The Frick Collection today announced a major three-year sponsorship by Louis Vuitton. Beginning this month, the House will be a principal cultural sponsor at the Frick, providing vital funding for several important initiatives: three major special exhibitions; one year of Louis Vuitton First Fridays, extending the museum’s ongoing series of monthly free evenings; and the creation of a two-year staff position, the Louis Vuitton Curatorial Research Associate.
The sponsorship will follow the House’s presentation of its Cruise 2027 show in a series of the Frick’s first-floor galleries on Wednesday, May 20, a private event involving a few days of museum closure.
Commented Axel Rüger, the Frick’s Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Director, “We are thrilled to engage with Louis Vuitton in such a meaningful and sustaining way. The House’s commitment to cultural experiences of the highest quality aligns well with our own, and this sponsorship over the next three years will provide critical funding for three integral areas of the museum’s mission: exhibitions, public programming, and art historical research. We are grateful for this unique support from one of the world’s leading fashion houses, which will enable many of the Frick’s important future offerings in this new chapter following our renovation.”
Stated Pietro Beccari, CEO of Louis Vuitton, “We are happy to announce Louis Vuitton’s three-year sponsorship of The Frick Collection, following our Cruise 2027 show spearheaded by Nicolas Ghesquière, which perfectly embodies the House’s enduring commitment to culture and heritage. Nicolas’s vision for the Cruise collections, consistently presented at extraordinary locations, enables us to create deeper connections between fashion, architecture, and culture. This sponsorship at the Frick not only reinforces Louis Vuitton’s dedication to supporting the arts but also illustrates how such exceptional venues become integral to the Louis Vuitton story, enriching our narrative with each collection.”
Free Monthly Friday Evenings Increase Access to the Museum
After reopening to much fanfare a year ago, the Frick is pleased to have resumed its First Fridays program earlier this spring. The series offers free museum admission from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. on the first Friday of each month (except January and September), inviting guests to enjoy after-hours time in the galleries and special exhibitions, along with refreshments, talks, live music, and art-making activities.
From June 2026 through May 2027, the series will be sponsored by Louis Vuitton and titled “Louis Vuitton First Fridays.” This sponsorship makes great strides in enabling the continuation of this popular offering, which increases public access to and appreciation of the museum and its collections.
Support for the Frick’s Dynamic Exhibitions Program
In 2026–28, Louis Vuitton will also be the lead sponsor of the next three major special exhibitions presented at the Frick.
This aspect of the sponsorship begins with Siena: The Art of Bronze, 1450–1500, shown in fall 2026 through winter 2027, the first exhibition to fully position Siena as a center of artistic excellence and technical innovation in sculpture during the Italian Renaissance. The show brings together nearly forty diverse works in bronze—most of which have never been exhibited outside of Tuscany—by some of the most influential sculptors in this period, among them Donatello, Vecchietta, and Francesco di Giorgio Martini. This important show is organized by Giulio Dalvit, the Frick’s Associate Curator, who is authoring an accompanying catalogue alongside a group of international contributors.
Louis Vuitton will also be lead sponsor of the Frick’s show opening in spring 2027, the first exhibition ever dedicated to the French enameler Susanne de Court. Active around 1600, De Court is a significant yet enigmatic figure in the creation of painted enamels, one of the distinctive art forms of the French Renaissance. With nearly one hundred surviving works, De Court is the only woman known to have made enamels in her era and is widely believed to have been the only woman to lead a workshop in Limoges, the center of enamel production in France. Painting with Fire: Susanne de Court and the Art of Enamel will bring together for the first time around fifty of these objects, inviting visitors to discover the artist’s practice and some of the finest examples of her extraordinary output. The groundbreaking exhibition is organized by Marie-Laure Buku Pongo, the Frick’s Associate Curator of Decorative Arts, and will be accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue.
Finally, in late 2027 to early 2028, the Frick will present a yet-to-be-announced monographic exhibition of nineteenth-century paintings, likewise supported at its New York City venue by Louis Vuitton.
Curatorial Role Created to Foster Research and Engagement
Through the creation of a two-year position, the Louis Vuitton Curatorial Research Associate, the sponsorship also supports other key activities of the museum’s Curatorial Department. The incumbent will be Yifu Liu—currently the Frick’s 2024–26 Anne L. Poulet Curatorial Fellow and a PhD candidate in the Department of Art and Archaeology at Princeton University—whose research explores cultural exchange and the hybridization of artistic practices between Europe and China in the eighteenth century.
In this role, Liu will explore these themes within the context of the Frick’s holdings, including art and fashion of the courts of Louis XV and XVI and of the Qianlong Emperor, and will bring long-overdue attention to the Frick’s extensive holdings of Asian porcelain. Liu will also deliver lectures and presentations on his findings and will provide general support to the Curatorial Department in its production of publications, exhibitions, gallery displays, and programs.
Liu is the organizer of the Frick’s acclaimed current exhibition Ruffles & Ribbons: Fashion Plates from the Time of Marie Antoinette (through August 3, 2026). During his current fellowship, he has conducted extensive research on the Chinese porcelain in the Frick’s permanent collection, an understudied but important facet of the museum’s holdings, about which he has delivered numerous talks and a public lecture held in conjunction with Asia Week New York. Independently, Liu has also curated shows in contemporary art galleries with a focus on Chinese art in a global context.
Commented Aimee Ng, the Frick’s Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, “Since his arrival at the Frick in 2024, Yifu has contributed deeply to the understanding and appreciation of the holdings of both the museum and library. With the conclusion of his fellowship this spring, we are thrilled to extend his time with us as the Louis Vuitton Curatorial Research Associate and look forward to the ways in which this role will allow him to further engage with our collection and audiences over the next two years. We are so pleased that the cultural appeal of the Frick to Louis Vuitton has inspired their support of our research-driven work, along with important public programming and exhibition initiatives.”
ABOUT LOUIS VUITTON
Bringing unique, collectible designs to the world since 1854, Louis Vuitton is a French House that combines heritage and innovation at the highest savoir-faire across products, culture, and experience. The legacy of founder Louis Vuitton, who established an “Art of Travel” through trunks, luggage, and leather goods, continues as an ever-evolving exploration where craftsmanship carries emotional value. Guided by a spirit of constant creativity, the House entrusts its vision to leading artistic and creative directors who reinterpret its savoir-faire across ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, watches, jewelry, design, fragrance, and beauty.
As a House of Culture, Louis Vuitton develops, supports, and curates a wide range of cultural initiatives, spanning exhibitions, artistic collaborations, and heritage projects, many of which are freely accessible to the public. Committed to supporting a broad range of talent, the House celebrates excellence in sports and entertainment while, through its global network of Espaces Louis Vuitton, Visionary Journeys, and other cultural platforms, engaging diverse audiences and fostering dialogue with artists and creators. Extending its “Art of Living” into hospitality and lifestyle, Louis Vuitton creates immersive experiences through restaurants and cafés. Today, Louis Vuitton resonates beyond what is tangible, driving inspiration with global impact as a House of Culture.
ABOUT THE FRICK COLLECTION
Housed in one of New York City’s last great Gilded Age homes, The Frick Collection provides intimate encounters with one of the world’s foremost collections of fine and decorative arts. Open since 1935, the institution originated with Henry Clay Frick, who bequeathed his Fifth Avenue residence and collection of European paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts for the enjoyment of the public. The museum’s holdings, which encompass masterworks from the Renaissance to the late nineteenth century, have grown over the decades, more than doubling in number since the opening of the museum. The Frick Art Research Library, founded more than one hundred years ago by Henry Clay Frick’s daughter Helen Clay Frick, is a leading art history research center that serves students, scholars, and the public.
Last spring, the Frick completed a major renovation and enhancement project and reopened on April 17, 2025, with great fanfare. Designed by Selldorf Architects, with executive architect Beyer Blinder Belle, the project was developed to honor the historic legacy and character of the Frick while addressing critical infrastructural and operational needs.
For more information, please visit frick.org.
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