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This was painted over four-hundred years ago by one of Greeces most famous painters. It is the central panel of an altarpiece from El Grecos first major Spanish commission. The composition is divided into two the bottom is the earthly sphere of the apostles and the top is the realm of heaven where angels await Mary.
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A centerpiece of the museums new Medieval Arms and Armor collection. This may remind you of the classic knight in shining armor, but it actually represents the common soldier. The armor is from 16th century Germany, but the cloth was carefully recreated in 2017. Look closely enough and you will notice detailed touches like mud splattered up the legs.
The Art Institute Of Chicago: 25 Must See Artworks
With over 300,000 pieces of incredible art on display, the Art Institute of Chicago is the second largest art museum in the United States. Here are the top 25 famous artworks you must see.
The Art Institute of Chicago was voted one of the Top Museums in the World for four straight years. At one million square feet of space, and with a collection of over three-hundred thousand individual artworks on display, the AIC is the second-largest art museum in the United States. It also holds the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artwork outside of Europe, along with many other incredible collections from medieval relics to contemporary design exhibits . This may be overwhelming if you only have time for a short visit, so we hope this guide will help you decide where to start.
Bedroom At Arles Vincent Van Gogh
From 1888 to 1889, Vincent van Gogh created three versions of one of his most renown paintings. He completed the first version just after moving into his Yellow House in 1888. However, after water damage threatened the preservation of his first work, he decided to paint another version, although this time he would be painting from the confines of the asylum in Saint-Rémy. Van Goghs smaller third version , was given as a gift to his mother and sister only a few weeks after creating the second version.
Van Gogh lived in 37 places in his 37 years, often living with friends, his parents, or in small rooms above cafes but never had a place to call his own. To many, this painting of his bedroom signifies the importance and yearning van Gogh had for home. The colors are bright, evoking tranquil emotions and the details in the room, the paintings , furniture, and nightstand were meant to create a sense of welcoming for other artists. Interestingly, many of the original colors have gone through discoloration, making the originally purple walls and doors now appear blue.
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The Old Guitarist Pablo Picasso
- Date created: 1903-1904
- Dimensions: 122.9 × 82.6 centimeters
The Old Guitarist is a painting by Spanish artist and arguably one of the most famous artists in history, Pablo Picasso . It was painted shortly after the artist had moved to Paris and as living in relative poverty.
This period in the artists life is called the Blue Period and reflects the desperate state in which Picasso found himself during these early stages of his career. It depicts an old guitarist on the streets of Barcelona and is a prelude to the renowned Cubist artist he would become.
The Art Institute Of Chicago: Semi

- Avoid all the chaos and stress with this skip-the-line tour
- Explore all the major works of art, making the best of your time in the museum
- Gain insight knowledge with your local expert guide
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How Long Do I Need To Visit The Art Institute Of Chicago
You need 2-3 hours to visit the Art Institute of Chicago. The museum itself is huge and has numerous wings and exhibits, so allow yourself ample time to see everything.
With so much to see and learn about, The Art Institute of Chicago is easily one of my favorite museums in Chicago. I hope you found this guide helpful and if you do visit, let us know which exhibit or artwork was your favorite!
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American Gothic Grant Wood 1930
One of the most important modern art paintings, Grant Woods American Gothic features a farmer and his daughter in front of an American Gothic-style home in Iowa, the farmer clutching a pitchfork. This pop-culture phenomenon has been parodied dozens of times over the years.
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Marc Chagalls America Windows
created this stained glass installation specially for the Art Institute of Chicago. The six panels commemorate Americas bicentennial and honor the country as a place of cultural and religious freedom, detailing the arts of music, painting, literature, theatre, and dance. This work highlights the city of Chicagos long and rich tradition of public art.
Hidden in the basement of the Art Institute of Chicago are 68 tiny rooms by Mrs. James Ward Thorne, also known as Narcissa Niblack Thorne. The detailed mini diorama rooms are based on European and American interiors and are constructed at a meticulous scale of one inch to a foot. Theyre also just super fun!
Visit The Art Institute Of Chicago
The renowned Art Institute of Chicago is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the country. The only museum in the world to be ranked among the worlds best by TripAdvisor four years in a row, the Art Institute is a must-see during any trip to Chicago.
Here are just a few things to know before you visit the Art Institute of Chicago.
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Ivan Albright Paintings At The Art Institute Of Chicago
Renowned as the master of the macabre, Chicago native Ivan Albright is famous for richly detailed paintings of ghoulish subjects including Into the World There Came a Soul Called Ida and Picture of Dorian Gray. This catalogue brings together fresh perspectives on the artist: professor emerita of art history Sarah Burns reveals Albrights fascination with popular culture, and curator John P. Murphy explores his philosophy of ugliness. Painting conservator Kelly Keegan examines the artists process and details how he achieved his unique painterly effects.
A plate section of the 44 oil paintings in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, reproduced in high resolution to enable close looking, documents Albrights portrayal of the bodys vulnerability to age, disease, and death. This includes a haunting series of self-portraits, one of which the artist made in his hospital bed three days before he died.
Edited by Sarah Kelly Oehler, with an introduction by Sarah Kelly Oehler and essays by Sarah Burns, Kelly Keegan, and John P. Murphy
This publication follows the exhibition Flesh: Ivan Albright at the Art Institute of Chicago .
The publication is free and has received generous funding from the Northwestern University Department of Art History Warnock Publication Fund.
Paris Street Rainy Day Gustave Caillebotte
- Date created: 1877
- Dimensions: 212.2 × 276.2 centimeters
Paris Street, Rainy Day was originally referred to as Rue de Paris, temps de pluie, and is the most famous work of art by French artist Gustave Caillebotte . He produced works that combined elements of the Impressionist movement as well as realism, a notion that is reflected in this remarkable work of art.
As the name suggests, it depicts a street in Paris today known as Place de Dublin. This square in the northern part of Paris next to the train station Gare Saint-Lazare was known back then as the Carrefour de Moscou. This painting also emphasizes the artists keen interest in photography.
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Woman At Her Toilette
Berthe Morisot is the only female painter who is consistently included in discussions about the Impressionists. The supposed grand-niece of the Rococo painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, she was born into a wealthy family and grew up in an artistic home, but she nonetheless shocked her family by choosing to become a professional artist. While in her teens she was sent to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where she studied for three years. In 1860, she became a pupil of Camille Corot, whose work was her chief influence until she met Édouard Manet in 1868. Theirs was to prove a lasting friendship she was accepted into his social group and went on to marry Manets brother in 1874.
Modern And Contemporary Art

Pablo PicassoThe Old Guitarist
The museum’s collection of modern and contemporary art was significantly augmented when collectors Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson gifted 40 plus master works to the department in 2015.Pablo Picasso‘s Old Guitarist, Henri Matisse‘s Bathers by a River, Constantin Brâncui‘s Golden Bird, and René Magritte‘s Time Transfixed are highlights of the modern galleries, located on the third floor of the Modern Wing. The contemporary installation, located on the second floor, contains works by Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Cy Twombly, Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, and other significant modern and contemporary artists.
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Top 10 Famous Art Institute Of Chicago Paintings
Posted on Published: January 1, 2022
With a collection size of over 300,000 works of art and an average yearly visitor count of over 1.5 million people, the Art Institute of Chicago in Downtown Chicago can be classified as one of the greatest museums in the United States and even the world.
Founded as the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts in 1879 and renamed to its current name in 1882, its also one of the oldest art museums in the United States.
It became the second-largest museum after the MET in New York city by floor space in 2009, a year that an expansion phase that is known as the Modern Wing was completed. This section was designed by Renzo Piano, the co-architect of the peculiar Centre Pompidou in Paris in the 1970s.
The quality of the artworks at the museum can also hold a candle to the collection of the MET, and in this article, youll discover some of the most famous paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago, iconic works that you simply have to see while youre there.
Art Institute Of Chicago: Famous Paintings And Artwork
Guest Author | August 31, 2018
eggplantia5 / via flickr
It may not have the worldwide fame of the Louvre in Paris or New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art, but the Art Institute of Chicago is certainly up there among the worlds best art museums when it comes to the masterpieces in its permanent collection. On EF Explore Americas student trips to Chicago, visitors have the chance to see these amazing works of art in person.
As a sampling, of the Art Institute of Chicago famous paintings, heres a list of 5 popular artworks:
kelly reeves/ via Flickr
The bedroom by Vincent Van GoghThe bedroom is one of Van Goghs most famous works, and its a classic example of the artists one-of-a-kind use of brush strokes and color. The troubled Dutch artist actually painted three versions of this perspective on his bedroom in Arles, France. The second of the three, which was painted in 1889, is the one at the Art Institute.
Yuxuan Wang/ via Flickr
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges SeuratProbably Seurats most celebrated masterpiece, A Sunday Afternoon is a classic example of the pointillism technique, where countless little dots of paint are used to create the illusion of a full image. Seurat, who was very interested in optical and color theory, took two years to complete the painting. Many people know it from its cameo in the movie Ferris Beullers Day Off .
Pomax/ via Flickr
American Gothic by Grant Wood
Bert Kaufmann/ via Flickr
Lindsey Davis/ via Flickr
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Art Institute Of Chicago Works: The Masterpieces You Shouldnt Miss
Art Institute of Chicago works you shouldnt miss and you need to know, because this is a museum you must see at least once in your lifetime.The quality and quantity of artworks on display in this museum will surprise you!Here are the unmissable works of art at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Art Institute of Chicago works
Paintings In The Art Institute Of Chicago
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Exploring Famous Paintings At The Art Institute Of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the premier art museums in the world and to some, its arguably the top art museum in the United States. The museum boasts several famous art pieces from some of the most legendary artists, such as Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. Its definitely a top destination to see while in Chicago and so heres a look at some of my favorite works I saw on my recent trip to the Art Institute of Chicago.
American Gothic Grant Wood
- Date created: 1930
- Dimensions: 78 × 65.3 centimeters
American Gothic is another classic American work of art painted by Grant Wood , a man renowned for depicting the American rural Midwest. The depicted house in the background is called the American Gothic House and is located in Eldon, Iowa.
This structure was built in the Carpenter Gothic style which was popular in this part of the county in the early 20th century. The depicted figures were based on Woods sister, a woman named Nan Wood Graham along with their dentist, a man named Dr. Byron McKeeby.
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Art Institute Of Chicago Works To See
The Art Institute of Chicago doesnt exhibit a collection of artworks, but rather a series of art collections of any kind: from archaeology to European and American painting and objects coming from all the corners of the world. Walking along its rooms youll find very famous paintings, and for this reason you need to book your entrance ticket, in order to skip the line and not to waste precious time. To book your ticket have a look at the post I dedicated to The Art Institute of Chicago Tickets, where youll find all useful advice.Here are the works to see.
Rembrandts Old Man With A Gold Chain

Portraits were a specialty of the Old Master Rembrandt, and this work is a stunning example of his expertise. It is more a study in character than a portrait, and the artists use of sharp contrast and light brings the figure to life right in front of you.
This is one of the most famous and recognizable artworks in the world. Katsushika Hokusais print is a part of the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji , which contributed to the worldwide popularity of landscape prints. The museum owns three copies of the famous work by Katsushika Hokusai, and in one you can see a pink sky which has faded in almost every other print.
Gustave Caillebottes work is a glimpse into the changing culture of the time, showcasing a Parisian neighborhood recently rebuilt by architect Haussmann and figures dressed in the latest fashions. While the precision and rigid perspective were traditional, the contemporary subjects, asymmetrical and cropped composition, and impressive rain-wash effect were radical artistic choices for the time.
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Entertainment And The Arts
The performs at , and is recognized as one of the best orchestras in the world. Also performing regularly at is the , a more diverse and multicultural counterpart to the CSO. In the summer, many outdoor concerts are given in and . , located 25 miles north of Chicago, is the summer home of the CSO, and is a favorite destination for many Chicagoans. The is home to the . The was founded by in 1956, and presents operas in .
Other live-music genre which are part of the citys cultural heritage include , , , and . The city is the birthplace of and , and is the site of an influential . In the 1980s and 90s, the city was the global center for house and industrial music, two forms of music created in Chicago, as well as being popular for , , and . The city has been a center for culture, since the 1980s. A flourishing independent rock music culture brought forth Chicago . feature various acts, such as and the . A 2007 report on the Chicago music industry by the ranked Chicago third among metropolitan U.S. areas in size of music industry and fourth among all U.S. cities in number of concerts and performances.
Chicago contains a number of large, outdoor works by well-known artists. These include the , , and by , by , by , by , by , by , and the mosaic by .