One of my favorite places in the city is the Art Institute of Chicago, on Michigan Avenue in the Loop. The Art Institute’s vast inventory–the permanent collection is one of the largest in the country at more than 260,000 works–is housed in eight buildings that total nearly one million square feet. The museum also hosts hundreds of gallery talks and lectures each year, and it’s home to a terrific research library for art and architecture. I’ve been to the Art Institute countless times–due in part to my complimentary membership from the University of Chicago–and I always appreciate the art I’m immersed in. Among the 30 or so special exhibits at the museum each year, there are always a few that make my must-see list.
This year there are a few different exhibits that I’m eager to check out. Right now, “Picasso and Chicago” features over 250 of the Spanish artist’s finest works, including paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings and ceramics. I visited the museum during our recent break to take it all in. I appreciated how the exhibit chronicled Picasso’s career and examined his involvement with different movements and mediums. For me, the main allure of the exhibit was the story of the Picasso sculpture that stands in Daley Plaza. The exhibit is open through May 12.
Next on my calendar at the Art Institute is “They Seek a City: Chicago and the Art of Migration” and “Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity.”
