Tag Archives: gallery

Exploring Chicago’s Art Institute: Part 1

Mother and Child

Mother and Child

As mentioned earlier, my mid-year resolution was to properly explore Chicago’s Art Institute. I am slowly making progress. Phase one was the Modern Wing, which I fully explored last week:

  • Special Exhibitions (182-184) – Visited
  • Photography (188) – Visited
  • Film Video and New Media (186) – Visited
  • Architecture and Design (283-286) – Visited
  • Contemporary Art 1945-1960 (289) – Visited
  • Contemporary Art After 1960 (288, 291-299) – Visited
  • European Modern Art 1900 – 1950 (389-399) – Visited
  • Contemporary Sculpture – Visited
The Eventuality of Destiny

The Eventuality of Destiny

From my perspective, the third-floor gallery “European Modern Art 1900 – 1950” was the one that I enjoyed the most. There is a profusion of art there, but just enough space and light to prevent everything overlapping and distracting. This will probably be the gallery that I return to most.

Clown Torture

Clown Torture

Whilst there, I did see a school group (kids about seven or eight years in age) mistake Bruce Nauman’s “Clown Torture” for something they would enjoy. They soon left, with a chastened school guide. Plenty of nightmare material…

Waka onna (young woman) No Mask

Waka onna (young woman) No Mask

This week, I started to work my way through the “non-modern” museum. Visited the lower levels, and started on some of the galleries on the first level:

  • Lower Level
    • Photography (1-4, 10) – Visited
    • Thorne Miniature Rooms (11) – Visited
    • Paperweights (15) – Visited
    • Architecture and Design (24) – Visited
  • First Level
    • Prints and Drawings (124-127)
    • Indian, Southeast Asian, and Himalayan Art (140-143)
    • Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Art (101–109, 130-135) – Visited
    • Indian Art of the Americas (136) – Visited
    • African Art – Visited
    • American Decorative Arts 1920–1970 (162)
    • Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art (150-154)
    • American Art before 1900 (161-179)
    • Chagall’s America Windows (144)
    • Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room
  • Second Level
    • Chicago Architecture (200)
    • European Art before 1900 (201–248)
    • American Folk Art (227)
    • European Decorative Arts (231-234)
    • Arms and Armor (235-237)
    • Renaissance Jewelry (237)
    • Impressionism (225-226, 201, 240-243)
    • American Modern Art 1900-1950 (261-265, 271-273)
    • Special Exhibitions (Regenstein Hall)

 

Mid-Year Resolution: Chicago’s Art Institute

The Modern Wing

The Modern Wing

My mid-year resolution was to properly explore Chicago’s Art Institute. The museum is only a few blocks from work, so the plan is to visit a gallery a day. This humble plan is a little intimidating, so phase one will be the Modern Wing. The collections there are suitably impressive, but there are fewer galleries to explore.

According to the floor plan my checklist is:

  • Special Exhibitions (182-184)
  • Photography (188) – Visited
  • Film Video and New Media (186)
  • Architecture and Design (283-286)
  • Contemporary Art 1945-1960 (289)
  • Contemporary Art After 1960 (288, 291-299)
  • European Modern Art 1900 – 1950 (389-399)
  • Contemporary Sculpture

Each day I will visit a new gallery, and take a picture with Instagram of something that takes my fancy.

Nationality Doubtful

Today I checked off Photography with a particularly impressive collection of the work of Josef Koudelka, a Czech-born French photographer with amazing pictures of the 1968 invasion of Prague, Gypsies, panoramas of the English-French Channel, and theatre performers.

Wall