The Lona-Frey Collection at UNC Charlotte Center City began with the creative sensibilities of Andrew Lona, an administrator for the Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC). Andrew was charged with creating a curatorial team for advisement on purchases for the SBC collection. Upon completion, the SBC collection included more than 1000 works on paper, primarily prints and paintings from 20th-century American artists. Towards the end of this monumental effort, Andrew and his life partner, Brently Frey, became more serious about their own collection. Andrew also focused their personal collection on American modern and contemporary art.
The Lona-Frey Collection is primarily a collection of limited edition prints and sculpture from 1930-2000. Prominent American artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Sam Francis, Helen Frankenthaler, Julian Schnabel, Jim Dine, Robert Mapplethorpe, Sol LeWitt, and Robert Motherwell are some of the masters in the collection.
The Lona-Frey collection is on long-term loan to the College of Arts +Architecture and opened to the public on August 4, 2012. Twenty-seven pieces from the collection are hung on the second and third floors; the remainder of the collection is located in elevator lobby areas on upper levels. See installation photographs here.
Guided tours available by appointment; please contact Director of Galleries Adam Justice at ajusti10@uncc.edu.
