Can art help Europe and US rediscover the special relationship?

As the Frick Collection opens its doors after a $220m refit, bosses hope it will remind visitors of their links

- Edward Helmore New York

Can masterpieces of European art help smooth over the fissures between the old world and the new? It's a hope, say officials at the Frick Collection in New York, which reopens next month after a five-year, $220m (£170m) renovation.

Axel Rüger, the director of the museum, which began with a trove of European masterpieces including Rembrandt and Vermeer, hopes that its art could be a reminder of US-European ties in these turbulent political times.

"We are approaching a time when culture and education are not seen as priorities," said Xavier Salomon, the Frick's deputy director, at a preview of the renovated museum last week. "It's a huge mistake, in my opinion, and I hope a place like this gives people a chance to think about the role of culture in our lives."

The Frick, which started with the collection of Henry Clay Frick, the Robber Baron-era industrialist, has long been an oasis from the intensity of the city - a home in a grand style but domestic in overall feel. Now it could be something more - a reminder that European culture and leadership was once held in high esteem by the ringmasters of US power.