Celebrated for masterpieces in portraiture and landscapes, The Frick Collection is pleased to announce the gift to its permanent collection of a remarkable still life by Gerard van Spaendonck (1746–1822). He is known for his masterful depictions of flowers and botanical specimens across a wide ranging oeuvre that includes miniatures, scientific illustrations, and Salon canvases. Van Spaendonck brought his knowledge of the natural world to bear in this rare painting on marble. It provides a harmonious compliment to the Frick’s three examples in this genre, Still Life with Plums by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, Trompe l’Oeil by Jean-Étienne Liotard, and Plum Branches Intertwined, a recently acquired drawing by Pierre-Joseph Redouté’, who was the student of van Spaendonck. Comments Director Ian Wardropper, “His works are quite rare in American public collections, and the most significant holdings are found in France and the United Kingdom, at Musée du Louvre and The Fitzwilliam Museum, respectively. As an extraordinary example of an important yet neglected eighteenth-century artist’s work, van Spaendonck’s Grapes with Insects on a Marble Top will strengthen our holdings in the genre of still life. Already installed in the North Hall adjacent to the Liotard, this new acquisition invites fresh conversations and connections across the Frick’s collection. We are grateful to Asbjorn R. Lunde for his generous gift to the Frick.”