J. Tomilson Hill and his wife, Janine, have been outfitting their Upper East Side home with the best of the best that has come to market for decades. The Wall Street financier — the current vice chairman of the Blackstone Group — has an extensive network of dealers and auction-house specialists on the lookout for pieces that might appeal to the couple. But Hill meticulously researches each purchase and is the driving force behind his acquisitions. The Hill’s collecting strategy: choreographing works from different periods and mediums, from Renaissance bronzes to post-war American and European art. Thirty-two of those bronzes are featured, alongside contemporary works by the likes of Cy Twombly and Ed Ruscha, in an exhibition opened this week at the Frick Collection.
Art+Auction’s Judd Tully sat down with the power collectors inside Hill’s art-and book-filled study study ahead of the Frick exhibition.
“Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Hill Collection” will be on view at The Frick through June 15.
