The Frick Collection courtyard (Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)

Louis Vuitton Is Bringing Cruise to the Upper East Side

by · Daily Front Row

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On May 20, Louis Vuitton will show their 2027 Cruise show at The Frick Collection on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

The Frick is, of course, one of New York’s last great Gilded Age mansions, and recently underwent a five-year $220 renovation, reopening to the public in the Spring of 2025. This Louis Vuitton Cruise collection marks the first time that a suite of the Frick’s historic first-floor galleries will be activated for a fashion show.

Beginning in June 2026, Louis Vuitton will also support The Frick Collection’s free monthly Friday evenings through the “Louis Vuitton First Fridays” program, offering free public access to the museum on the first Friday of each month (except January and September) from June 2026 through May 2027.

Additionally, Louis Vuitton will support the Frick’s dynamic exhibitions program and will also be the lead sponsor of the next three major special exhibitions at the Frick, starting with Siena: The Art of Bronze, 1450–1500 (October 2026 to January 2027). The House will also be lead sponsor of the Frick’s show opening in spring 2027, the first exhibition ever dedicated to the French enameler Susanne de Court—believed to have been the only woman to lead an enamel workshop in Limoges, around 1600. Then, in late 2027 to early 2028, the Frick will present a yet-to-be-announced monographic exhibition of nineteenth-century paintings, likewise supported at its New York City venue by Louis Vuitton.

Finally, the House will play an important role in supporting a two-year curatorial position. Created to foster research and engagement, the Louis Vuitton Curatorial Research Associate will be held by Yifu Liu, whose research focuses on cultural exchange and the hybridization of artistic practices between Europe and China in the eighteenth century. In this role, Liu will explore these themes within the context of the Frick’s holdings, including art and fashion of the courts of Louis XV and XVI and of the Qianlong Emperor, and will bring long-overdue attention to the extensive holdings of Asian porcelain in the Frick’s permanent collection.

Nicolas Ghesquiere at the 2016 Met Gala (FilmMagic)

“Presenting the Cruise collection at The Frick Collection offers a unique dialogue between contemporary creation and such a remarkable artistic setting, where, surrounded by masterpieces spanning from the Renaissance onward, we enter into conversation with a place where art, history, and beauty have long been preserved and celebrated,” said Nicolas Ghesquière, artistic director of women’s collections for Louis Vuitton, via a release. “It also marks the beginning of a meaningful relationship with an institution devoted to excellence and cultural heritage, further affirming Louis Vuitton’s commitment to engaging with art spaces that inspire and elevate creative expression.”