This month’s Patron+ blog is an absolute joy for me to write – not like I don’t enjoy the other ones. :D But, the subject museum for this month is probably my favorite museum I’ve ever been to; it’s The Art Institute of Chicago.
The first wonderful thing you see on the Michigan Avenue side of the museum is the legendary lion sculptures. During Christmas, they wear Christmas wreaths. When the Cubs were in the World Series and won, they donned giant Cubs batting helmets!
You really REALLY need to pace yourself for your time at the Art Institute. With approximately 300,000 pieces of art, sensory overload is a real possibility! The first time I went there, there was also a huge Andy Warhol exhibit (in cooperation with the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh) PLUS the usual sensory overload of a first-time visit.
No matter what your area of interest is in the art world, the Art Institute cannot be beat. Every time I go, I try to see an area I’ve not been to before. During recent visits, I’ve visited the ancient Chinese area and the medieval knights & weapons area. You go through the Buddhist art section from the Michigan Avenue entrance to the main hall.
The Art Institute is home to some of the most famous paintings in the world including Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, Grant Wood’s American Gothic, one of Vincent Van Gogh’s bedroom paintings, and the largest painting by Wilhelm deKooning (at the time); the Art Institute was the one of the first museums in the world to purchase a deKooning. There is an entire room devoted to Georgia O’Keeffe. And, no self-respecting child of the 80s can forget this scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off! You can see that painting and strike the appropriate pose in front of George Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. :D
My favorite area is, a shock I know, is the modern/contemporary wing. The Art Institute has 3 or 4 Pollocks, MANY by Matisse & Picasso, MANY by Salvador Dali, some Max Ernst, and a Francis Bacon. There is SO MUCH to enjoy; to go on much further would result in a War and Peace length blog! :D
If you’re in Chicago or going to Chicago, you MUST go to the Art Institute. It is a mere couple hour drive from Indianapolis which is GREAT for me! With the knowledge that there are museums that are on my bucket list I have yet to visit, if the Art Institute would get a Frida Kahlo painting or two, I would have little need to go anyplace else. The Art Institute has it all!