Meet the Men at The Frick

Henry Clay Frick, the steel and coke baron whose name hangs over The Frick Collection, was comfortable with the hard edges of Gilded Age capitalism. Former director Ian Wardropper once described him as “rough-and-tumble,” which is a polite way of saying: ruthlessly effective and unapologetically anti-union. By the time he died, Frick had amassed a fortune of more than $150 million. During labor conflicts, he insisted the company would not change course even if he himself were killed. And, he was obsessed with art.

Frick collected paintings, sculpture, furniture, porcelain—anything that whispered of European grandeur. When construction began on his Fifth Avenue mansion in 1912, he already had a long game in mind: the house and the collection would eventually belong to the public. Some of the personal correspondence behind that vision now lives in the Frick Art Research Library, where the paper trail of this famously hard man reveals his and his family’s equally hardline collecting habits.

Fast-forward a century.

Last night, the same mansion hosted Travel Through Time, the Young Fellows Ball at The Frick Collection—a party that invites art patrons to cosplay the museum’s timeline. The galleries move from the Renaissance to the late nineteenth century, and the crowd followed suit. There were ruffles, bustles, steampunk-adjacent flourishes, silk and brocade that would make an actual Gilded Age dowager nod approvingly. Vintage Oscar de la Renta made an appearance, as did archival YSL. Rent-the-Runway hero pieces did a lot of work. And a few fabulously accessorized Temu-coded prom gowns committed to the bit. But instead of documenting the gowns—which were plentiful and extremely photogenic—I found myself focusing on the men.

Not their outfits because I’m not trying to get anyone in trouble(—isn’t it sexist that these young men were panned for glamming up and showing off, while it is expected of women?). But the mood of the fantasy that a complicated collector built more than a century ago inspires.

So, for a moment, the spotlight goes to the dashing gentlemen of The Frick.

John Carter

What do you do?
I’m a lawyer and an avid watch collector and member of watch collector communities.

What is your favorite piece at the Frick?
George Washington’s portrait. It usually hangs in a corner and does not get much appreciation. It is now more prominently placed to commemorate the U.S.’s 250th anniversary. [Pause.] Rembrandt’s self portrait comes in second!

Keanu Moore

What do you do?
Financial Analyst at a non-profit, and I just finished grad school at Dartmouth.

Apart from The Frick, what young patron groups are you a member of?
The Philharmonic, MAD, Apollo Circle—not sure I’m going to renew—and the Whitney, some of which I am on the board of. Other young patron programs can learn a lot from the Frick. They make a tireless effort to engage their patrons and the next generation of donors.

How so, and why is that important?
The Frick’s steering committee allows nominations; they are not just determined by a buy-in, which allows for more diversity in turn pushing cultural organizations to become more socially responsible. For instance, docent programs need to be open to more people than upper-income white women, many of whom can not explain non-white art.

Hunter Parkhill

What do you do?
Sales Assistant at Sean Kelly.

How long have you been a young fellow?
5 years, and I am on the host committee tonight.

Why do you love The Frick?
Visiting at the age of seven was the first spiritual encounter I had with art. Peter Schjeldahl wrote that you can track your life through the paintings at the Frick. At seven, it was the Fragonard room for me, and then the Goyas reflected my college days. Today, I identify with Rembrandt’s self-portrait.

Why should one support The Frick?
It has the best collection of old masterpieces in the country.

Christopher Griffin

What do you do?
Tonight I am doing social media for The Frick. I am interviewing guests in the garden.

Fabulous. What is it called, and can I be in it?
What’s it Giving? You can see it on my Instagram @plantkween and across The Frick’s socials. And, yes, of course!

Shawn Yang

What do you do?
Right now? I’m a socialite.

What young members’ clubs are you in?
The Frick and a few others.

How do they enrich your life?
They have been a core of my social life since moving to New York City from SF a few years ago. I’ve met my close friends in these circles, and socializing around great art is the best time.

What is your most memorable Frick experience?
Their day trip to The Hamptons.

Jordan Land

What do you do?
Dean of students and physical education teacher.

How long have you been a young fellow?
Three years—and, eleven date nights with my wife.

What do you mean by date nights?
We come here together to attend parties, exhibition walk-throughs, and talks. The Frick is our favorite place on the Upper East Side.

Cute! Where do you live?
On the Upper East Side!

Sebastian Trujillo

What do you do?
Horiculturalist, I’m a landscape designer.

Where have you taken us?
Iggy’s. A dive bar, for karaoke. The Mark just didn’t cut it for an after-party this year, and I go to Maxime’s often. That’s where the official after-party is. This is more fun!

Kevin Hannan

What do you do?
I’m an entrepreneur, but that makes me sound like a douche. Just write that I am part of CFR.

What is that?
The Council on Foreign Relations.

I’m writing that you are an entrepreneur because that’s great. So was Henry Clay Frick. How long have you been a young fellow for?
Ok, and I’m not! It was my first time at the party. It was so beautiful to be immersed in art. I really enjoyed it.

Do you have any remarks?
Well, I met Marcello Hernández from SNL. He was low-key, so I did not ask to take a photo with him. I would have liked to talk to Jack Schlossberg. A friend told me he was there.

He’s a great cast member. Will you be coming back?
Not to this dive bar, but definitely to The Frick!

Thanks to Carson Woś for support on this article.

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