Frick Madison

New York, NY
Completed - 2021
85,000 sqft
Type: Exhibition Design
Role: Sara Lopergolo (Design Partner, Selldorf Architects)

The Frick Collection's temporary home at 945 Madison Avenue, opened in spring 2021 within the former sites of the Whitney Museum of American Art and Met Breuer. It remains open during the planned renovation of the Frick’s historic mansion on 70th Street. In collaboration with Selldorf Architects, Xavier F. Salomon, Aimee Ng, and exhibition designer Stephen Saitas, the installation in Marcel Breuer's mid-60s building redefines the context for the museum's Old Master paintings, European sculpture, and decorative arts.

Breuer's open-floor plans inspired a design with virtually floor-to-ceiling temporary walls, creating the illusion of real rooms. The galleries, organized chronologically and by region on the second, third, and fourth levels, offer a fresh perspective on art. A defining moment is the fourth-floor display of Giovanni Bellini’s “St. Francis in the Desert” in a contemplative chapel-like setting. Frick Madison also houses the Frick Art Reference Library, a lower-level café with a view of the sculpture court, staff offices, and museum storage.

Photos by Gus Powell, Joseph Cosica, George Koelle

Recognition

Merit Award
AIANY, 2018