Frick Announces Continuing Support for Free Public Events at Frick Madison

New York (August 3, 2023) —The Frick Collection announces continuing support for its popular free public evenings, as Trustee Karen Z. Gray-Krehbiel underwrites the remaining programs in the Open Nights series. Gathering in popularity over the past year, these community events have been held on a quarterly basis. Program-filled, the evenings are designed by the institution’s Education Department to offer audiences yet another stimulating way to experience Frick Madison, the acclaimed temporary home of the museum and library during the renovation of the institution’s historic buildings. The fall event, scheduled for Friday, September 29, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., is inspired by the exhibition Barkley L. Hendricks: Portraits at the Frick.

Comments Ian Wardropper, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Director, “We’ve been so thrilled with the success of this series of seasonal community events. Karen Gray-Krehbiel, a recently elected Trustee, expressed immediate interest in helping us continue their presentation during our final year of residency at Frick Madison. We couldn’t be happier with her generous and impactful contribution.”

Gray-Krehbiel and her husband, John H. Krehbiel Jr., have been members of the Frick since 2016. Over the years they have supported numerous initiatives.

The September evening will feature a variety of programming including:

• Gallery and library talks with ASL interpretation
• Live music performances
• Library collection highlights and resources in the Reading Room
• Sketching in the galleries
• A conversation between the co-organizers of the special exhibition Barkley L. Hendricks: Portraits at the Frick, Curator Aimee Ng and Consulting Curator Antwaun Sargent. (This program will be live-streamed with CART captioning.) 
• All Frick Madison galleries will be open, displaying highlights of the museum’s permanent collection. Western European works on view date from the Renaissance through early twentieth century and include canvases by Bellini, Bronzino, Fragonard, Gainsborough, Rembrandt, Renoir, Titian, Turner, Vermeer, and more. They are organized chronologically by region, in a presentation that differs from that of the historic Frick mansion, allowing for new insights and unexpected juxtapositions.
• Throughout the evening, visitors can enjoy the Frick’s major fall exhibition Barkley L. Hendricks: Portraits at the Frick, as well as a site-specific mural by artist Nicolas Party.
• Complimentary refreshments will be provided by Frick Madison’s in-house café, The SisterYard.

The final Gray-Krehbiel Open Night at Frick Madison is planned for Friday, February 2, 2024, and will include after-hours museum and reading room access, gallery talks, library resources, sketching, and live music.

Comments Elizabeth M. Eveillard, Chair of Frick’s Board of Trustees, “It is with great pleasure that we welcomed Karen to the board in December. She has already demonstrated strong leadership experience. Her support of the museum and library’s educational and outreach efforts—particularly her generous underwriting of Open Nights—is exemplary. The timing of her involvement couldn’t be better during this final year of strong programming at Frick Madison, when we are also planning the transition back to our historic home at 1 East 70th Street.”