Lowy Frames has moved to 43-14 37th St. Long Island City, NY 11101
Lowy Frames not only has the largest collection of antique frames in the country, it is also one of the oldest conservators in New York, an important title to have in a city with so much history, art, and culture. With over five thousand antique frames dating from the sixteenth century onwards, Lowy Frames has been serving world-famous museums, aiding wealthy collectors, and presenting eye-opening exhibitions since 1907.
Manhattan Sideways spent a fascinating time speaking with Larry and Brad Shar, the father-son duo who run the company today. It was Julius Lowy who started the business as a restoration company on 56th Street before broadening the services to framing and conservation. Larry’s father Hilly began working with Julius in the 1930s, and then took it over after his death. Larry, in turn, followed in his father's footsteps in 1979, however, he was not, initially, on the path towards the framing business. Hilly expected Larry to work in the framing world, training him from a young age. “He grew up completely in the business,” Brad told me. Hilly’s family was from Russia but Larry was born and raised in New York. “I’m a Brooklyn Boy,” Larry piped in, adding that he graduated high school with comedian Larry David. Though he had “aspirations to be the next Elvis Presley” that lasted through college, he eventually joined Lowy Frames, at his father’s urging. On the other hand, Larry allowed his son to make his own decision, but was pleased when Brad chose to join the family business. “He came on his own,” Larry pointed out. Despite their different approaches to framing, both men display the same passion for the work that they do.
Lowy Frames was in a building owned by Larry on 80th Street for many years before moving to 59th Street in 2015. The two men seem happy with the move. “For years and years, our core business was art galleries,” Brad said, explaining that as art galleries have waned, interactions with decorators and designers have increased. Lowy Frames moved to a neighborhood that is populated with interior designers, but the bulk of the Lowy Frames collection is held in a large facility in Long Island City. Larry spoke nostalgically for the big art collectors like the Whitney, the Vanderbilt, and Rockefeller families. He shared stories of visiting the "Gold Coast" on Long Island with his father, paying house calls to people with masterpieces on their walls. He pointed out that art has now become more of a commodity, rather than art for art’s sake, and that a general preference for contemporary art has risen over the years - so much so that Lowy has had to adapt its business strategies. Today, Larry and Brad are collecting more objet d’art and mirrors in the hopes of doing business with the designers who ultimately have clients in need of Lowy Frames’ conservation work. Larry emphasized that they are not changing what Lowy Frames is, but simply “networking through a different channel.”
Lowy's does not carry anything prior to the 1500s, because, as I learned, before the Renaissance, frames were thought of as architectural elements and were often built into a house. Brad’s eyes brightened as he spoke to me about the art of framing, sharing that he has learned the “linear history of framing as it relates to the history of art.” Lowy Frames’ team is also very accomplished, and Brad emphasized that he employs “a staff of artisans and artists.”
The two men have worked on some extraordinary pieces, including the Maxfield Parrish murals that his grandfather restored, an El Greco for the Prado, a Picasso that was bought for record price at an auction, and a series of double-sided frames for prominent museums. I was particularly taken by a favorite tale that Larry shared with us from when he would travel four of five times a year to Europe. He had purchased one hundred seventeenth century Spanish frames from a ninety-year-old collector in Salamanca, but when it came time to depart with them, the workers went on siesta for the next three hours, and he had a plane to catch!
The expertise generated from the people at Lowy's has been exhibited in a multitude of ways throughout the years. I enjoyed reading an article in Antiques Magazine where Larry took one of his own paintings and framed it in five different ways, demonstrating what a difference a frame makes to the overall result. There is no doubt that their knowledge is invaluable, but I believe that the quote on the back of Deborah Davis' book The Secret Life of Frames (inspired by Lowy Frames) says it best: “The picture frame is the Cinderella of the art world, beautiful, hard-working, and frequently overlooked.”