A monument to masterpiece
Even if you’re not a massive fan of art you’ll recognize some hugely famous paintings here. Picasso’s Old Guitarist or Matisse’s Bathers by a River for example. There are plenty of American masterpieces too, including work by Edward Hopper and Georgia O’Keefe. We sell tickets for the Art Institute on our Chicago Bus Tour.
But don’t just look at the art on display, sit back and relax. This is one of the most-visited arts museums in the world, so it’s the perfect place to do some people watching. And if you fancy stretching your legs, take a stroll through the sculpture garden on the roof of the Modern Wing.
Making a good impression
The Art Institute of Chicago encompasses more than 5,000 years of human expression. One era is particularly well represented. There are lots of Impressionist masterpieces here, including 30 paintings by Claude Monet and important works by Toulouse-Lautrec and Seurat. C’est magnifique!
A roaring success
Bit of a culture vulture? Beware of the bronze lions. They stand guard outside the western entrance on Michigan Avenue and were sculpted by Edward Kerneys in 1894. He gave them their unofficial names – the south lion ‘stands in an attitude of defiance.’ Whereas, the north lion is ‘on the prowl’.
Other interesting facts about Art Institute of Chicago
- The Institute was originally founded in 1879 as a museum and school
- It now features over 300,000 permanent works of art
- In 2015 the Institute received a huge donation of Pop art from two collectors
- In 2014 TripAdvisor named it the world’s best museum
