3/5 Renzo 3 years ago on Google
The
Frye
has
changed.
It
used
to
be
devoted
exclusively
to
representational
art
of
all
periods.
That
is,
no
abstract
art,
no
conceptual
art,
no
minimalist
art,
no
installations,
no
performance
art.
No
basketballs
suspended
in
a
fish
tank
(
Jeff
Koons
)
.
The
museum
was
initially
built
to
house
the
collection
of
Charles
and
Emma
Frye.
More
representational
art
was
acquired
and
the
collection
grew.Shows
from
outside
were
mounted
such
as
the
works
of
Bo
Bartlett,
Wilhelm
Hammershoi,
Nicolai
Fechin,
Maxfield
Parrish,
Toulouse-
Lautrec,
Norman
Rockwell,
Renoir,
Daumier.
While
other
art
museums
were
going
in
different
directions,
The
Frye
remained
the
last
bastion
of
representational
art...
landscapes,
portraits
interiors,
still
lifes.
Personally,
I
think
the
spirit
if
not
the
letter
of
the
Frye's
will
has
been
betrayed.
I
think
they
would
be
appalled
at
how
their
museum
has
changed.
But
the
present
directorship
feels
otherwise,
asserting
that
the
Fryes
were
innovative
and
forward
looking
collectors.
This
is
absurd.
Their
collection
contains
hardly
any
cutting
edge
representational
work
of
the
time
The
Fryes
collected
works
by
Bierstadt,
Twatchman,
W.M.
Chase,Raschen,
von
Stuck,
Bouguereau,
Dahl
Etc.
Among
the
232
paintings
in
the
collection
there
is
one
Cassatt,
one
Thomas
Eakins.
Charles
Frye
began
collecting
in
1893,
well
after
the
advent
of
the
Impressionists.
But
they
do
not
make
up
a
notable
portion
of
the
work
he
sought.
So,
no....the
Fryes
were
NOT
innovative
avant-
guard
collectors
!
Currently,
due
to
selling
off
the
land
for
development,
the
parking
lot
is
gone
and
there
is
no
longer
free
parking.
Admission
continues
to
be
free,
though.
Be
sure
to
check
what
is
on
exhibition
before
you
go
lest
you
be
confronted
with
a
lot
of
things
you
do
not
care
for.