Art in Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago

Museum

Info The Art Institute Chicago, located next to Millennium Park, is the second-largest art museum in the U.S., and even frequent visitors haven’t explored all of its 300,000+ permanent pieces. Stone lions flank the entrance to the main building, which was built in 1893 and has a classic museum feel, with soaring ceilings and ... more

111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

Museum

Info The Museum of Contemporary Art is a non-profit organization and museum space located just off the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago. The modest-sized gallery space features permanent and rotating exhibitions, and also hosts special events throughout the year. The MCA opened in October 1967 featuring installations by ... more

220 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611

The Museum of Science and Industry

Museum

Info Located next to the lake in Hyde Park, the Museum of Science and Industry occupies an imposing building from the World Columbian Exhibition of 1893, the event featured in the bestselling book The Devil in the White City. Of the 200 buildings built for the event, only the Museum of Science and Industry and one nearby building ... more

5700 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60637

The Field Museum

Museum

Info Part of the Chicago’s Museum Campus on the lake, the Field Museum of Natural History developed from the city’s World Columbian Exhibition in 1893. The Field Museum’s neo-classical building holds exhibits devoted to the natural sciences and anthropology – think mummies, wooly mammoths, and fossils. The main lobby is home ... more

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605

Chicago History Museum

Museum

Info The Chicago History Museum is located in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood, at the southern end of Lincoln Park. It is the city’s oldest cultural institution, and tells the story of Chicago through its museum space, publications, and events. Founded in 1856, the Chicago History Museum was originally located downtown at the ... more

1601 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60614

Museum Hack Chicago

Art / Good for Groups / Museum

Info Museum Hack provides amazing private museum tours and adventures for "people who don't like museums". Their expertise is in leading private adventures at some of the world's most amazing museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago. Their popular "un-highlights" tours put an alternative ... more

The Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603

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Art in Chicago – where to begin! The Chicago art scene is enormous and teeming with life. The city is home to thousands of artists whose work can be found in world-class museums, small local galleries, public parks, or decorating the walls of a neighborhood dive bar.

Chicago is home to a world-class art museum of its own, The Art Institute. Housing the country’s greatest collection of Impressionist paintings, The Art Institute is also home to an incredible collection of American Art, including Grant Wood’s American Gothic and Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks.

For those more interested in modern and contemporary art, The Art Institute’s new Modern Wing is not to be missed. In addition, the city is home to another excellent institution, the Museum of Contemporary Art, which houses a small permanent collection, but prides itself on unique special exhibitions from big names like Jeff Koons and Alexander Calder.

Perhaps the most exciting feature of the Chicago art scene is art at the local level. Many Chicago neighborhoods, including Pilsen and Ravenswood, offer monthly art walks during which galleries stay open late and nearby watering holes offer “art walk specials.” Some of Chicago’s bigger neighborhoods host annual arts festivals or fairs in the summer, including Bucktown, the Gold Coast, and Lincoln Park.

The Chicago art scene has something for everyone. Whether you prefer to wander museums, examine the local gallery scene, or simply marvel at Frank Gehry’s architecture in Millennium Park, art lovers of all shapes and sizes can find something they will enjoy in Chicago.