Masterpieces for the Masses: The Art Institute of Chicago

Did you ever play the game Masterpiece when you were a kid? If you had a version after 1970, you’ll probably recognize a lot of paintings from Chicago’s Art Institute. In fact, even if you never played Masterpiece, you’ll recognize a lot of paintings, because the Art Institute is home to some of the most recognizable works of art in the world. Among its 300,000 pieces, you’ll find the following:

• Grant Wood’s American Gothic
• Georges Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
• Claude Monet’s Haystacks and Water Lilies
• Pierre-August Renoir’s Two Sisters (On the Terrace)
• Gustave Caillebotte’s Paris Street; Rainy Day
• Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks
• Vincent Van Gogh’s Self Portrait and The Bedroom
• Pablo Picasso’s Sylvette and The Old Guitarist
• Paul Cézanne’s The Basket of Apples
• Mary Cassatt’s The Child’s Bath
• Henri de Toulouse Lautrec’s At the Moulin Rouge
• Peter Blume’s The Rock
• Paul Gauguin’s The Old Woman of Aries
• René Magritte’s Time Transfixed
• Marc Chagall’s American Windows

The Art Institute was founded in 1879 as both an art school and museum. Its current structure, at 111 South Michigan Avenue, was erected as part of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Guarding the front entrance are two famous bronze lions that wear wreaths with a red bow at Christmas time and have been known to sport the appropriate jersey and headgear when a Chicago team is in the championships. In 2009, the stunning Modern Wing was added, making the Art Institute the second largest art museum in the United States. (Check out the dramatic views of downtown Chicago that you get from the huge windows in the Modern Wing. Even the city looks like a work of art from there.) A special exhibit during the Summit will be “Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective.” If viewing art makes you hungry, you’re in luck. In addition to two cafes, the Art Institute also contains Terzo Piano, an award-winning Italian restaurant. Museum hours are

• Monday-Wednesday, 10:30-5:00
• Thursday, 10:30-8:00
• Friday-Saturday, 10:30-5:00

Admission for adults is $18. (The Art Institute is an included attraction for CityPASS and Go Chicago Card holders.) Linda Kelley is a member of the STC Chicago 2012 Host Committee and currently serves as the Vice President of the STC Chicago chapter.