The phrase “jewel box” may be overused when referring to exquisite galleries and museums, but there’s no better way to describe the Frick Collection, at 70th Street and Fifth Avenue. The early-20th-century neoclassical mansion facing Central Park, designed by Carrère and Hastings (who were also responsible for the main branch of the New York Public Library), was the residence of industrialist Henry Clay Frick before being converted to a museum after his death. Most of the works on display were acquired by Frick and his wife during their lifetimes, and are predominantly paintings by European old masters—Boucher, Holbein, Fragonard, Reynolds, Van Dyck, and others. The museum is arranged, however, much as it would have been during the Fricks’ day, with antique furniture sitting in the rooms where the paintings are hung.
Inside the Frick Collection Museum, Manhattan, New York, USA
Marco Brivio/age fotostock
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Old Masters in Manhattan
Head up Fifth Avenue from Loews Regency and the first museum you’ll hit will be the Frick Collection, at 70th Street. This small museum houses one of the preeminent collections of works by Old Masters, counting important paintings by Hals, van Dyck, Boucher, and Goya among its holdings. The museum is housed in the former home of industrialist Henry Clay Frick, and preserves the decor of an especially lavish turn-of-the-last-century mansion. If you want to continue north for more culture, the Met at 82nd marks that start of Museum Mile, with nine museums along Fifth Avenue up to 110th Street.
