Translation from English

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

The Frick Museum Summer 2013

I have probably mentioned the Frick Museum before but I wanted to see if I could get another angle on it..

This gift from Robber Baron Frick was, the last time I was here, full of all sorts of curious items such as paintings Marie Antoinette might have owned and late Italian Renaissance portraits..

But let's do the Yelp Reviews first--well, not bad at all, in fact I would say close to great


Frick Collection

4.5 star rating
252 reviews Rating Details
Category: Museums  [Edit]
1 E 70th St
(between 5th Ave & Madison Ave)
New York, NY 10021
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
(212) 288-0700
Nearest Transit Station:
68 St. - Hunter College (4, 6, 6X)
77 St. (4, 6, 6X)
Lexington Ave./63 St. (F)
Hours:
Tue-Sat 10 am - 6 pm
Sun 11 am - 5 pm
Good for Kids:
No

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "i loooooove this museum because it still feels like a hidden gem." In 120 reviews
  • "if you're an art junkie, dont leave NY without going here first." In 129 reviews
  • "The Frick contains many famous Old Master paintings." In 68 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
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251 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 12 friends
    • 123 reviews
    Stanford, CA
    8/11/2013 1 check-in here
    Very well-curated museum with an intimate atmosphere. It's relatively small, but you can spend as much time here as you would at places double or triple its size. Each of the art works on display here is worth viewing, and the audioguides really help put them in historical context. It is obvious that Henry Clay Frick took great care in selecting the pieces and arranging them in a pleasing configuration. He often reunited portraits of couples that had previously been separated. He also ignored the general rule of categorizing art by school, instead displaying them in the most pleasing way.

    91/100
  • Review from

    • 13 friends
    • 91 reviews
    Chalfont, PA
    8/13/2013 1 check-in here
    Frick has a pretty awesome mansion.  Being right on Central Park and taking up a city block is unquestionably the ideal way to live in Manhattan, which he did for a mere few years before dying.  Don't feel bad for him though, by all accounts he was kind of a jerk and a founding member of the club that couldn't drop a few bucks on a dam, causing my alcohol purchases to be too damn expensive to this very day.

    However, I dig historical homes, so I was admittedly fascinated by this guilded age monster.  There's a lot of beautiful architectural detail and original furniture in its lived in layout.  The artwork displayed throughout the house is in a more traditional museum arrangement, and it really feels like a museum in some of the larger rooms, which makes sense since Frick had a museum in mind when the house was built.  What's there is an interesting ensemble of Old Master paintings and sculpture.  Personally I found the home itself much more of a draw.

    We went on a weekday, and it was pretty much just a trickle of people while we were there.  It's nice to not feel rushed and enjoy the free audio guide.  I wish the upstairs was accessible though.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 11 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    7/31/2013
    I've visit the Frick quite a few times while studying in college. It was a very reasonable expense... One of my favourite things about this museum is the fact that its understaffed and you don't have someone watching you the way you're viewing the art. The Frick knows their visitors are civilized and do not need to monitor them, unlike The Whitney Museum.

    I'm a Whitney goer, there staff is a bit rude and easily annoyed.

    Funny story, when I was a kid, I remember asking my mom if the people (staff) monitoring the art work were the owners of the art. She replied "No, why do you ask?" I said innocently, "Because they look so upset when you get too close and they don't want anyone looking at it."
  • Review from

    Santa Monica, CA
    7/22/2013 1 check-in here
    It's hard to rate museums, but boy was this worth it!!! My mom has been talking about this place for months now and I began to wonder what the hype was about! This was our first stop on a Friday afternoon. When we came out of a cab the place was majestic. Located in a peaceful neighborhood across Central Park I was glad to see no line!

    After getting out little phone speakers we walked around astonished. This actually was Frick's house and he built it to eventually be a museum. They had to remodel it a bit after his death, but his presence and his taste in Art is still lingering here. You almost get to see how he lived and what his vision was to share with the people of New York.

    This is by far my favorite museum and I strongly recommend for anyone to not miss this opportunity!
  • Review from

    Queens, NY
    6/19/2013 1 check-in here
    Initial reaction: "What the frick is the Frick?"
    The Frick is what you call "Old New York--" one of the last mansions left in NYC (yes, there were actual homes in NY!)

    I find myself surrounded mostly by contemporary art; it's kind of a miracle if I do see an old painting and you can just imagine how in awe I was when I came here.

    I'm not going to lie: I don't enjoy traditional art. I didn't have a lot of interest when I walked past most of the art here but I was more impressed by the interiors. The inside of this house of beautifully decorated and everything from the details of the gold-etched fabric walls to the atrium. However, I did like the ground floor, where there are pencil drawings; it was more innovative. If you ever want to know about New Yorkers from the last century and a half, this is your place. There is an extensive amount of work from famous artists before the avant-garde movement, like Vermeer and Goya.

    It is incredibly hard to take photos because it's like there are security guards assigned to gawk on each visitor and they are incredibly rude about it. I wouldn't recommend paying the full admission price but rather coming here for Sunday noon's "pay as you wish."
  • Review from

    • 58 friends
    • 111 reviews
    Long Beach, CA
    6/27/2013
    What the frick? Or I guess the real question is who?

    The answer: Mr. Frick was Andrew Carnegie's coke dealer! That is, coke, the substance used in smelting steel.

    Instead of 'blow'ing all the profits, Frick bought himself a mansion long Central Park East and began assembling a collection of art, furniture and decor which he planned to have on display after his death to the public.

    Yes, folks, that is the coolness of this place in a nutshell, you are walking around some old dead guys house and checking out all his stuff (and it barely even smells like beef stew!).

    I had an absolute blast -- man! this dead guy's house is way classier than Graceland --- though, to be fair, I did go with my Dad and he paid. I hear the music events they have are supposed to be pretty good.

    After your visit, walk due West into Central Park and there's the beautifully situated Boathouse where you can proceed to get wasted!
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 7 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    8/8/2013
    As a native New Yorker I may have a little bit of a skewed perspective but I think the Frick is a bit overrated.  Yes, I will admit that it is amazing to see this "house" on 5th Avenue that reminds us of a time where the wealthiest of the wealthy occupied homes along the tree lined street.  I have to say though that the collection inside is small and it feels cramped to move around inside.  If you are interested in strictly period pieces that the owner has collected and a nice view and interior design lesson while you're at it, then this is the place for you.  If you are looking for a large scope of artists, I will always recommend the MET.
  • Review from

    New York, NY
    6/3/2013 2 check-ins here
    I'm not sure if you realize this but I'm pretty classy. Yeah, I'm, like, totally cultured and stuff. I have this whole side of me that loves to look at art and be like "whoa, this is so cool and deep and intricate and important." I say those things, it's true. And when I really want to feel smart AND classy I go to the Frick, which used to be a dude's home. They have all these programs, like lectures and concerts and stuff that help revive the brain cells that were murdered when you decided to watch a marathon of that reality show you won't admit to your friends that you watch.

    But even if you're not into art, or don't want to sit through a lecture, walking through the Frick, imagining that someone used to live there, surrounded by art and space, in the middle of Manhattan is transcending. Walking along the marble floors, into the carpeted rooms, with the intricate moldings on the ceilings, the placards on the furniture explaining the history of the cabinet, or the beverage dispenser, or the bowl leaves you transformed. When you go back to your home, looking around your Ikea clad existence and realize that it too has touches of your character, the things you love, the colors that make you happy or nostalgic. While you don't have the mega-bucks like Mr. Frick, you have style too, and that poster of that Banksy hanging over your sofa is also art, and should be appreciated.
  • Review from

    • 42 friends
    • 87 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    6/22/2013
    Price: 10 dollar student, 18 adults, NYU students free.  And no children under 10 admitted (big plus). Includes free audio guide while you are in the museum (they give you a headset)

    Attraction: beautiful mansion on the upper east side with views of the park from the windows.  A small, but nice collections.  Highlights (for me at least) incude that very famous portraits of Sir Thomas Moore, two large Turner paintings of French docks, and a cool bust of Louis XV as a child.

    My favorite part of this museum is just checking out and learning the history of this old mansion and how it was converted into a public museum.  I feel bad for Frick's heirs losing out on this sweet crib, but a big win for the public.
  • Review from

    • 12 friends
    • 21 reviews
    Flushing, NY
    7/29/2013
    I love this museum. Definitely a gem in the City and a place to check out for you and your friends.
  • Review from

    New York, NY
    7/1/2013
    This was a spot that made it onto my list because of all the good online lists it has made for Top NY Museums. The place is easy to find and admission was $18 for adults. My bf and I arrived on a Sunday afternoon a little more than an hour before closing. The collection is beautiful and I especially loved walking through a place that was actual used as a private residence. Unfortunately, we didn't read up well enough before arriving to realize the self-guided audio is included in the cost of the ticket - Fail! Overall, we really enjoyed the collection, the space and the beautiful indoor fountain. This place is totally worth the visit for tourists and locals alike.

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