Henry Clay Frick: an Intimate Portrait

With unprecedented access to personal letters, private family diaries, and the Frick archives at the Frick Collection in New York City and at family residences in Pittsburgh, Martha Frick Symington Sanger has written an unique and penetrating account of the life and times of Henry Clay Frick and his family. In addition, the author explains in this meticulously researched book the reasons why Frick and his daughter Helen selected the paintings, sculpture, and other items that are included in the collection.

Since 1935 the magnificent act treasures of the Frick Collection have been open to the public in the New York City mansion that the family occupied. This book will enrich any visitor’s experience of the Frick Collection in a way that had not been possible in previous books. The intriguing topics covered here include Frick’s complex relationship with Andrew Carnegie and with other well-known business magnates; his harsh personal life darkened by the deaths of a young daughter and infant son; and a sensitive portrayal of his daughter Helen, who was a Frick Collection trustee and chairman of the Art Acquisitions Committee after her father’s death.

Illustrating this book are 370 pictures ranging from paintings and sculpture in the Frick Collection to family portraits and historical images. This biography of a key figure in the development of American industry will appeal to both art history lovers and to historians, offering a singular and compelling reading and visual experience.