After four years of renovations, the Frick Collection will reopen its doors to the public this April, inviting guests to experience a world of Gilded Age opulence — paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and beyond, totaling over 1,800 pieces. This transformation is unlike anything the Upper East Side institution has experienced, and it will usher the space into a new era with never-before-seen features.
Have a look inside The Frick Collection, NYC’s Gilded Age stunner
Home of industrialist Henry Clay Frick, chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company, the sensational grounds across from Central Park clocks in at 196,000 square feet, 60,000 of which were repurposed and 27,000 of which are courtesy of new construction.
Selldorf Architects with Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners covered a lot of terrain (quite literally): extending gallery space by 30%, designing the new 220-seat Stephen A. Schwarzman Auditorium, refurbishing reading rooms, and creating a new suite of galleries on the second floor of the original Frick family home — territory that is open to the public for the very first time.
“We worked carefully to develop an architectural vocabulary for the project that is continuous with the existing historic fabric yet employs distinct but appropriate contemporary detailing in the façades and interiors,” Annabelle Selldorf, principal of Selldorf Architects, said in a statement. “I believe that this careful blending of old and new will make people feel even more welcome as they return to — or discover for the first time — the Frick, its collection, and its beautiful setting.”
And what would a grand reopening be without exhibitions? Upon the doors reopening April 17th, visitors can expect “Porcelain Garden: Vladimir Kanevsky at The Frick Collection” and “Highlights of Drawings.” Later in June, “Vermeer’s Love Letters” will be on display, followed by “Flora Yukhnovich’s Four Seasons” in September and “To the Holy Sepulcher: Treasures from the Terra Sancta Museum” in October. The Ronald S. Lauder Exhibition Galleries, a suite of rooms dedicated to special exhibitions in conversation with the attraction’s permanent collections, will open on June 18th.
States Xavier F. Salomon, the Frick’s Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, said, “On the heels of the museum’s public reopening on April 17, it is fitting that we are
debuting our new special exhibition galleries with a closer look at the work of Vermeer, one of the most popular artists in our collection. His Mistress and Maid is the final masterpiece that Henry Clay Frick acquired before his death, making this inaugural show a particularly appropriate tribute to his legacy as a collector.”
Additionally, a music festival will take place in the spring to usher in this exciting new chapter. Performances will take place from April 26th to May 11th and feature performances from the World Premiere of a Commission by Nico Muhly, performed by the Jupiter Ensemble and Anthony Roth Costanzo. Visitors can also expect the New York premieres of Piano Works by Tyshawn Sorey and Vijay Iyer, to name a few offerings.
“The reopening of the Frick marks and exciting moment in the trajectory of this storied cultural institution,” Axel Ruger, the Frick’s Anna-Maria and Stephen Keller Director, said in a statement. “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.”
🗓️ Reopening April 17th, 2025
📍 1 E. 70th St
🎟️ Tickets: $30 General Admission, $22 Seniors, $17 Students, Free members