Pablo Pérez d'Ors

Past Exhibition: The King at War

Oil painting of a man in red coat, holding a white stick and black hat.
The King at War: Velázquez's Portrait of Philip IV
October 26, 2010 to January 23, 2011

Painted at the height of Velázquez's career, the Frick's King Philip IV of Spain (1644) is one of the artist's consummate achievements. Contemporary chronicles as well as bills and invoices in Spanish archives indicate that it was painted in a makeshift studio only a few miles from the frontlines of a battle, and that it was completed in just three sittings. The work, which shows its subject dressed in military costume, an atypical depiction, was sent to Madrid where it was used during a victory celebration.

Pablo Pérez d’Ors: "Flaming June: From Kitsch to Icon"

Link to video of Pablo Pérez d'Ors lecture

The critical reception of Frederic Leighton’s Flaming June, on loan to the Frick from the Museo de Arte de Ponce, has changed over time. Now considered a Victorian masterpiece, the painting suffered a period of disfavor during the mid-twentieth century. This lecture focuses on what there is in the painting to be loved — or hated.