At the Frick Madison, European Works Shimmer Against a Brutalist Backdrop

Fans of the Frick are likely just as partial to the institution’s collection of European works as they are to its East 70th Street haunt. A Gilded Age mansion complete with a famed garden court, the venue has historically lent a fitting domestic backdrop to priceless paintings, remarkable pieces of porcelain, and so much more. 

But now, as the Frick’s Annabelle Selldorf renovation reaches its final two-year sprint, the museum has traveled to another fabled building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Initially intended as the home of the Whitney Museum of Art, and known in recent years as the Met Breuer, the Frick Madison is welcoming visitors under the auspice of a yet another new name.   

The venue, which members of the press toured virtually yesterday, is now a study in contrasts. Gray cement walls serve as the backdrop for Bellini’s St. Francis in the Desert, a master class pastel work, and numerous other works. But for those who count themselves as fans of art and architecture in equal measure, the true thrill of the space is the undeniable mash-up: Rococo paintings in a Brutalist building? You better believe it. 

Far from coming across as a power clash, Marcel Breuer’s building feels poised to provide a palate cleanser over these next two years, the allotted span of time that the Frick is set to stay. Yes, the loss of a domestic setting is notable, but it is after all only a temporary one. And with the removal of heavy carpets and carved stonework comes an unabashed focus on art. 

The opportunity for a rehang has also served the artworks within the Frick’s collection well. One prime example is a room now dedicated to the institution’s three Vermeers. The trio of works make up a notable percentage of the only 34 known paintings that are officially attributed to the Dutch artist, as curator Aimee Ng noted in a recent Zoom tour. Over on 70th Street, where the works were hung in different rooms, it was not possible to view all three paintings together, and certainly not without a fair amount of additional visual distraction. The opportunity to drink them in now is just one of many enchanting moments that the Frick Madison offers. And luckily, since it is slated to remain open for the next 24 months, visitors the world over will (hopefully) get a chance to see it.