The Frick Collection, known for its Old Master paintings, will start its long-planned renovation next year. During this time, it will relocate from its 1914 Gilded Age Fifth Avenue mansion to the Marcel Breuer-designed building that once housed the Whitney Museum, and most recently, the Met Breuer.
The museum said it would reopen at the Frick Madison, which is what the Breuer building is being called (it's at Madison and East 75th Street), while the mansion gets its six-story addition in its East 70th Street garden. According to a press release, the space is a "temporary location" and "will house the Frick’s collections, programs, and staff during the renovation and expansion of its historic buildings."
The museum expects to break ground in early 2021, "with pre-construction preparations beginning this fall," the release adds. "The project marks the institution’s first comprehensive renovation in eighty-five years. It will create new gallery spaces for the display of the permanent collection and special exhibitions; make more of the original residence accessible to the public; improve education, library, and conservation resources; and upgrade visitor amenities and accessibility throughout the museum and library."
Architect's drawing of what The Frick will look like with the expansion.
The renovation has had its share of detractors, with concerns over lost garden space and the Frick's historic music room; the garden was saved.
Ian Wardropper, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Director of the Frick, said in a statement that the renovation is "critical to ensure the ongoing vitality of the institution," adding, "We hope that Frick Madison will spark new insights and ideas inspired by the installation of our holdings in another distinguished but very different setting."
The Metropolitan Museum of Art took over an 85 year lease for the Breuer building, a Brutalist design opened in 1966 as the new outpost for the Whitney (the Whitney moved to its new, spacious Meatpacking District space in 2015). However, as it faced financial shortfalls, the Met shifted the remaining three years on the lease to the Frick, which was looking for a temporary home during the renovation.
The Met Breuer closed due to the pandemic on March 13th, eight days after it opened a critically-acclaimed exhibit of Gerard Richter. The show is not expected to be remounted.
