Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute grew out of an art school and museum founded in 1879, and it came into its own with the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the great fair that remade Chicago's image after the fire of 1871. The Beaux-Arts building on Michigan Avenue was raised for that fair and became the museum's permanent home, its grand staircase and lion-flanked entrance an enduring emblem of the city.

Chicago itself rose on the homelands of the Potawatomi, along with the Ojibwe and Odawa peoples of the Council of Three Fires, and other nations of the region, whose presence on this land long predates the city. The museum that stands here today has grown across more than a century into one of the world's leading collections, expanding wing by wing to hold the art of many cultures and eras.

Certain paintings have made the museum famous. Grant Wood's American Gothic, the stern farmer and his daughter before a white farmhouse, is here, as is Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, the late-night diner glowing on an empty corner, and Georges Seurat's vast, pointillist A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. To stand before these in person, after a lifetime of reproductions, is a small revelation.

The Impressionist and Post-Impressionist galleries are the museum's crown, with rooms of Monet, including a series of his haystacks, alongside Renoir, Degas, Caillebotte, van Gogh, and Cezanne. It is a concentration of that revolutionary moment in painting that rivals the great European collections.

The Art Institute is truly encyclopedic, and its galleries reach far past European painting. There are deep collections of Asian art, including Japanese woodblock prints, ancient art of the Mediterranean and the Americas, arms and armor, textiles, and photography, along with the celebrated Thorne Miniature Rooms, a set of tiny, exquisitely furnished interiors that delight children and adults alike.

American art is a particular strength, and the museum holds a rich record of the country's painters and craftspeople. Architecture and design have a home here too, fitting for a city that helped invent the skyscraper, with fragments and drawings that trace Chicago's outsized role in modern building.

In 2009 the museum opened the Modern Wing, a luminous glass-and-steel addition that gave its twentieth and twenty-first century art a home flooded with natural light. Its top-floor galleries and terrace look out over the city, and the wing houses modern and contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, and design.

A pedestrian bridge, the Nichols Bridgeway, arcs from the Modern Wing directly into Millennium Park, so a visit to the museum flows naturally out to Cloud Gate, the great mirrored sculpture Chicagoans call the Bean, and the lakefront beyond. The two together make one of the finest afternoons in the city.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The Art Institute of Chicago, in downtown Chicago, Illinois, is one of the greatest and most acclaimed art museums in the world, renowned for its vast and superb collections spanning cultures and centuries. The museum holds an extraordinary collection, including one of the finest holdings of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings anywhere, along with American art, European masterpieces, ancient and Asian art, modern and contemporary works, and famous individual masterpieces beloved around the world. Its magnificent collections and iconic works make it a premier cultural destination. A world-class and superb art museum, it delights visitors. With its collections, the Art Institute offers a compelling destination in Illinois.

You can see an extraordinary collection including one of the world's finest holdings of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, American art, European masterpieces, ancient and Asian art, modern and contemporary works, and famous individual masterpieces beloved around the world. The Impressionist masterpieces, the celebrated American paintings, the wide-ranging collections, and the iconic works are the draws, offering a rich and unforgettable cultural experience. The famous masterpieces are highlights. With its collections, the Art Institute offers a rewarding visit in Chicago, Illinois.

As an indoor museum, the Art Institute of Chicago is enjoyable year-round in any weather, making it a great stop in any season, with weekdays generally less crowded than busy weekends, and given its vast size, allowing plenty of time is wise. Because hours and special exhibitions can vary, checking the current schedule before you go is wise. Because it is indoors, the Art Institute makes a rewarding stop any time of year in Chicago, Illinois.

Yes, the Art Institute of Chicago is enjoyable for families, with its famous masterpieces, wide-ranging art, a dedicated family and children's area, and engaging works that interest children and adults alike. The iconic and beautiful art, along with family-focused spaces, make it accessible and inspiring for young visitors, while its indoor setting is comfortable in any weather. Its world-class art enriches the whole family. Its appeal makes the Art Institute of Chicago a rewarding destination in Illinois.

The Art Institute of Chicago is in downtown Chicago, Illinois, within reach of Cloud Gate and Millennium Park, the Chicago Riverwalk, the Museum Campus, and the other attractions of downtown Chicago. That makes the Art Institute a compelling stop to combine with Cloud Gate and the other attractions of Chicago on a visit to Illinois.