The Gregory Gift

A remarkable gift of twenty-eight fine and decorative works of art was recently bequeathed to the Frick by Alexis Gregory (1936–2020). They were shown as a group for the first time at Frick Madison during the winter and spring of 2023. The gift includes two eighteenth-century pastels, fifteen Limoges enamels, two eighteenth-century clocks, a large gilt-bronze figure of Louis XIV, and objects made of metal, enamel, and hardstone dating from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries.

Founder of The Vendome Press, a highly respected publisher of art and architecture books, Gregory built a major art collection over the decades. He created a veritable Kunstkammer, a chamber or cabinet of curiosities displaying objects of diverse origins and materials and intended to impress, instruct, and stimulate. Such rooms first appeared in sixteenth-century European courts and are often regarded as precursors to the modern museum. The exhibition of this generous gift presented a substantial grouping from Gregory’s eclectic assemblage.

This exhibition was organized by Marie-Laure Buku Pongo, Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts, and is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.