Latest news with #AxelRuger

CBS News

The Frick Collection reopens in NYC after 5-year renovation, bursting with shining opulence and art

The Frick Collection reopened Thursday after a lengthy renovation. The luxurious gilded age mansion on Fifth Avenue is home to an artistic treasure trove, bursting with shining opulence and fine art after five years of construction. The collection includes several Rembrandts and other masterpieces from the Renaissance through the late 19th century. Visitors are also now allowed to go up the grand staircase that greets them within. Prior to the renovation, it was blocked by a velvet rope. On the second floor, a new suite of galleries awaits. "For the first time, we have made the private living quarters... available to the public," Frick Director Axel Ruger said. The renovation includes dedicated rooms for education, and a new 218-seat auditorium. The renovated space includes a garden with magnificent magnolias, but they're not the only flowers on the site. Part of the collection includes flowers made of porcelain and metal by sculptor Vladimir Kanevsky. "They are so lifelike that you want to touch them and smell them which you cannot really do," Ruger said. The museum originally opened in 1935. It was built by Henry Clay Frick in 1914. "He wanted his collection to be, ultimately, to be accessible to the public," Ruger said. Now, 90 years later, there was another ribbon cutting as it reopened. Elected officials who were on hand said some neighbors hated the construction noise, and some of the initial renovation plans. City Councilmember said it was "challenging," and they were "upset." "Their input was what made perhaps even a better project," Brewer said. "Actually, it's better than I had hoped for. They really did a beautiful job," visitor Micah Springut said. The Frick Collection will bring back its popular artist sketch nights, and will host history classes and special exhibitions. It is also making it a point to hire people with disabilities. For more information about the Frick including its hours and tickets, click here .