Comparison between the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Frick Collection
comparative Essay
628 words
New York City is known for its wide diversity as a cultural mecca for art, particularly with museums. Two of these major institutions are The Frick Collection and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Each museum provides a glimpse of creativity from the past, all while remaining interesting in exhibiting the works of various styles and periods. While the two museums have similar goals in their Mission Statements, the differences in space, structure, and curating art philosophies differentiates them.
In 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded by a group of businessmen and artists who wanted a place to present and educate the public to a variety of art. This museum houses paintings, sculptures, costumes, musical instruments, and antique weaponry. The works range from classical antiquity through the European masters to modern art. The Frick Collection was opened to the public in 1935, transforming Henry Frick’s mansion into a gallery showcasing his extensive collection of European paintings, drawings, manuscripts and sculptures. Both museums have similar mission statements, with the Frick Museum’s directive to preserve Henry Frick’s collection of art and showcasing it publicly, and the Met’s objective to encourage and develop the education of the fine arts.
One distinction between the two is the enormous size difference. While the Frick Museum has undergone several expansions, it is dwarfed by the magnitude of work the Met has the ability to display. The Frick can be viewed in its entirety within a few hours, while the Met would need several visits to fully explore. The rooms at the Frick are decorated with furnishings as it may have been when it was lived in. The works in each room were arranged according to Henry Frick’s lay...
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...onstant flow through the rooms, and navigation throughout was effortless.
The purpose of each museum is to educate the public by showing works of art. While the Met has a wider variety to offer the public in terms of styles and periods, the Frick has differently curated collection reflecting Frick’s personal tastes. Despite their differences, both museums are successful in achieving the objectives issued in their mission statements, and both can be visually exhilarating experiences.
Works Cited
http://www.frick.org/about/mission http://www.thefrickpittsburgh.org/collection_exhibitions/fine.php http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/collection/the-frick-collection http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/mission-statement http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/history-of-the-museum/main-building
http://metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/437372
In this essay, the author
- Explains that new york city is known for its wide diversity as a cultural mecca for art, particularly with museums. the frick collection and the metropolitan museum of art have similar goals, but differ in space, structure, and curating art philosophies.
- Explains that the metropolitan museum of art was founded in 1870 by businessmen and artists who wanted to present and educate the public to a variety of art.
- Compares the size of the frick museum and the met's ability to display work. the rooms are decorated with furnishings as it may have been when it was lived in.
- Describes the minimal décor of the met's rooms, which allows attention to remain focused on the art. the european painting section has a cool grayish green color, while the sculpture room uses marble walls and tiles.
- Compares henry frick's collection at the met, which was built for public viewing of many forms and matter of art from all periods and styles.
- Compares the met with the frick, which provides extensive details alongside each piece and briefly describes the history of each work, leading to crowding and difficulty in navigation.
- Explains that both museums are successful in achieving the objectives issued in their mission statements, and both can be visually exhilarating experiences.
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