A new café, Westmoreland, a highlight of the museum’s revitalised visitor experience …
One of the cultural highlights this year is the reopening of the Frick Collection in New York. The museum had been closed for five years to enable an extensive renovation project to this prime Gilded Age mansion on the Upper East Side.
The renovation is a significant upgrade to the institution founded in 1935 by Henry Frick to house his personal art collection. It’s now home to iconic artworks such as Vermeer’s Mistress and Child, Diego Velazquez’s King Philip 1V of Spain and Jean-Honore Fragonard’s The Progress of Love series. There’s a whole Fragonard room while other special features include the Garden Court and a West Gallery where the walls are lined with deep green velvet.
New additions include a Cabinet Gallery with a collection of rare drawings and sketches by Edgar Degas and Francisco de Goya, among others, as well as several special exhibition spaces and education rooms.
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There’s also a new café, Westmoreland, which offers an all-day, table-service menu created by executive chef Skylark Hughes, who drew on the Frick family’s historic menus. These inspired the menu of elevated American classics, berry tart and art-inspired cocktail list.
Located on the second floor designed by Selldorf Architects, the café takes its name from the private Pullman train car the Frick family used to travel between their homes in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and further afield, beginning in 1911.
The interior design by Bryan O’Sullivan Studio features a bespoke mural by artist Darren Waterston. Like its namesake railway car, it layers history and travel with a textured interior of walnut and floral accents united by a rich colour palette.
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One of the directors of the Frick, Axel Ruger says: “The new amenity helps bring our institution into the 21st century, and it will provide our visitors and members with a respite to enjoy conversation about the collection over refined food and beverages. Westmoreland’s interior by Bryan O’Sullivan Studio resonates with the elegance of Selldorf Architects’ expansion, amplifying the museum’s atmosphere of timeless beauty and extending the Frick experience beyond our galleries.”
Need to know: Vermeer’s Love Letters exhibition opens on June 18; www.frick.org
