Art Institute of Chicago Museum

Address: The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603, USA

Website: https://www.artic.edu

Hours: Tue-Sun 10:30am-5pm; Thu open later (check website for exact hours); closed Mondays

Admission: Adult admission US$41 (special exhibitions may cost extra)

The Art Institute of Chicago is a major art museum and research institution located on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, established in 1879. It houses a large, encyclopedic collection spanning ancient to contemporary art.

Visitors explore vast permanent collections with strengths in Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting, American art, Asian art and modern and contemporary galleries, plus special exhibitions in rotating galleries. Notable on-site features include the Thorne Miniature Rooms and the Modern Wing for 20th- and 21st-century works.

The institute grew out of an 19th-century art school and exhibition society and moved to its present Grant Park campus for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition; it has expanded through building additions and new curatorial departments since then.

The museum sits on the lakefront in Chicago’s Loop district, directly adjacent to Grant Park and within walking distance of downtown hotels and public transit.

• Founding and location: Founded in 1879, the Art Institute of Chicago sits on Michigan Avenue adjacent to Grant Park and is one of the United States’ oldest and largest art museums.
• Signature works: The collection includes iconic works such as Grant Wood’s ‘American Gothic’ and Georges Seurat’s ‘A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.’

What to See#

• Impressionist galleries: Galleries holding the museum’s renowned Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections, including paintings by Monet, Degas and Seurat, arranged in the McKinlock Court and adjacent rooms.
• Modern Wing: The Modern Wing opened in 2009 and houses 20th- and 21st-century art, expanding the museum’s display of modern and contemporary works.
• Thorne Miniature Rooms: A collection of miniature furnished rooms created in the early 20th century that showcases detailed interiors from different periods and regions.

The Art Institute of Chicago is located at 111 S. Michigan Avenue in Grant Park, immediately south of Millennium Park. It’s a short walk from Millennium Park and from several Loop ‘L’ stations and Metra Millennium Station; many CTA buses run along Michigan Avenue and nearby streets that stop within a few blocks of the museum.

If driving, follow Michigan Avenue (southbound into the Loop); several paid parking garages are within a few blocks, but public transit and walking from nearby downtown locations are the most convenient options.

• Buy timed-entry tickets online, especially for special exhibitions and weekend visits - advance tickets significantly reduce queueing at the Michigan Avenue entrance.
• Use the Modern Wing entrance (from Millennium Park) when arriving from the park to avoid the longer lines at the main Michigan Avenue doors and to enter directly into the contemporary galleries.
• Allow time for less-visited highlights on the lower levels (for example the Thorne Miniature Rooms and some of the non-impressionist collections) that many visitors miss when they focus only on the Impressionists.