The Frick Collection
Pittsburgh-born, 19th-century robber baron Henry Clay Frick spent his coal-and-steel millions filling his opulent Fifth Avenue limestone home with this staggeringly well-chosen collection of old masters (kudos to controversial art wrangler Joseph Duveen). Standouts among the holdings: Bellini’s dreamy and exquisitely preserved St. Francis in the Desert, a clutch of hard-to-find Vermeers such as the saucy and suggestive Officer and a Laughing Girl, plus three works by Piero della Francesca—snapped up long before the artist gained his current A-list reputation. The home is largely unchanged since Frick’s day and provides a 3-D snapshot into the lifestyle and habits of an Upper East Side multimillionaire from another era.
Tip: During warm weather, the museum’s garden is a delightful haven in which to ponder New York’s Gilded Age beneath the shade of swaying magnolias.
Admission: $15 adults, $10 seniors; pay what you wish on Sundays 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Closed Mon.
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