library - The Frick Collection

Skating into Sunday. History buffs and art lovers alike will enjoy the rich resources of the digitized #FrickArchiveswhich contains thousands photographs, letters, and records on the study of art and the history of the Frick family and this institutionat digitalcollections.frick.org. Unidentified friends of Helen Clay Frick skating on the pond at Westmoreland Farm, Bedford, NY, ca. 1920s. Courtesy of the Frick Art Reference Library Archives

The delectable details of Pierre-Joseph Redouté's fresh plums leave us craving more Frick art. What's the first work of art you want to see when the Frick reopens to the public in the coming months? Learn more about our anticipated reopening at frick.org/madison. Pierre-Joseph Redouté (French, 17591840), Plum Branches Intertwined, 180204. Watercolor on vellum, 12 9/16 x 10 3/8 in. (31.9 x 26.4 cm). The Frick Collection, New York; bequest of Charles A. Ryskamp, 2010

Édouard Manet was born on this day in 1832. Take a closer look at his modern masterpiece "The Bullfight" in yesterday's episode of "Cocktails with a Curator."

The Frick is concocting the perfect mix of cocktails and art. In honor of the anniversary of the artist's birthday tomorrow, join us for an online happy hour at 5:00 p.m. tonight at http://thefrick.org/CocktailsManet to study Édouard Manet’s Bullfight with Curator Aimee Ng. This canvas at the Frick was once part of a larger work that was later cut into fragments by the artist. This week’s complementary cocktail is a Toreador or a sparkling apricot nectar mocktail. Audiences... under 21 are encouraged to join with a non-alcoholic drink. Rewatch past episodes of "Cocktails with a Curator" anytime at youtube.com/frickcollection. Édouard Manet (French, 18321883), The Bullfight, 1864. Oil on canvas, 18 7/8 x 42 7/8 in. (47.9 x 108.9 cm). The Frick Collection, New York

On December 11, 1935, The Frick Collection held a preview of the brand-new museum, which would open to the public just five days later. One reporter for the New York Times hailed the Collection as something more than a museum. On the occasion of the museum’s 85th anniversary this month, discover the colorful early press reactions to the Frick's 1935 opening in a new blog by Caitlin Henningsen, Associate Museum Educator. Read now at frick.org//frick_col/early_responses_frick_collection_1935. The Frick Collection's West Gallery, 1935. Photo: Ira W. Martin (18861960) #FrickArchives

Did you know that many of the works in The Frick Collection previously hung at Clayton, the Frick family's home in Pittsburgh (now The Frick Pittsburgh)? Take a look at this portrait of a young artist, likely painted by a follower of Rembrandt, hanging in the parlor at Clayton in 1901, two years after Henry Clay Frick acquired it. When the Fricks moved in to their newly constructed home in New York City in 1914, they brought with them many of their favorite treasures, including this painting.

This holiday season, give your friends and family the gift of a Frick membership. Members enjoy premier access to the Collection, including invitations to members-only programs, special discounts in the Museum Shop, and a first look at Frick Madison in 2021. Visit frick.org/gift_membership or call 212.547.0707 to purchase today.

What do these two apparently dissimilar objects have in common? Not only were both works created in Italy around 1570, but each illustrates the same myth, the Judgment of Paris. In the story, Zeus charges Paris, prince of Troy, with deciding a contest of beauty between the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite by awarding the winner with a golden apple. While each promises the prince a gift, Aphrodite wins his favor by offering him Helen, the most beautiful woman in the wo...rld, as his wife. Each work captures a key moment in the narrative. The medal portrays Paris receiving the apple from Zeus's messenger, Hermes, and the dish depicts him presenting the award to Aphrodite. According to legend, it was Paris's seizing of Helen from her home in Sparta that launched the Trojan War. Workshop of Orazio Fontana (Italian, 15401571), Dish: Judgment of Paris, ca. 156575. Tin-glazed earthenware, diam. 16 3/4 in. (42.5 cm). The Frick Collection, New York; gift of Dianne Dwyer Modestini in memory of Mario Modestini, 2008 Domenico Poggini (Italian, 15201590), Helen of Troy, ca. 156075. Copper alloy, diam. 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm). The #FrickCollection, New York; gift of Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher, 2016

Time has proven to be quite peculiar this year. To mark the start of December, we're highlighting this curious clock in the collection, whose figures symbolize the passing of time. #FrickFact: The collection contains over forty clocks, dating from the Renaissance to the early nineteenth century. Take a closer look at these extraordinary timepieces at https://thefrick.org/clocks. Annular Mantel Clock with Figures Emblematic of the Passing of Time, French, ca. 1770. Gilt bronze on wood, 21 1/4 x 10 1/2 in. (54 x 26.7 cm). The Frick Collection, New York

In honor of Veterans Day, we're sharing a 1918 photograph of soldiers in France. Thank you to our active military and veterans for your service. Helen Clay Frick worked with the Red Cross during World War I. This photograph shows her and fellow Red Cross volunteers visiting a cantonment in Aisne, France, just two weeks before the Third Battle of the Aisne took place. Helen Clay Frick (center) and fellow Red Cross workers visiting soldiers in France, May 1918 #FrickArchives

Register todaythis Thursday at 11:00 a.m., the Frick Library hosts the second webinar in a four-part series, "Technological Revolutions and Art History." Examine how the invention of photography forever shaped the study of art and how new technological advances could prompt change in the field of art history. Register for free at thefrick.org/TechRevolutions2. This series is co-organized by MoMA The Museum of Modern Art. Athanasius Kircher, Ars magna lucis et umbrae (The Great Art of Light and Shadow), Rome, 1646