The Art Legacies of Helen Clay Frick and Electra Webb

Building upon the illustrious art-collecting legacies of their parents, Helen Clay Frick and Electra Havemeyer Webb became visionary collectors and preservationists in their own right. Their work transformed family traditions into expansive public institutions that safeguard both European masterpieces and American heritage. This course examines how these two women navigated their significant inheritances to create lasting cultural landmarks that continue to educate and inspire. We begin in Pittsburgh with Clayton, the Frick family home that Helen Clay Frick restored to house her father Henry Clay Frick’s original collection. We then explore the nearby Frick Art Museum, which holds Helen’s personal collection and forms part of the Frick Pittsburgh museum complex. The second half of the course moves to Vermont to examine the "collection of collections" established by Electra Havemeyer Webb. After inheriting a portion of her mother Louisine Havemeyer’s incomparable Impressionist works, Webb went on to amass an expansive collection of Americana, now displayed across the 39 buildings of the Shelburne Museum. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to the video for 30 days.