Aimee Ng Named Chief Curator of the Frick Collection
86Oct. 7, 2025
The Frick Collection in New York has announced Aimee Ng as its next chief curator, effective this November. Ng, who is currently the museum’s John Updike Curator, has been a member of its curatorial department since 2015. She will replace departing chief curator Xavier F. Salomon, who has served in the role since 2014, taking on the additional role of deputy director in 2020. Salomon is set to take over as director of Lisbon’s Calouste Gulbenkian Museum early next year, when its outgoing director retires.
“Aimee is a remarkable colleague and scholar,” said Frick director Axel Rüger in a statement. “Her curatorial work is informed by her depth of knowledge, rigor, and exceptional ability to engage a wide range of audiences. It has been a joy working with her throughout our reopening and first year back at the Frick’s renovated home.”
Since arriving to the Frick in 2015, Ng has organized exhibitions of the work of Italian Renaissance artists including Andrea del Sarto, Bertoldo di Giovanni, and Giovanni Battista Moroni. Following the Frick’s move to the Breuer Building while it underwent major renovations, she cocurated the 2023–24 exhibition “Barkley L. Hendricks: Portraits at the Frick,” with Antwaun Sargent. When the Frick reopened in its Fifth Avenue home earlier this year, visitors were greeted by the exhibition “Vermeer’s Love Letters,” which she co-organized with guest curator Robert Fucci. Ng holds a PhD in art history from Columbia University and was a fellow at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York prior to joining the Frick.
“It has been a privilege to work with the Frick’s extraordinary collection, staff, and community these past ten years. I’m proud to have contributed to the museum’s long tradition of curatorial excellence, all the while searching for novel ways to make our centuries-old masterpieces speak to contemporary audiences,” said Ng in a statement. “Since its renovation and reopening this year, the museum has transformed from a hidden gem to a top arts destination in New York City. I am thrilled to take up leadership of the curatorial department, and I look forward to serving our ever-broadening audiences while preserving the Frick’s unique identity and character.”
In an interview with Artforum earlier this year, Ng offered insight into her curatorial motives. “I used to get indignant about seeing the word curated being thrown around to apply to menus, playlists, experiences, etc.,” she said. “Then I did a program that brought me together with curators from all sorts of museums around the country, and we all had entirely different jobs. Now I know better. Live and let curate. For me, curating is simply taking care of art in the fullest sense, including connecting people with its stories.”