Frick Collection picks up Louis Vuitton as principal sponsor

French fashion house Louis Vuitton is moving from museum guest to patron.

The LVMH-owned label has announced a three-year arrangement with New York City’s The Frick Collection, the Manhattan museum housed in the former Henry Clay Frick mansion at 1 East 70th Street. Beginning this month, the house becomes a principal cultural sponsor, underwriting three major special exhibitions through 2028, a year of free monthly evening openings now titled Louis Vuitton First Fridays and a newly created two-year staff position, the Louis Vuitton Curatorial Research Associate.

“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,” said Pietro Beccari, CEO of Louis Vuitton, in a statement.

“Nicolas’s vision for the Cruise collections, consistently presented at extraordinary locations, enables us to create deeper connections between fashion, architecture, and culture,” Mr. Beccari said. “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.”

Cruise 2027 prelude

The sponsorship runs in parallel with the Cruise 2027 show Louis Vuitton will stage in the Frick’s first-floor galleries on May 20, a private event that will close the museum for a few days.

The first sponsored exhibition, “Siena: The Art of Bronze, 1450–1500,” opens in fall 2026 and brings together nearly 40 sculptures by Donatello, Vecchietta, Francesco di Giorgio Martini and other 15th-century Italian masters, most of which have not previously been displayed outside Tuscany.

Spring 2027 will mark the first-ever exhibition dedicated to French Renaissance enameler Susanne de Court, while a yet-to-be-announced 19th-century painting show is slated for late 2027 to early 2028.

The newly endowed curatorial research associate role will be filled by Yifu Liu, a Princeton PhD candidate currently holding the Frick’s Anne L. Poulet Curatorial Fellowship, whose research explores 18th-century cultural exchange between Europe and China.

The Frick reopened in April 2025 following a major renovation led by Selldorf Architects with executive architect Beyer Blinder Belle (see story). The Louis Vuitton arrangement is the largest single corporate sponsorship the institution has announced since the reopening.

“We are thrilled to engage with Louis Vuitton in such a meaningful and sustaining way,” said Axel Rüger, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen director of the Frick, in a statement.

“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,” Mr. Rüger said. “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.”