To see all the bullshit stories/rants/petty grievances of Kieran’s Humor go to https://kieranhumor.com. Frick the museumHere's to the previous aristocracy; same as the old aristocracy; same as the new aristocracy
May, 2021 My 90-year-old father and I flew 3000 miles to see them. The Frick and the Met, museums that is. Art gold. Let me spill a little tea.* My father went to see the art. I went to make sure the man living in his 10th decade came back without getting hurt, robbed, or lost. He didn't really need me for any of that. But it was good for me to go. First stop -- the Frick. A temporary museum of the art collection from Henry Clay Frick. For the last few years, the art has been in an "unused museum" while they remodel and rebuild the Frick mansion that looks out on Central Park.
My 90-year-old father and I flew 3000 miles to see them. The Frick and the Met, museums that is. Art gold. Let me spill a little tea.* My father went to see the art. I went to make sure the man living in his 10th decade came back without getting hurt, robbed, or lost. He didn't really need me for any of that. But it was good for me to go. First stop -- the Frick. A temporary museum of the art collection from Henry Clay Frick. For the last few years, the art has been in an "unused museum" while they remodel and rebuild the Frick mansion that looks out on Central Park.
Four floors of paintings, some sculptures, and what feels like an endless parade of things meant to fill the holes in an unholy disorder of the collector's personality. Let's face it, Frick was a prick. He was the leader of a hunting club that refused to spend enough money on the dam holding back the water for their private lake. One reason the dam broke was the nets they set in the spillways to keep the fish from escaping downstream -- no fish for peasants -- more pressure on a dam made of dirt in a record storm. The Johnstown Flood killed more people than Pearl Harbor (about 2200). But that may not have been the worst thing he did... He made all his money in "coke" and steel. A brutal industry that killed workers quickly by boiling to death in the fires or dropping hot and heavy objects on their heads. Or they died slowly with black lung and other diseases. No retirement for 19th Century steel workers. He broke men, and he broke their unions, so he and his partner Andrew Carnegie could make hundreds of millions. During a strike, Frick led a private army of Pinkerton's against his own striking steel workers. Killing 10 and injuring more than 70. He makes any top 10 list of worst American bosses ever. For a long time, he was the most hated man in America. There was a plot to assassinate him -- for good reason.
After the days of exploiting the work of others, Frick could retire to his mansion and ponder his collection. Mostly portraits of Spanish Kings, French nobleman and British aristocracy. The people who had suppressed the weak and amassed their fortunes 200 to 500 years before Frick. It's the Robber Baron gazing at his predecessors in oppression. The portraits did it with titles, land, and military campaigns for God and country. Frick let his money do the dirty work for his own greed and ego. If you think this is funny or worth a read, you can tell Kieran's Humor that writing has value. Pledge a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.
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Thursday, 26 September 2024
Frick the museum
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