ABSTRACT
Some of the Frye Art Museum's relative obscurity has been due to its being a private museum containing a focused collection of figurative art, essentially the collection of the founders. When the Frye was originally designed, architects' fascination with the Spartan lines of modem design was reaching its peak. The Frye has an entirely new image. The architects have teased out of the older edifice a stunning new building that combines dignity with drama. Even the collection looks fresh, hung against rich, dark walls. The Frye also offers a small cafe that is likely to acquire a following, in part because it offers two very interesting views. The new Frye is simply smashing. Its elegantly assertive design reaches out to the pubic realm. The Frye Art Museum is a superb addition to the growing number of new and renovated buildings in this region that present visual and performing arts.
