2002

Exhibitions presented at The Frick Collection during 2002.

Past Exhibition: The Art of the Timekeeper

cover of the book French Clocks in North American Collections with a photograph of a tall standing clock
The Art of the Timekeeper: Masterpieces from the Winthrop Edey Bequest
November 14, 2001 to February 24, 2002

In 1999, Winthrop Kellogg Edey bequeathed to The Frick Collection a remarkable collection of twenty-five clocks, fourteen watches, and an extensive reference library relating to the history of time measurement. Over nearly five decades, Edey had purchased a large number of timepieces, many of which he later exchanged or sold to upgrade with artifacts of greater significance. This continual refinement enabled him to assemble a small but exceptionally fine collection, illustrating both the stylistic and the technical development of clocks and watches from about 1500 to 1830.

Past Exhibition: Six Paintings on Loan from the Greentree Foundation

Six Paintings from the Former Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney on Loan from the Greentree Foundation
July 25, 2000 to April 21, 2002

The Greentree Foundation generously lent to The Frick Collection for a period of one year six master paintings from the former collection of Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney. The group included Corot's Cottage and Mill by a Torrent (Morvan or Auvergne), 1831; Manet's Racecourse at the Bois de Boulogne, 1872; Degas' Before the Race, 1882-88, and Landscape with Mounted Horsemen, c. 1892; Picasso's Boy with a Pipe, 1905; and Redon's Flowers in a Green Vase, c. 1910.

Past Exhibition: Mantegna's Descent into Limbo

painting depicting women and men standing near cave opening draped in cloths as one man descends into the dark opening.
Mantegna's Descent into Limbo, from the Barbara Piasecka Johnson Collection
September 8, 2000 to July 8, 2002

Andrea Mantegna (1431–1506) painted this small panel during the height of the Italian Renaissance, using detailed, emotion-filled images to depict the moment when Christ appears to the souls in Limbo. The original work was created for Marchese Lodovico Gonzaga in June of 1468. Because it was so highly regarded, several other versions were made, including this smaller one, which was probably done for Ferdinando Carlo, the last Duke of Mantua, around 1470–75. Lent through the generosity of the Barbara Piasecka Johnson Collection, it was on view in the Enamels Room.

Past Exhibition: Rediscovered Tapestries

detail of tapestry depicting guests at an outdoor wedding including seated man eating and a donkey grazing.
Two Rediscovered Tapestries
March 19, 2002

After an initial preview last summer, visitors were again able to enjoy two eighteenth-century tapestries woven by the Brussels workshop of Peter van den Hecke (c. 1752). Displayed in the Music Room, these rare hangings are important for their state of preservation, the significance of their design, their royal provenance, and the evidence regarding the identity of their maker and manufacture.

Masterpieces Return to the Galleries

portrait of seventeenth century woman dressed in ivory and gold with a lace ruff collar.
Masterpieces by Gilbert Stuart and Anthony Van Dyck Return to the Galleries
March 21, 2002 to April 25, 2002

Gilbert Stuart was the foremost portrait painter of the newly formed United States. He painted many of the most prominent figures of his day, including the first five American presidents, but none of the thousand portraits he made attained such renown as the three he painted from life of George Washington and those he replicated to order throughout his later career. To most visitors to The Frick Collection, Stuart's George Washington is instantly recognizable; in a collection of mainly European masterpieces, it is the only painting of an American by an American.

Past Exhibition: Greuze

Cover of the catalogue for the exhibition Greuze: The Draftsman
Greuze: The Draftsman
May 14, 2002 to August 4, 2002

This exhibition was the first devoted exclusively to the drawings of Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725–1805), the remarkable eighteenth-century French painter and draftsman.

Past Exhibition: Martin Carlin

Photograph of small eighteenth century writing table made of oak and maple, decorated with plaques of porcelain and gilt bronze.
Martin Carlin's Mechanical Table
April 30, 2002 to August 18, 2002

A vogue for furniture featuring secret compartments and complex mechanical devices swept France during the eighteenth century. Featured in the Cabinet was a mechanical reading and writing table with Sèvres porcelain plaques, attributed to Martin Carlin (c. 1730–85), a German-born cabinetmaker who worked in Paris and created furniture for such notables as Madame Du Barry and the daughters of Louis XV. Normally exhibited in the Fragonard Room in closed position, the table was displayed partially open, and photographs revealed the mechanisms that make possible its moving parts.

Past Exhibition: Poussin and Claude

Cover of the catalogue for the exhibition Poussin, Claude, and Their World
Poussin, Claude, and Their World: Seventeenth-Century French Drawings from the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris
September 18, 2002 to December 1, 2002

Featuring approximately seventy drawings, Poussin, Claude, and Their World: Seventeenth-Century French Drawings from the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, included outstanding masterpieces by Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, as well as lesser-known masters such as Sébastien Bourdon, Simon Vouet, Noël Coypel, Charles Le Brun, Eustache Le Sueur, and others. Selected by Emmanuelle Brugerolles, Curator of Drawings at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, and Colin B.

Past Exhibition: Masterpieces from the Toledo Museum of Art

cover of the catalogue for the exhibition Masterpieces of European Painting from the Toledo Museum of Art with painting of Saint Joseph leading the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus on a donkey in a landscape
Masterpieces of European Painting from the Toledo Museum of Art
October 29, 2002 to January 5, 2003

To mark its centenary, the Toledo Museum of Art lent twelve of its greatest European paintings. Masterpieces of European Painting from the Toledo Museum of Art included exceptional works by artists such as Piero di Cosimo (1462-1521), Jacopo Bassano (about 1510-92), El Greco (1541-1614), Gustave Courbet (1819-77), James Tissot (1836-1902), and Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), many of whom are not represented in The Frick Collection's own holdings. The presentation of these treasures illuminated another chapter in American collecting.

Past Exhibition: Tapestries Reinstalled

detail of tapestry depicting guests at a wedding in 18th century dress dancing outdoors.
Two Tapestries Reinstalled
November 26, 2002 to January 26, 2003

During the winter of 2002 to 2003, visitors enjoyed two eighteenth-century tapestries woven by the Brussels workshop of Peter van den Hecke (c. 1752). On display in the Music Room on a half-year rotational basis, these rare hangings are important for their state of preservation, the significance of their design, their royal provenance, and the evidence regarding the identity of their maker and manufacture.