Frick Appoints New Chief Conservator
The Frick Collection Announces Appointment of Julia Day as Chief Conservator
Day’s Return to the Frick Coincides with Museum’s Reopening and Creation of New Conservation Center
New York (July 24, 2025) — The Frick Collection today announced the recent appointment of Julia Day as Chief Conservator. Day oversees the Conservation and Art Preparation and Installation teams, collaborating with museum staff on the preservation of the Frick’s permanent collection and historic interiors. The Conservation Department also supports special exhibitions, conducts research, and furthers the museum’s educational mission through outreach and mentorship. Day started in the position this spring at a significant moment for the institution, which in April reopened its renovated home at 1 East 70th Street, including the newly built Sherman Fairchild Center for Art Conservation.
Day’s appointment marked her return to the Frick. From 2008 to 2022, she served as the museum’s Assistant Conservator, Associate Conservator, and Conservator under her predecessor, Joseph Godla. As the museum’s sole objects conservator, she cared for a wide range of decorative arts and sculpture and was instrumental in coordinating the institution’s temporary relocation to Frick Madison, in the Marcel Breuer–designed building on Madison Avenue. In addition, she and her colleagues collaborated with Sam Anderson Architects in developing plans for the new art conservation and preparation facilities, critical components of the renovation project. These state-of-the-art spaces support the department’s activities and make possible a year-long graduate conservation internship and, in the future, a two- to three-year post-graduate position.
Commented Axel Rüger, the Frick’s Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Director, “We are thrilled to welcome Julia back to The Frick Collection. I have enjoyed working alongside her as we settle into our renovated and enhanced buildings, which now have a much-improved facility for collections care—spaces that owe no small debt to her input. Her thoughtful and deeply informed approach to conservation, combined with her leadership and experience, are already proving essential as the museum presents a broader portion of our holdings and plans a robust schedule of special exhibitions.”
“It is a tremendous honor to return to the Frick, especially at such a dynamic moment in the institution’s history,” stated Day. “The newly expanded conservation and art preparation spaces reflect a deep commitment to the preservation and study of the museum’s permanent collection, as well as the training of future conservators. I’m excited to lead this growing department as we steward the Frick’s extraordinary works of art and historic interiors into the future.”
Most recently, Day served as Senior Conservator for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, where she advised on all aspects of collections care and planning for the future institution. Her career spans more than two decades, including conservation work at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Harvard Art Museums, in addition to fieldwork with archaeological projects in Turkey and Peru. She has authored scholarly studies on the preservation of Limoges enamels and on the technical analysis of bronze sculpture, most notably by the Renaissance master Bertoldo di Giovanni. She has been a guest lecturer at New York University and Buffalo State University, where she has shared her expertise on enamels conservation with graduate students. Day holds a Master of Arts and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Art Conservation from Buffalo State University.