April 3, 2019
This letter is reprinted from the Winter 2019 issue of the Members’ Magazine.
Last year, The Frick Collection shared its plans to renovate and enhance its historic buildings, the institution’s first comprehensive upgrade since 1935. A three-dimensional architectural model of the proposed renovation and addition by Selldorf Architects is on view in the alcove off the Garden Court, accompanied by a video presentation of renderings of the design. If you have not yet seen the model, I encourage you to visit the museum to do so. The project, which is slated to break ground sometime in 2020, will make more of the permanent collection and mansion accessible to the public, while updating the buildings’ infrastructure and adding much-needed visitor amenities, including an education center. The first-floor galleries will remain unchanged, and, for the first time, the mansion’s second floor will be open to the public. We are tremendously excited about this project, and I invite you to learn more about it.
Currently on view in our galleries is Moroni: The Riches of Renaissance Portraiture, the first major exhibition in the United States devoted to Giovanni Battista Moroni, a painter of both religious subjects and portraits. Although less familiar to audiences outside Italy, Moroni has long been celebrated by art historians as an essential figure in the Northern Italian tradition of naturalistic painting that includes Leonardo da Vinci, the Carracci, and Caravaggio. Nearly two dozen of his most arresting portraits are on display alongside a selection of Renaissance jewelry, armor, and other luxury items that together evoke the material world of the artist and his sitters. As always, the exhibition is complemented by lectures, gallery talks, and seminars designed to augment your enjoyment of the works presented.
For the past three years, Trustee Stephen A. Schwarzman has matched contributions made to the Annual Fund during the months of November and December. Mr. Schwarzman’s example has inspired others to give in an unprecedented way, and I am happy to report that through the combined generosity of Steve and our community of loyal donors, we have raised a record-breaking $1 million during the last two months of 2018. Gifts made to the Annual Fund are vital to the continued success of the Frick’s many programs, and we are grateful for your show of support. None of the offerings of which we are so proud—exhibitions, lectures, symposia, and concerts, not to mention research and conservation projects—would be possible without your help.
Works in the Oval Room featured in the exhibition Moroni: The Riches of Renaissance Portraiture. Photo: Michael Bodycomb