Curatorial Blog

January 16, 2019

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A man showing a paper to a woman in a headscarf seated at a table with a musical instrument
What We Look at When We Look at a Vermeer
On the occasion of the return of The Frick Collection’s three paintings by Johannes Vermeer to their display at Frick Madison, Christopher Snow Hopkins, Associate Editor, reflects on the experience of viewing the canvases in the Rijksmuseum’s monumental Vermeer exhibition this year.
photo of gallery with bench seating
Van Dyck Portraits Return to the Galleries

Monumental Works Offer a Preview of Next Year’s Exhibition

This article is reprinted from the Fall 2015 issue of the Members’ Magazine.

oil painting depicting grand villa lawns populated with men, women and dogs, circa 1700
Extended Loan: Francesco Guardi’s "View of the Villa Loredan at Paese"

Xavier F. Salomon reflects on a work by painter Francesco Guardi that is currently on long-term loan to the Frick and may be seen in the Ante Room. While Guardi typically captured water views of his native city, this charming canvas depicts the garden of a Venetian palazzo.

oil painting depicting landscape of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples
Special Loan: Vesuvius in the Shadow of Revolution
Jenna Nugent, Assistant to the Chief Curator, writes about a loan by the French artist Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson, which is currently on display in the North Hall. The landscape is one of only a few by Girodet executed during his time in Naples.
Red marble vase adorned with gilt-silver leaves and the heads of two lions with rings in their jaws
Recent Acquisition: Rare Vase by Luigi Valadier on View

Xavier F. Salomon, Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, previews the upcoming fall exhibition dedicated to the Roman silversmith Luigi Valadier. He discusses the Frick’s recent acquisition of a rare vase by the artist, which will be featured in the show.

painting of fishing boats at sea
Special Loan: John Singer Sargent’s "Fishing Boats at Whitby"
John Witty, Anne L. Poulet Curatorial Fellow, writes about a loan by artist John Singer Sargent, which is currently on display through August. Fishing Boats at Whitby (1884) affords an opportunity to view a work created in a pivotal moment of the young artist’s career.
Two conservators seated at a table in a lab
New Discoveries Offer Answers to Mystery of Frick's Vermeer
The Frick's beloved Mistress and Maid (1666–67) by Johannes Vermeer poses many unanswered questions, notably its seemingly unfinished background. A recent technical study in collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Doerner Institut uncovers important new information about the painting, one of only thirty-six works attributed to the artist.