Masterpieces from the Frick Collection to travel outside the U.S. for the first time

THE HAGUE.- Over 30 masterpieces from the celebrated Frick Collection will be seen outside New York for the first time as part of a special exhibition at the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery in The Hague in 2015.

The Frick Collection in The Hague
A Country House in New York: Highlights from The Frick Collection will be the first major exhibition to be displayed in the new wing of the Mauritshuis following the opening exhibition of the museum in 2014. The exhibition will give visitors to the Mauritshuis a fascinating insight into the history of The Frick Collection and its founder, wealthy American steel magnate Henry Clay Frick (1849—1919). The works selected for the exhibition are masterpieces from the 13th to 19th centuries, which include not only paintings, but also drawings, sculpture and decorative arts, reflecting the outstanding quality and diversity of The Frick Collection. They perfectly complement the Mauritshuis’s own collection which focuses on Dutch art of the Golden Age.

Jan van Eyck and workshop, Virgin and Child, with Saints and Donor, c.1441-43, panel, 18 5/8 x 24 1/8 inches, The Frick Collection, New York; photo: Michael Bodycomb.

The Frick only lends works of art acquired after the death of its founder Henry Clay Frick. A Country House in New York: Highlights from The Frick Collection will include significant works of art by such renowned artists as Cimabue, Van Eyck, Memling, Liotard, Reynolds and Gainsborough. John Constable’s spectacular The White Horse, a key work in the oeuvre of the artist, and his spontaneous studies of clouds are highlights of the exhibition. French Classical painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres is represented with a masterpiece that has become an icon of The Frick Collection: the enchanting portrait of the Comtesse d’Haussonville. There are few or no works by artists such as Ingres, Cimabue, Van Eyck and Liotard on display in Dutch museum collections, making these loans of significant interest for the Dutch public.

Sister Institutes
Lending such a large number of artworks to a foreign museum is unique for The Frick Collection. The honour reflects the special relationship between The Frick Collection and the Mauritshuis. In many respects, the museums are sister institutions: both have an impressive collection of Old Masters that are exhibited in the intimate rooms of an historic building and former stately residence. The Mauritshuis has forged a mutually beneficial relationship with The Frick Collection in recent years. A good example of this collaboration is the exhibition Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Hals: Masterpieces of Dutch Painting from the Mauritshuis at The Frick October 22 2013—19 January 2014. The exhibition attracted more visitors to The Frick than any other exhibition in its history.

Reopening in June 2014
The Mauritshuis is currently closed for the renovation and expansion of the museum. During the renovation, the museum’s collection has been relocated to several locations: many of the works can be seen in The Hague at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, other groups of works are on display somewhat further from home at museums in the Netherlands and Belgium, and a selection of top works is on an international tour to Japan, the United States and Italy from 2012—2014. The renovated Mauritshuis will open its doors on 27 June 2014. The permanent collection will once again be on display in the fully renovated, yet familiar intimate environment. The new entrance on the forecourt will take visitors into a modern underground foyer that connects the Mauritshuis with Plein 26, the building adjacent to the museum.