We have an exciting discovery of Morris’ artwork. It is a work on paper commissioned by General Electric in 1940 in an innovative ad campaign using well-known contemporary artists to promote the company’s new line of refrigerators.  Additionally,in the Studio this past Season we exhibited a view of George & Suzy’s individual paths to artistic expression and how their collection of Cubist masters instructed their art.  Audio clips of George’s voice as he recounts his life’s journey are available thanks to a digitized 1968 oral interview from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art.

We really enjoyed the Director’s Corner and learning so much about Suzy’s mission and legacy for this amazing property! ”- Christine and James. Lenox, MA.

 “ I like that everything isn’t put behind glass or labelled, it makes this very intimate” -Albert. Ft. Collins, CO. 

 “ What a lovely way to immerse oneself in another time!” -Kim. Stephentown, NY. 

“Not only were they both amazing artists but they were in love, and they shared that love with the world” – Eleana. Lenox, MA

  “We loved the property and the personalized tours by the knowledgeable staff and family” -Alex. Great Barrington, MA

 “LOVE TERRY’S BLOCK PRINT DEMO!”-Sara. Sun Valley, ID.

  “Every time, I notice more imagery. Kinney leads a very casual and informative tour. What amazing people Suzy and George l.k are” – Hank. Washington, D.C.

 "GREAT WATERCOLOR DEMO WITH SALLY!"- Catherine and Bruce. Lee, MA. 

 “MY ART DECO ERA DREAM!” -Eric. NY, NY.

 “Sorry it took me so many years to discover this local (to Lenox) treasure. Just wonderful. Thanks also to the lovely staff.” J. from Port Jefferson, NY. 

“Suzy’s Palette” fun Art workshops for grades K-5, Saturday, August 24th begins at 9:30. Learn about Abstract Art and Math!

 Children must be accompanied by parent or guardian.  Please arrive 9:15, fun until 10:30.          

To register, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 413-637-1066

Still time to visit this season.   The leaves are at their peak and  the air is fresh and crisp.  Enjoy fewer crowds and the sales in the gift shop!  Everything is 20% off!

Join Morris Bennett as he demonstrates his oil painting technique this Friday, August 30th beginning at 11am. Morris is a longtime art teacher in the Pittsfield public schools and is a dedicated art instructor in his retirement.  Come and join the fun at last painting demonstration of this Season, free with any admission.

We have an exciting discovery of Morris’ artwork. It is a work on paper commissioned by General Electric in 1940 in an innovative ad campaign using well-known contemporary artists to promote the company’s new line of refrigerators.  Additionally,in the Studio this past Season we exhibited a view of George & Suzy’s individual paths to artistic expression and how their collection of Cubist masters instructed their art.  Audio clips of George’s voice as he recounts his life’s journey are available thanks to a digitized 1968 oral interview from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art.

 On August 15^th@ 2pm, our favorite architectural historian, Richard Guy Wilson, returns with a fascinating look into the rise of Industrial Design with Modernism Enters the American Home through the Back Door. 

"The Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio has been awarded $18,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Dorothy C. Radgowski Learning Through Women’s Achievement in the Arts grant program to develop "Suzy's Palette: Exploring Abstract Color Relationships with Personal and Mathematical Insights" with local educators.

Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio staff will develop the lesson plan with local educators, who will meet at the historic house and studio on Saturdays from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., beginning July 6.Interested teachers, parents and children (K-5) are encouraged to participate by signing up to attend or help create the programming by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.."

Abstract Therapy brings complex topics surrounding modern art and artists to an easy-to-understand format. In this fourth installment, The Still Life as a Springboard,  we uncover the connection modern painters have with the traditional still life, and why they used it as a frequent subject matter in their works. We are featuring paintings and films from the Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio. Follow us on Instagram and let us know what you think in the comment section.

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"As you enter the living room, there’s a step down to an intimate wet bar. The room, with a 1905 concert Knabe piano in the corner, has a leather floor and features a wall of windows framing a heritage apple tree and star magnolia fronting a lush garden and grounds.George painted two frescos to either side of the fireplace, large enough in scale that they are referred to as “gentle giants", writes Don Stewart for the Greenfield Reporter.  Click here to read the whole article.

Watch an entertaining and informative lecture by Richard Guy Wilson, Professor Emeritus of Architectural History at the University of Virginia as well as author of many books on architecture and design including Machine Age in America and Modern Architecture in America. He skillfully explores the question, "what do we preserve in our culture?".Click here to watch.

Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio is lending a painting to the Met's exhibit, Cubism and the Trompe L'oeil Tradition opening Ocober 20th through January 22, 2023. This exhibit offers a new view of Cubism by demonstrating its engagement with the age-old tradition of trompe l’oeil painting. Meaning “deceives the eye”, trompe l’oeil beguiles the viewer with perceptual games, blurring the “real” world in 3D with fiction, a two-dimensional picture plane. 

George L.K. Morris acquired this 1914 collage with watercolor and charcoal by Cubist Juan Gris in 1937 titled, CompotierSur Une Nappe a Rayures (Fruit dish on a striped tablecloth) through his association with A.E. Gallatin, the artist and founder of the Museum of Living Art. Morris was Gallatin’s curator and together they bought such monumental paintings as Picasso’s Three Musicians and Leger’s The City, both of which were later donated to the Philadelphia Museum.

The 17 ¾”x14 ½” collage incorporates classic Cubist hallmarks of a still life composition and deconstruction of some elements. Using mimicry of material and coded references to current events with the use of new print media were also well used Cubist devices and they competed to invent even more ways to confound the viewer.

Berkshire Flyer patrons receive 1/2 price off general admission. Buy your tickets at the door and show your Flyer ticket to receive the discount! The Berkshire Flyer will provide rail service from NYC to Pittsfield weekends seasonally through September 2nd .Tickets typically sell out so book yours now!

"The Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio is a modernist dream--displaying furniture by modern masters, original frescoes by the artists who lived there, and a collection of abstract and cubist art gathered by Morris to help with his own artistic development.  He amassed a sterling collection, including works by Fernand Leger, Juan Gris, Pablo Picasso and other seminal artists who were creating a new sensibility that was destined to define an era." Read the full article by writer Ellen Spear and photographer Jimmy ienner, Jr.Click here to read.

In our third episode of Abstract Therapy, “Embracing Abstraction,” we dive into a classically trained artist’s journey to abstraction. George L.K. Morris did a series of sketches titled Garden Composition and shows us a progression from inspiration to final painting. Stay tuned as we get ready for our summer season! Garden Composition #4, 1934, 36x30, oil on canvas. Click here for the experience.

Open 10-4 with self-guided audio and written tours.  Director's Corner with nephew/director Kinney Frelinghuysen each day @11:15.Join him as he does a quick highlight of the paintings on view. Contour drawing each day@2pm, a quick and interactive experience, sketch pads provided. Highlights include Suzy Frelinghuysen-Painter & Opera Singer-Influences of Cubism & Music in her Art. Her dual career is explored with music-infused collages and opera costumes on display as well as the paintings which most closely reference the Master Cubist collection of hers and her husband's.Historic Artists Homes & Studios photo exhibit titled Artists at Home*is on view in the Classroom as well as the Documentary.

Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio is lending a painting from its collection to the Museum of Modern Art’s exhibit, “Sophie Taeuber-Arp: Living Abstraction”, on view November 21-March 12th. This major exhibit, following venues in London and Berlin, surveys this multidisciplinary artist’s career, when it was radical to be a multimedia artist. This Swiss born artist created paintings, reliefs, architectural and interior designs, polychrome marionettes, textiles, and beadwork. Sophie Taeuber-Arp was in the shadow of her more famous husband, Jean (Hans) Arp, as were many female artists.

George L.K. Morris was friends with the couple and collaborated with them and Caesar Domela on the art magazine, “Plastique” during its short run from 1937-1939. Morris bought this painting of gouache on paper, titled Composition in a Circle (10”x13”) from Sophie Taeuber-Arp in 1937. The same year, in his capacity as Chairman of the Advisory Committee at MoMA, Morris acquired a sculpture by Jean Arp for the museum, as well as a Mondrian and Miro. He collected works by these artists who were little known at the time, and for himself, at the same time.

This 2-minute episode explores the power of materials in abstract art appreciation.  Enjoy Suzy Frelinghuysen's Abstract Still Life c.1963 created with oil and newsprint on canvas.  Click here for the experience.

Join us for a new series where we engage with selected works from the collection and enhance your experience with them. Each 2-minute video in this series will also highlight a specific technique that the artist would use. This video features Suzy Frelinghuysen's Untitled mural c.1950 created with tempura on plaster and her use of color.  Click here to view this short video.

Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio has been awarded a $9,210 grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation to preserve part of its collection of 16mm films taken by George L.K. Morris in the 1930s. The Foundation's grants support preservation of rare films such as silent films and films of sites receiving little media coverage. This current grant funds preservation of three films taken by Morris during a 1934 trip to the Far East during which he visited China, Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Hawaii, India, Korea, and Philippines capturing on film colonial, pre-World War II life and historical and culturally significant sites. These 1934 films make up almost half of those in the FMH&S collection. These three films, documenting Hong Kong, Shanghai, Suzhou, Mount Abu, and Udaipur are the final Far East films to be preserved. 

In this 3-minute video Director Kinney Frelinghuysen examines "Printemps", a painting/collage from 1945, with the aid of 3D digital deconstruction.  Suzy Frelinghuysen created this painting as a traditional still life, depicting common objects, but in the style of late Cubism. Deconstructing the painting helps to demonstrate the core ideas of Cubism and understand  her use of color and contour in the composition. Click here for the experience.

While you are waiting for the Season to begin, warm up by watching Episode Two featuring guide Thomas in the foyer describing the art, architecture and design in the House.  Click here to watch the two minute video.

Enjoy the first installment of virtual tours this Season.  Episode One features Director Kinney Frelinghuysen in the courtyard of the House & Studio. Click here to view the four minute video.

A small, 8"x8" fresco relief titled Opposition of Forms sold for $8750, above its estimate, at Sotheby's auction of Property from the Collection of Nelson and Happy Rockefeller.  The tempera on marble piece was signed 1945 and was purchased from the Downtown Gallery, run by Edith Halpert. Rockefeller's mother, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, was an early anchor of the Gallery which promoted American art, including Folk art in the l930's.  Nelson Rockefeller worked closely with Halpert on large contemporary art shows in the new Rockefeller Center in the Depression. This piece was most likely included in one of her shows of "small works", illustrating her acumen of inventing ways to attract clients.  

Enjoy Enrich Your Modern Art Experience with Director Kinney Frelinghuysen by clicking here. Watch lectures on art, architecture and social history like this one by Cornelia Brooke Gilder, historian and author of "Houses of the Berkshires" by clicking here.

Wall Painting, was part of Halpert's personal collection, now reassembled for the first time since its sale in 1973.  Edith Halpert was the first woman in New York to open a commercial art gallery in l926 called the Downtown Gallery and became the most powerful dealer of contemporary art from the 30's to the mid-50's. This painting,1936-44, was most likely acquired during Morris' first solo exhibit at the Gallery in l944. This facinating exhibit continues through February 9th at the Jewish Museum, Fifth Avenue and 92nd Street, NYC.

Protests & Patronage: Morris, Frelinghuysen, and the Promotion of Abstract Art in the 1930's presented this July by Carol Troyen, Curator Emerita at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  Her entertaining insight into this year's exhibit is not to be missed.  Last day of hourly guided tours is October 13th.Click here to watch.

"An abundance of art, food and nature make the Berkshires an idyllic (and interesting) country escape.." writes Natalie Shukur in last month's Australian Vogue magazine.  She curates a pictorially lush travelogue of accomodations, restaurants and art venues including the Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio.  Read the whole article right here!

This matching grant will help pay for the completion of the repair to the four rear patios and has been a catalyst to continue and expand engineering probes.  A probe last month uncovered steel beams in a critical area eliminating mysteries for the engineer's calculations.  Thank you to the Lenox residents for the approval at the Town Meeting,  committee members and Land Use Director/Town Planner Gwen Miller.

Click here to enjoy the slide lecture by University of Virginia Architecture Department Chair Richard Guy Wilson as he describes the origins of the Le Corbusier-inspired Morris Studio, built in 1931 in Lenox, Massachusetts.  The 38 minute video of the lecture this past season is full of information detailing the rise of Modern architecture in Europe and America. 

Frelinghuysen's painting sold for over three times its high estimate and far surpassed her previous auction record of $85,000. "Composition" measures 40"x30" and was painted in 1943, incorporating corregated cardboard as a collage element.  Appearing wholly abstract at first, it actually refers to the image of a bullfighter.  Renowned collector and travel entrepreneur Barney A. Ebsworth bought the painting in the 1970's adding to his collection based on the rise of American Art in the 20th century.  He exhibited his collection widely across the United States.

Click here to listen to Director/Artist Kinney Frelinghuysen's interview with Joe Donohue last week talking about the story behind the creation of the House & Studio and this Season's exhibit.

"When Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio opened its doors to the public in July 1998, the crowds of people lining up to view the home of abstract artists George L.K. Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen was greater than imagined." writes Jennifer Huberdeau of the Berkshire Eagle. "The New York Times had done a piece just days before. People in line were clutching the article in their hands," said Linda Frelinghuysen of that first day nearly 20 years ago. "We were prepared to take 10 people at a time on the tour, we had 16yr olds selling tickets and taking cash in the parking lot." "We were wondering if anyone would come out, "director Kinney Frelinghuysen reminisced. Click here for the full article.

FMH&S was awarded a $19,185 matching grant from the Lenox Community Preservation Fund to repair and restore a major structural issue of the 1941 stucco modern house. Water damage at the base of the dining room sliders resulted in a structural failure from the bedroom above the dining room. The dining room's steel doors and marble base will be restored and repaired.  Work on the project begins immediately.

View an informative and entertaining lecture by Emily Braun, curator of the Leonard Lauder Cubist Collection at the Metropolitan Museum in New York and Professor at Hunter College and the Graduate Center--Cuny.  She reveals the stories the historic labels on the backs of paintings tell us and examines the hidden imagery by Cubist Master Juan Gris. Click here to view.

The Alfond Collection is part of the permanent collection of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.  A significant part of The Alfond Collection is on view at The Alfond Inn, a philanthropic boutique hotel near the Rollins campus whose proceeds fund student scholarships.  Previously, the painting was in two other private collections and is now on view at the Cornell Museum at Rollins College in the exhibit, "Forging a Modern American Identity: New Aquisitions".Click on the link to the show here

Spring Sun, a large 1970 oil painting by George L.K. Morris, sold for $52,500 last week, which was more than double its pre-sale estimate, at Shannons Auction in Connecticut. The 42" x 51" work of art, sold by a private collector,  is composed of cheerful colors evoking springtime growth.  The title refers to Morris' interest in Native American themes. 

View the videos from the final digitizing of the 16mm 1930's travel films by artist George L.K. Morris.  Never before seen footage of South and Central America, the Netherlands and France in color.  Click here to see the silent films.

The circa 1905 claro walnut Knabe has been completely refinished and restored and is back in the Living Room on the new leather floor. Click here to hear musician Dave Wright from Concord, Massachusetts test out the new action!

Indian Composition, 1938, a large oil painting  by George L.K. Morris,  is now on view in the Metropolitan Museum's newly configured Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery.  It is hanging in Gallery 913 after its conservation.

"Finding the right person to install your new tile floor can be difficult.  Finding the right person to install your new leather floor?  Nearly impossible. It was just one of the many challenged faced by Kinney Frelinghuysen, director of the Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio, when the museum's trustees decided it was time to replace the leather living room floor" writes Jennifer Huberdeau.Read the full article here.--and her companion article here  describing the gifts made from  repurposed leather tiles.

In June, Google will be capturing the galleries of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas using its Street View technology and has selected Frelinghuysen's Glass and Bottle, 1948, as one of the artworks to be photographed using its ultra high resolution Art Camera.  The Google Arts & Culture project has partnered with over 1200  museums all over the world to expand global access to artwork.  Crystal Bridges Museum aquired the 30"x40" oil on board painting in 2015.

After years of solar radiation, moisture, and the freeze/thaw cycle, the outdoor fresco painted by George L.K. Morris in the 1940's needed to be conserved.  Cassie Myers, a conservator specializing in murals, is re-attaching the loose stucco  which adheres to the base wall and is "in painting" the losses on the mural surfaces.  She is retaining the integrity of the artwork in this painstaking process.

Staff member Rachel joined in to remove the leather floor in the Living Room.  We are brainstorming ideas for gift shop items recycled from the orginal floor with local leather artist Michael King. Stay tuned for updates and images of the replacement leather floor.

"The place is startling even when you know it's coming.  Part of the surprise stems from the location:  the old and self assured village of Lenox, Massachusetts--the Berkshire Mountains summer seat of Gilded Age worthies who built estates..." CLICK HERE to read the full article.by writer Gregory Cerio and photographs by John Hall.

Watch author Hugh Howard's sold out slide lecture from this summer. Click here for a front row seat!

You didn't  miss curator, author and archivist  Eugene R. Gaddis' slide lecture on the Modernist dynamo Chick Austin.

Click here to view the pictures of his idiosyncratic house operated by the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, Connecticut  and hear the story of one of Modernism's unsung heros. 

"The airy studio that the artist, writer, and collector George L.K. Morris built in 1931 on his family's 46-acre estate in Lenox, Massachusetts, looked nothing like the mansion he grew up in", writes Wendy Goodman for Departures Magazine.  Read the full article here.

Vintage 1930's travel films, taken by the Berkshires' most creative couple. Click here to read the rest of the fabulous article and slideshow by Hilary Reid.

Read Jennifer Huberdeau's article in her weekly series detailing the history of the Berkshire Cottages and how FMH&S came to be. Click here to read the interesting article.