Col. Michael Friedsam (1860–1931) was an American philanthropist of New York City. Friedsam was the former president of B. Altman and Company and one of the premier art collectors in America at that time.
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Residence
The Friedsam residence at 44 East 68th Street was built in 1921. The five-story limestone building was designed by Frederick Frost, with wrought ironwork by Samuel Yellin, and carved marble fireplaces, stained glass windows, and ornate woodwork. Following Friedsam's death in 1931, the residence was converted into Dominican Academy, a Catholic high school for girls.
Art collection
Friedsam's collection contained numerous masterpieces by artists such as Vermeer, Rembrandt, Jan Van Eyck, and Botticelli.
Bequests and legacy
Friedsam never married and left his estate valued at $20 million ($500 million in 2025) to charities and public bequests. A large part of his collection was bequeathed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (then valued at $2.5 million; $60 million in 2025), and another part to the Brooklyn Museum of Art (then valued at $130,000).
However, modern authentication techniques have revealed that about a quarter of the 926 works Friedsam donated to the Brooklyn Museum are fakes. Today, the Brooklyn Museum would like to divest some of the works, but is restricted by the bequest.
Selected works from Metropolitan Museum bequest
The list of paintings from the Met bequest still in the collection are: