thomas Gainsborough, Sir Joshua Reynolds and William Turner. The Collection also displays sculptures, ceramics, textiles and works on paper. But that’s not all, the museum also houses an indoor garden where visitors can relax and marvel at what was formerly a Fifth Avenue driveway.

What makes the museum so special and unique is that it is displayed in the former Frick residence. This means that some rooms are still exactly as they were at the beginning of the twentieth century. As such you are transported back in time when you wander around and can experience how the affluent Frick family lived.

Take a couple of hours to explore the museum. Make use of the free audio guide and walk around the house at your own pace. The museum is popular with tourists and New Yorkers alike, so expect it to be busy throughout the day.

Henry Clay Frick

Henry Clay Frick, a successful businessman from a modest background aaccumulated his fortune in Pittsburgh’s iron and steel industry. He was, however, a somewhat controversial figure. As a lifelong opponent of organised labour and unions, his opinions triggered strikes. He was even the victim of a failed assassination attempt. During the last 40 years of his life he became an avid art collector. In 1913 he started the construction of the magnificent mansion on Fifth Avenue, overlooking Central Park.

From the start of the construction and, as stipulated in his will, Henry Clay Frick always meant for his mansion and his art works within to be turned into a public museum after his and his wife’s deaths. This act of significant generosity, which also included donations to different charities, was a striking contrast to such an unscrupulous businessman. Since his death, the collection of art has expanded considerably.

The mansion itself has been reconstructed several times to accommodate the growing art collection. The expansions to the museum, however, are so seamless that you will hardly notice that some of the wings never belonged to the original building.

Practical Information

• Opening hours:
  • Monday – Tuesday: closed
  • Wednesday – Thursday: 11:00 – 18:00
  • Friday: 11:00 – 21:00
  • Saturday – Sunday: 11:00 – 18:00
• Location: 1 East 70th Street
• Age limit: Children under 10 are not admitted to the Collection.
• The Hop on Hop off bus stops here

Buy your tickets for The Frick Collection here