African Art And Indian Art Of The Americas
The Art Institute’s African Art and Indian Art of the Americas collections are on display across two galleries in the south end of the Michigan Avenue building. The African collection includes more than 400 works that span the continent, highlighting ceramics, garments, masks, and jewelry.
The Amerindian collection includes Native North American art and Mesoamerican and Andean works. From pottery to textiles, the collection brings together a wide array of objects that seek to illustrate the thematic and aesthetic focuses of art spanning the Americas.
The Art Institute’s American Art collection contains some of the best-known works in the American canon, including Edward Hopper‘s Nighthawks, Grant Wood‘s American Gothic, and ‘s The Child’s Bath. The collection ranges from colonial silver to modern and contemporary paintings.
Modern And Contemporary Art
Pablo PicassoThe Old Guitarist
The museum’s collection of modern and contemporary art was significantly augmented when collectors Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson gifted 40 plus master works to the department in 2015.Pablo Picasso‘s Old Guitarist, Henri Matisse‘s Bathers by a River, Constantin Brâncui‘s Golden Bird, and René Magritte‘s Time Transfixed are highlights of the modern galleries, located on the third floor of the Modern Wing. The contemporary installation, located on the second floor, contains works by Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Cy Twombly, Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, and other significant modern and contemporary artists.
The Full List Of Illinois Museums On The Walker Reciprocal Pass
That list makes it very tempting. However, these days Im questioning if Ill even go to my primary museum enough. So I would probably stick to the Art Institute passif I get it. Maybe. Hmmm.
Elmhurst Art Museum has a $100 reciprocal pass for +900 museums nationwide. . Now we are talking a bit more. This is cheaper than the Art Institute pass.
The only thing with a reciprocal is that you have to wait in the regular ticketing line to show your pass to get a physical ticket. If I had an Art Institute membership, I wouldnt have to wait in line. Instead, I could just show my membership card at the security gate. Actually, I dont mind so much waiting in line. Especially in the days when the Art Institute used to print artwork on the backs of the physical tickets.
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A Reciprocal Museum Pass Might Save More Money
Another thought to consider. The Walker Art Center has a reciprocal membership to 1,200 museums across America. That membership is $125/year. So its an extra $20 on top of the Art Institute membership. I had Walker reciprocal pass or a few years. It was great to get into BOTH of Chicagos Museum of Contemporary Art and the Art Institute. Plus, if I was traveling, I could get into other museums too.
The Art Institute Of Chicago: 25 Must See Artworks

With over 300,000 pieces of incredible art on display, the Art Institute of Chicago is the second largest art museum in the United States. Here are the top 25 famous artworks you must see.
The Art Institute of Chicago was voted one of the Top Museums in the World for four straight years. At one million square feet of space, and with a collection of over three-hundred thousand individual artworks on display, the AIC is the second-largest art museum in the United States. It also holds the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artwork outside of Europe, along with many other incredible collections from medieval relics to contemporary design exhibits . This may be overwhelming if you only have time for a short visit, so we hope this guide will help you decide where to start.
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How To Access Your Free Special Exhibition Tickets
To ensure you have a smooth time reserving your tickets:
- Log in to mfa.org early using the e-mail address connected to your membership.
- Not sure if you have an account or which e-mail address you provided? Check your e-mail address or reset your password.
- Check benefits in the drop-down menu under your e-mail address to see what is available through your membership level.
- E-mail ahead of ticket on-sale dates if you have questionsa member of our dedicated staff is glad to assist you.
- Please note, members do not need a promo code to reserve tickets.
Comparing The Cost Of An Art Institute Of Chicago Membership
With my birthday coming up, Sarah gave me a few ideas of things to do. Helpful that this year my birthday is on a Saturday.
One of my birthday options is going to the Art Institute of Chicago with the kids. When I worked in the Prudential Plaza, I used to go to the Art Institute multiple times a week during lunch! Oh, I loved that. .
The free museum pass from my bank really opened the Art Institute up to me. My museum visits really kicked into high gear when our work moved location from the Tribune Tower to Prudential Plaza. The Prudential was a small walk through Millennium park to get to the museum. Now my bank doesnt offer that pass. They killed it this summer. Hrmpf. And coronavirus kicked us out of downtown. Now I work from home in the suburbs.
In the past I had a reciprocal Art Museum pass from the Walker Art Center. Im considering that too. However, its slightly more than an Art Institute pass. Ok. Lets get into the math of buying regular tickets at the ticket window versus getting an annual membership.
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The Museum Caf At The Art Institute Of Chicago
Designed by EDG Interior Architecture + Design, IDEA as Architect of Record managed the design team and assisted in all project phases. The new Museum Café features a series of action stations that contain the various main course, desert, and beverage options. The brightly illuminated and colorfully decorated dining space affords views of McKinlock Court, with access to outdoor dining during the summer month. Also included was the design of the new Members Lounge which shares access to the café and provides a gathering space for museum members as well as private events.
Challenges
A notable challenge of the former cafeteria was the lack of visibility and visitor draw partly due to its lower level location. The new design features a colorful oversize graphic orange ribbon element which helps to guide museum visitors from the Rubloff lobby down to the new café and lounge
A Stunning Show Of Cartes Postales Shows How The Hungarian Photographer Came Into His Own During His Years In Paris
André Kertészs Mondrian’s Pipe and Glasses
Chicago
André Kertész: Postcards From Paris at the Art Institute of Chicago may be, inch-for-inch, the most exquisite photography show in America at the moment. An intensive perusal of the years 1925-28, right after the photographer moved to Paris from his native Hungary, it revisits a stupendously fertile period for the artist, one that gave birth to some of his most celebrated and diverse images, including the shadow-strewn Chairs at the Medici Fountain, Jardin du Luxembourg the madcap Satiric Dancer the serenely exacting Chez Mondrian and the proto-minimalist Fork.
André Kertész: Postcards From Paris
Art Institute of ChicagoThrough Jan. 17, 2022
Many of the prints he made at the time were tiny, the size of a postcard. Dictated at first by necessary frugality, the choice of such a humble format was soon recognized by Kertész for its unusual intimacy. Photographs this small could be held in one hand, studied closely, passed around a café table, tucked in a pocket, or sent in a letter. When rendered in the soft, platinum-like tones of the French printing paper he grew enamored of , his views of his adopted city acquired a wistful, throwaway elegance.
André Kertészs Chez Mondrian
André Kertészs Eiffel Tower
André Kertészs Self-Portrait
Mr. Woodward is an arts critic in New York.
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History Of The Art Institute Of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago was initially founded as the Chicago Academy of Design by a group of artists, mostly featuring plaster casts. After facing financial difficulties, it was then reinstated under its current name jointly as a museum and academy of the artists in the late 19th century. Its collections eventually expanded into art masterpieces from around the world, spanning from ancient bronzes to post-modernist contemporary pieces. Today, it holds hundreds of thousands of famous artifacts, and both the academy and the museum are recognized as leading international institutions. To find out more or plan your next visit, .
Comparing An Annual Membership Vs Buying One
Based on my zip code, which is a suburb of Chicago, a one-day visit costs $22 per adult. Thus, with Sarah and I, one visit is $44 .
Membership for one year is $105.
If I didnt get the membership, if I spent $44 on one visit, then I would have to spend another $61 to spend. Lets say we go another time. Thats $88 spent. So thats $17 left. Ok, this is too much math. lets simplify this.
In one year:
- Two visits by family
- One visit by me Cost: $110
Boom. There it is. In one year to equate to the membership: youd have to visit twice with the family, and once by yourself.
Would we really visit TWICE in a year? . Once. Sure. But we dont even go EVERY year. My five-year-old has been to the Art Institute two times in her life.
Lets put in one visit by family
- One visit by family
- Three visits by me Cost: $110
Would I really visit on my own? Would I really go to the Art Institute on my own once a year? I cant believe that Im actually asking that question. I used to go multiple times a week!
Would I work from the Art Institute membership lounge? Well, if spend the time going downtown, I would want to be walking around the museumnot doing my regular day job from the membership lounge. If I were to go to the Art Institute these days, Ill just take the day off to walk around the museum, and enjoy it.
Actually, maybe thats something I really need in my life right now. I need to have the dedicated days to go to the museum. Enjoy the artwork. Even make my artwork in the museum .
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Art Institute Of Chicago
One of the two lion statues flanking the Institute’s main entrances | |
Location within Chicago metropolitan areaShow map of Chicago metropolitan areaArt Institute of Chicago Show map of IllinoisArt Institute of Chicago Show map of the United States | |
Established | 1879 in present location since 1893 |
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365,660 | |
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www.artic.edu |
The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago‘s Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 million people annually. Its collection, stewarded by 11 curatorial departments, is encyclopedic, and includes iconic works such as Georges Seurat‘s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Pablo Picasso‘s The Old Guitarist, Edward Hopper‘s Nighthawks, and Grant Wood‘s American Gothic. Its permanent collection of nearly 300,000 works of art is augmented by more than 30 special exhibitions mounted yearly that illuminate aspects of the collection and present cutting-edge curatorial and scientific research.
As a research institution, the Art Institute also has a conservation and conservation science department, five conservation laboratories, and one of the largest art history and architecture libraries in the countrythe Ryerson and Burnham Libraries.
School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago

Industry:
Membership Type:
Full
Elissa Tenny is the 15th executive and first woman to lead the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in its 150-year history. She became President in July 2016, assuming broad responsibility for overseeing the Schools world-renowned academic programs, strategic direction, and operations across all facets of the institution. A career-long proponent of art and design education and the liberal arts, Tenny is an advocate of interdisciplinary practice, of diversity in higher learning, and of the role higher education plays in society and the world at large.
Tenny joined SAIC in 2010 as Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, in which capacity she stewarded the Schools educational mission, including academic affairs, student affairs, and technology concerns among many other areas. Tennys signature initiatives as Provost include establishing the Earl and Brenda Shapiro Center for Research and Collaboration implementing the Schools strategic plan, which identified priority areas of focus for enhancing academic programming, creating organizational efficiencies, and developing diversity initiatives realizing a library renovation while bringing a sense of focused collegiality to the daily operations of the School and co-chairing SAICs 150th Anniversary celebrations throughout the 201516 academic year.
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Are You Enjoying This Article
This was painted over four-hundred years ago by one of Greeces most famous painters. It is the central panel of an altarpiece from El Grecos first major Spanish commission. The composition is divided into two the bottom is the earthly sphere of the apostles and the top is the realm of heaven where angels await Mary.
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A centerpiece of the museums new Medieval Arms and Armor collection. This may remind you of the classic knight in shining armor, but it actually represents the common soldier. The armor is from 16th century Germany, but the cloth was carefully recreated in 2017. Look closely enough and you will notice detailed touches like mud splattered up the legs.
Career And Professional Experience
The Career and Professional Experience office offers job listings, workshops, and one-on-one career advising to SAIC degree-seeking students and alumni who have completed their degrees. CAPX is a life-long resource for SAIC alums!
CAPX also offers access to the college career network Handshake which allows alums to search for jobs, internships, and employment opportunities, schedule advising appointments with CAPX advisors, receive personalized career recommendations and connect with employers, and sign up for programs and workshops.
For more information, call 312.499.4130, email , or visit the CAPX page for more information.
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