Exhibitions from the past

The Frick Collection - Art Treasures from New York

Frick Collection Ingres Comtesse

5 February – 10 May 2015.

The Frick Collection is beautifully situated in the heart of New York, with a view on Central Park. It is a cherished museum, famous for the high quality of its collection. For the first time The Frick Collection lent a large part of its world-class collection: no fewer than 36 masterpieces were on display at the Mauritshuis.

The exhibition included work by artists otherwise not or barely represented in Dutch museum collections, such as Cimabue, Van Eyck, Gainsborough, Constable, and Ingres.

Frick Collection Van Eyck
Jan van Eyck and Workshop (1390/1400-1441), Virgin and Child, with Saints and Jan Vos, c.1441-43
Frick Collection Constable
John Constable (1776-1837), The White Horse, 1819

The Frick Collection - Art Treasures from New York exhibition consists of artworks from the 13th through 19th centuries: paintings, drawings, sculptures, and applied arts. The exhibition thus provides a representative picture of the varied nature of this first-class collection.

Paintings

An undisputed highlight is the enchanting portrait of the Comtesse d'Haussonville by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres - a masterpiece which has become an icon of The Frick Collection. The exhibition shines with other portraits as well, by Frick favourite artists Gainsborough and Reynolds.

Besides portraits, landscapes are also an important genre within The Frick Collection. Jacob van Ruisdaels' monumental Landscape with footbridge from 1652 was restored especially for the exhibition. John Constable's spectacular White horse, a key piece in his oeuvre, is also on view in The Hague.

Frick Collection Ingres Comtesse
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867), Comtesse d'Haussonville, 1845

Sculpture

The Frick Collection has one of the most important American collections of sculptures, which is presented in the exhibition with several other top pieces, including Francesco Laurana's moving portrait bust of Beatrice van Aragon, and the bronze Hercules of Antico, both from the fifteenth century. Another fantastic sculpture is the phenomenal portrait bust of Louis-Étienne Vincent-Marniola by Joseph Chinard from 1809.

Applied arts

Applied arts form an important aspect of The Frick Collection, in particular porcelain, valuable clocks, and rare Renaissance pottery. This is highlighted in the exhibition with a unique Sèvres vase, an ornately decorated clock, and a perfectly preserved Majolica bowl from the workshop of Orazio Fontana.

Frick Collection Beatrice
Francesco Laurana (c.1430-c.1502), Beatrice of Aragon, c.1471-1474
Frick Collection Goya
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828), The Anglers, c. 1812-1820

Drawing collection

A lesser-known part of the New York collection is the small, but extremely refined drawing collection. These fragile works are seldom seen, which makes it all the more exceptional that no fewer than eight beautiful drawings by Pisanello, Altdorfer, Rubens, Goya, and Tiepolo are displayed at the exhibition.

About the exhibition

The exhibition gives Mauritshuis visitors an understanding of the collection, background, and atmosphere of The Frick Collection and its legendary founder, Henry Clay Frick. The careful selection of 36 artworks provides a good idea of the high quality and surprising diversity of The Frick Collection.

The Mauritshuis has a small, refined collection, with a focus on Dutch paintings from the Golden Age. It is exceptional for the museum to display masterworks in this exhibition from the 13th through the 19th centuries, including paintings, but also drawings, sculptures, and applied arts.

Stories about Henry Frick

Discover the fascinating stories behind the Frick Collection. Who was Henry Frick, how did his home become a museum and what is the connection with the Mauritshuis.