The School and Art Institute of Chicago
ART IN THE WINDY CITY
The world-renowned Art Institute of Chicago is not only an art school offering undergraduate and graduate degrees to nearly 3,000 students, but is also a world-class museum containing more than 300,000 works of art. Its original building complex, constructed in 1879 from the charred rubble of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, moved to its present location on the “Magnificent Mile,” the famous strip of hotels and boutiques along Michigan Avenue. Its collection contains masterpieces ranging from American and European paintings to 15th century textiles, but what many come to see is the remarkable collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, including A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (1884–86; page 302) by Georges Seurat, immortalized in the 1986 American film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Founded by a group of studio artists, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago enjoys a stellar reputation as a first-rate art school and is located directly across the street from the museum. Imagine the delight students find after learning about Impressionism in an art history class only to walk across the street and come face to face with a painting by Claude Monet! After you visit the Art Institute of Chicago, you will understand how this museum helped to define this richly diverse city known for its architectural wonders and innovative public art. —SBR
One of two giant bronze lion sculptures guards the famous western entrance (off Michigan Avenue) to the Art Institute.