First Class

Frick Collection Marks Milestone

The Frick Collection made headlines when it opened in New York City in 1935. Museumgoers were invited into the grand Fifth Avenue home of steel tycoon Henry Clay Frick, who used his deep pockets to amass a premier art collection.

“There are many iconic paintings from the history of art, as well as sculpture and furniture, all on view in this Gilded Age mansion,” says associate curator Margaret Iacono. The museum marks its 75th anniversary this year, and on Dec. 16—the date it opened to the public—visitors may view the collection free of charge.

The house’s highlights include the indoor Garden Court and the sumptuous Fragonard Room, once the ladies’ drawing room, which is adorned with wall panels depicting the series The Progress of Love, created by the French artist in the 1700s.

Also on display are Rembrandt’s The Polish Rider, Vermeer’s Mistress and Maid and other masterworks that can be seen only here. According to Frick’s will, the works he purchased—two-thirds of the current collection—can never be lent out. An exclusive painting is Velázquez’s portrait of King Philip IV of Spain, recently cleaned for the first time in more than 60 years, which revealed new details. The royal portrait is the centerpiece of “The King at War,” a historical exhibit on Spanish baroque art, politics, war and religion, which runs through Jan. 23. frick.org

Henry Clay Frick Clockwise: The Garden Court; Henry Clay Frick; and The Fragonard Room.

Alessia
Antinori

Winemaker Alessia Antinori subscribes to the notion of keeping it in the family. She and her two sisters are the 26th generation to lead Antinori Wines, which introduced its newest wine, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, to the United States in October.

“It’s a very traditional family in the sense that we’ve been in it for 600 years,” Antinori says of the family business, which was founded by her ancestors in Florence, Italy, in 1385.

Yet, what characterizes the Antinori legacy is the exploration of uncharted territory. Her father, Marchese Piero Antinori, did his part, revolutionizing the wine industry in 1971 with Super Tuscan wines and, more recently, bringing his daughters to the forefront of a business in which women are rarely leaders.

At 35, Antinori is the youngest daughter, but she’s taken on the role of family ambassador. Last year, she relocated to Manhattan, and she oversees the company’s sales team, conducts tastings and hosts winemaker events throughout the United States, which is the second-largest market for wine, after Italy. Antinori also represents the family on the board of Primum Familiae Vini, an international group of family-owned wine companies dedicated to preserving tradition.

“Indigenous grape varieties are what make our wines interesting,” she says.

She should know. She’s an expert, with a degree in viticulture and oenology from the

Department of Food Science and Technology at the Agrarian University of Milan. She also is involved in company research on production of biodynamic wines, and has helped established Antinori in Cambodia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

While living in Asia, she began collecting art, which has become her other passion, and she has taken her grandmother’s place on MoMA’s International Council.

“Art is wine, and wine is
art,” she says, “in the sense
of the artistic background in
wine.”
Antinori is doing her part
to add to the 27th generation,
too, as she is expecting a son
by the end of the year. She
plans to dive back into work
soon after his birth.