Honoring and extending the legacy of Charles and Emma Frye, the Frye Art Museum showcases its Founding Collection of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century European art. It also presents visually compelling and conceptually rich contemporary art. The Museum’s commitment to the art and ideas of living artists is the bridge between these two charges.

The Frye’s dedication to living artists arises from the collecting practice of the Fryes, who, in building their Collection, regularly sought the counsel of artist-advisors and often bought art directly from artists in their studios. Therefore, the Founding Collection is a primary catalyst for our engagement with contemporary art and artists. Invited artists regularly curate from this Collection and create new work in response to its paintings and history.

The Frye also showcases contemporary art through Frye-generated and traveling exhibitions. Among the internationally renowned artists recently included in exhibitions at the Museum are assume vivid astro focus, Willie Cole, R. Crumb, Dias & Riedweg, Tim Eitel, Oliver Herring, Candida Höfer, Robyn O’Neil, Patricia Piccinini, Neo Rauch, Dario Robleto, and Erwin Wurm.

Finally, the Frye lends artwork from its Collections to world-renowned institutions, including the Museum Villa Stuck, Munich, Germany; the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Neue Pinakothek, Munich, Germany; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; and the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Mass.

Click here for more information on the Frye's curatorial vision.