The Frick Presents From Manion To Museum 6/22-9/5

With Henry Clay Frick's death in 1919, his will was made public and the destiny of his collection and mansion as a museum was formalized, but not yet set into motion. After the death of his wife, Adelaide, in 1931, the Board of Trustees established by Mr. Frick's will became engaged in discussions about how to create a museum from this legacy.

Ultimately, the house, built in 1913-14 by Thomas Hastings (1860-1929) of Carrère and Hastings, underwent expansion in order to transform it into a space suitable as a public institution. Significantly and sensitively enlarged by architect John Russell Pope (1873-1937), the resulting building opened to a fascinated public in December 1935. This summer, an educational display in the Cabinet, From Mansion to Museum: The Frick Collection Celebrates Seventy-Five Years, presents a group of related architectural drawings, photographs, and other materials. At the centerpiece of this display is a selection of elegant elevations executed for Pope by the artist Angelo Magnanti (1879-1969). These large-scale architectural drawings were presented in 1935 to the museum's first director, Frederick Mortimer Clapp (1879-1969) in honor of the museum's opening.

They offer insights into Pope's vision for the series of new rooms that have since become belovEd Galleries and contemplative spaces. Also included will be a newly acquired pen and ink drawing by Vernon Howe Bailey (1874-1953) depicting the construction of the Frick Art Reference Library at 10 East 71st Street, designed by Pope in 1933. Bailey's drawing was commissioned by The New York Sun for its daily feature, "Intimate Sketches of New York City," and appeared in the April 23, 1934, issue. A floor plan accompanied by archival and new photography will elucidate the most significant alterations to The Frick Collection's interior and, together with the drawings, will tell the story of transforming the once-private mansion into a public museum.