Contact: Greg Langel For Immediate Release Media and Marketing Manager
412-342-4075
GLangel@TheFrickPittsburgh.org
PITTSBURGH, PA, April 6, 2016—The Frick Pittsburgh announces that UPMC Health Plan is the lead sponsor for the museum's major summer exhibition, Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe. Additional support for Killer Heels is provided by PNC. Opening June 11, 2016, Killer Heels explores fashion’s most provocative accessory through an astonishing selection of nearly 150 historic and contemporary heels on loan from designers, the renowned Brooklyn Museum costume collection housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Bata Shoe Museum, and others.
Deadly sharp stilettos, architecturally inspired wedges and platforms, and a number of artfully crafted shoes that defy categorization are featured in this delightfully diverse presentation of style and design, which has received accolades from critic Roberta Smith of The New York Times, among others. Included among the many artists, designers, and fashion houses represented in Killer Heels are: Balenciaga, Manolo Blahnik, Chanel, Christian Dior, Fendi,
Salvatore Ferragamo, Jean Paul Gaultier, Zaha Hadid, Iris van Herpen, X United Nude, Christian Louboutin, Alexander McQueen, Prada, and Roger Vivier. The exhibition, which is organized by the Brooklyn Museum, will remain on view through September 4, 2016. The cost of admission is
$12. Frick members receive free admission.
Robin Nicholson, director of The Frick Pittsburgh remarks, "We are delighted to partner with UPMC Health Plan as lead sponsor for this compelling exhibition, which spotlights the high- heeled shoe’s rich history and its enduring place in our popular imagination. Killer Heels is going to be one of this summer's major cultural events in Pittsburgh."
“UPMC Health Plan is happy to support this fun and fashionable exhibit that is sure to have Pittsburghers buzzing this summer,” said Diane Holder, President and CEO of UPMC Health Plan. “We are always pleased to support the arts because the arts are an important part of what helps to make Pittsburgh a vibrant and unique community, and a great place to live, work and play.”
On the occasion of the opening of Killer Heels, the Frick will host a Very Special Celebration on the evening of Thursday, June 9, 2016. Tony Award Winner Billy Porter, director and Star of Kinky Boots, is Honorary Chair of the event. Very Special Celebration Host Committee Co-Chairs are: Diane Holder, executive vice president and president of the UPMC Insurance Services Division, and president and CEO of UPMC Health Plan; Erin Isler; Emy Mack Jamison; Sandra Reiman; and Carolyn Snyder.
Details regarding the exhibition and Very Special Celebration are available at KillerHeelsFrick.org.
Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe is organized by the Brooklyn Museum.
The Pittsburgh presentation is made possible through the generous support of UPMC Health Plan. Additional support is provided by PNC.
Located on the Pittsburgh estate of late-19th-century industrialist Henry Clay Frick, The Frick Pittsburgh is the steward of collections left as a legacy to the people of Pittsburgh by Frick’s daughter, Helen Clay Frick. The permanent collections include fine and decorative arts, cars, carriages, and historic objects (including buildings).
Built by Helen Clay Frick in 1969, The Frick Art Museum displays an exquisite permanent collection of European paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts from the 14th to 18th centuries, and presents outstanding temporary exhibitions from some of the world’s finest collections and museums.
Clayton, the Henry Clay Frick family mansion, is one of the most intact Gilded Age homes in the United States and possesses general significance as an artifact of American social history and a document of American and regional architecture. Restored to its original glory and opened as a house museum in 1990, an astonishing 93% of Clayton’s artifacts are original.
The Frick family’s carriages and automobiles provided the inspiration for the development of the Car and Carriage Museum. A museum of transportation design and history, the recently expanded and renovated Car and Carriage Museum is home to a collection of more than twenty vintage automobiles.
Also included on the Frick’s five-acre site of beautifully landscaped lawns and gardens are the Frick children’s playhouse, designed by renowned architects Alden & Harlow, a large working greenhouse (also designed by Alden & Harlow), the Grable Visitor Center, which houses the Frick Museum Store, an Education Center, and The Café at the Frick.
The Frick Art Museum, Car and Carriage Museum, The Café, the Grable Visitor Center and Frick Museum Store, grounds, and first floor of Clayton are accessible, and wheelchairs are available on site. Accessible rest rooms are available in The Frick Art Museum, Car and Carriage Museum, Grable Visitor Center, and the Administration building. If requested in advance, tours can arranged for hearing and visually impaired visitors.
UPMC Health Plan, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., is among the nation’s fastest-growing health plans. It is owned by UPMC, a world-renowned health care provider. As part of an integrated health care delivery system, UPMC Health Plan is committed to providing its members better health, more financial security, and the peace of mind they deserve. UPMC Health Plan partners with UPMC and community network providers to produce a combination of knowledge and expertise that provides the highest quality care at the most affordable price. The UPMC Insurance Services Division – which includes UPMC Health Plan, UPMC WorkPartners, LifeSolutions, UPMC for Life, UPMC for You, UPMC for Kids, Askesis, and Community Care Behavioral Health — offers a full range of group health insurance, Medicare, Special Needs, CHIP, Medical Assistance, behavioral health, employee assistance, and workers' compensation products and services to over 2.9 million members. Our local provider network includes UPMC as well as community providers, totaling more than 125 hospitals and more than 11,500 physicians throughout Pennsylvania and parts of Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland. For more information, visit www.upmchealthplan.com.
PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking; residential mortgage banking; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-
based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.
The Frick Art & Historical Center is located at 7227 Reynolds Street in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood. Free parking is available in the Frick’s off-street lot or along adjacent streets. The Frick is open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Tuesday–Sunday; 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Friday; and is closed Mondays and major holidays. The public should call 412-371-0600 for information, or visit the Frick online at TheFrickPittsburgh.org.
For additional information or images, please contact Greg Langel, Media and Marketing Manager, at 412-342-4075 or GLangel@TheFrickPittsburgh.org
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The Frick Art & Historical Center, a museum, historic site and cultural center serves the public through preservation, presentation, and interpretation of the fine and decorative arts and historically significant artifacts for all residents of and visitors to Western Pennsylvania.