The Frick Collection reopens to the public on April 17 after a five-year closure and a $220 million expansion and renovation by Selldorf Architects. The project adds 18,000 square feet, including 10 new galleries in the family's original second-floor living quarters, a marble staircase, cafe, gift shop, and a new auditorium. The percentage of the collection on view has increased from 25% to 47%, and Ukrainian artist Vladimir Kanevsky has created porcelain floral arrangements for the reopening. New director Axel Rüger, who joined from London's Royal Academy of Arts, welcomed journalists at a press preview.
This reopening marks the most significant transformation of the Frick since its 1935 public debut, expanding access to previously unseen spaces and artworks. By opening the family's original living quarters and increasing the collection on view, the museum deepens its historical narrative while modernizing its visitor experience. The project also resolves a long-standing controversy by preserving a Russell Page-designed garden, and the Kanevsky commission honors founder Henry Clay Frick's passion for Sèvres porcelain, linking past and present.