ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO:
The Art Institute of Chicago is the foremost art museum in Chicago, one of the largest in America. The museum has been voted "the world's best museum" and is both a school and a museum. It is situated in Grant Park in downtown Chicago, just next to South Michigan Avenue. The main entrance at the avenue is the classic Allerton Building from 1887, where two lion sculptures greet the visitors. In 2009, a large Modern Wing, designed by Renzo Piano (the man behind Centre Pompidou in Paris) opened. A modern glass section connects the old Allerton Bldg with the Modern Wing. The museum is really huge, almost as large as the Louvre, so you need at least half a day to explore the most important artworks. It spans over three huge floors, plus the basement. The Art Institute was founded in 1882, after the Chicago Academy went bankrupt after the great Chicago fire.
In the museum you will find works by Monet (many of his most famous works actually including the Water Lily collection), Picasso (his famous "the old guitarist") Manet, El Greco ("Assumption of the Virgin" and others), van Gogh ("Bedroom"), Chagall, Picasso, Pollock, Matisse, Magritte, Gaugin, Cezanne, Gris, Kandinsky, Andy Warhol and many more.
There is an Arms and Armor exhibit (spanning 4 centuries), European decorative arts, a popular photography collection, the Asian exhibits (featuring artworks from China, Korea, Japan, India, southwest Asia, and the Near and Middle East, spanning through 5000 years!), Roman, Greek, Etruscan and Egyptian (with sphinxes and Pharaos) galleries, a permanent Architecture and Design exhibtion (including windows by Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright), as well as fine collection of African Art and an African American exhibition. In the basement you find the Thorne Miniature Rooms, with 68 miniatures of interiors of different styles, with an incredible sense for details. The miniature rooms were built between 1932 and 1940. All over the museum you find sculptures, many of the ancient, and there are several exhibitions with old furniture. The Alsdorf Galleries is filled with ancient Asian sculptures, including Buddhas and hinduistic sculptures. There are two marble atriums filled with sculptures (Roger McCormick Memorial Court and the Grand hall), and an outdoor court, McKinlock Court. Burnham Architecture Library is also part of the museum.
There was a temporary exhibition about the depression, called America after the Fall, where "American Gothic" by Grant Wood, painted in 1930 and one of the most famous paintings of the museum, was placed. Chagalls' America Windows is significant large set of blue stained glass windows on display. It was installed in 1977. The old bourse house had to be torn down to make way for the museum, but a part of it has been restored and can be visited today. Breton's "Song of the Larc" by Jules Adolphe Breton, from 1884 is said to have saved the actor Bill Murray's life.
We visited the Art Instritute the second day in Chicago, since the weather was mediocre after the heavy thunderstorm the day before. The museum is really interesting and has great world famous works, but it is massive in size and the planning is bad. We asked at least four guards about how to get to the restaurant, and they all told different directions, making us walk long ways in this massive complex, in vein! We couldn't find any access to the upper floors anywhere, so we ended up in the café instead.
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EXTERIOR AT S MICHIGAN AVENUE:
The Art Institute of Chicago 001 by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 002 - Allerton Bldg, entrance at Michigan Ave by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 002b - modern wing by
Nightsky, on Flickr
THORNE MINIATURE ROOMS:
The Art Institute of Chicago 006 - Thorne Minature Rooms by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 007 - Thorne Minature Rooms by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 008 - Thorne Minature Rooms by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 010 - Thorne Minature Rooms by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 012 - Thorne Minature Rooms by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 013 - Thorne Minature Rooms by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 015 - Thorne Minature Rooms by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 017 - Thorne Minature Rooms by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 018 - Thorne Minature Rooms by
Nightsky, on Flickr
INTERIOR OF THE MUSEUM:
The Art Institute of Chicago 021 by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 022 - Alsdorf Galleries, Asian sculptures by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 024 - Alsdorf Galleries, Asian sculptures by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 028 by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 031 by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 032 by
Nightsky, on Flickr
The Art Institute of Chicago 065 - Modern wing by
Nightsky, on Flickr
Modern wing
The Art Institute of Chicago 033 by
Nightsky, on Flickr
COURTYARD:
The Art Institute of Chicago 035 by
Nightsky, on Flickr
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Yes, I saw some of them at O'Hare, but I don't think they are tall enough to be called skyscrapers, and they are not within the boundaries of Chicago if I'm right?
You must be kidding, it's one of the greatest futuristic looking buildings in the whole world! It's even crazier then changed Sears Tower to Willis Tower! Next set of pictures will be from the approaching thunderstorm in Grant Park...
I have some more, the rest are from the Art Institute and O'Hare Airport.
Linear Mode
