The Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879 as both a museum and school. It opened on its present site at Michigan Avenue and Adams Street in 1893. Built on rubble from the 1871 Chicago fire, the museum housed a collection of plaster casts and had a visionary purpose: to acquire and exhibit art of all kinds and to conduct programs of education.

The collection now encompasses more than 5,000 years of human expression from cultures around the world, and the school's graduate program is continually ranked as one of the best in the country. Within the next decade, a new complex will continue this process of growth.

This Art Museum is one of the best in the world. It houses many of the most famous pieces of art. The Art Institute's holdings of Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings were immeasurably enhanced by the bequest of 52 paintings from Bertha Honoré Palmer in 1924, and the 1925 gift of the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection, which contained the famous Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte-1884 (1884-86).

If you are interested in doing your research prior to visiting, and you probably should, check out this link http://www.artic.edu/aic/visitor_info/selfguide/index.html

The Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60603-6404
(312) 443-3600

Museum Hours
Monday 10:30-5:00
Tuesday 10:30-5:00
Wednesday 10:30-5:00
Thursday 10:30-8:00 (Free 5:00–8:00)
Friday 10:30-5:00
Saturday 10:00-5:00
Sunday 10:00-5:00

Admission Fees
Adults: $12
Children, Students, and Seniors (65 and up): $7
Children under 12 are free. Members are always free. Become a member now!

Families can visit the Art Institute for free with the Kraft Great Kids Passport from the Chicago Public Library. Passports are valid for general admission and for most special exhibitions.

Floorplan
Lower Level | First Level | Second Level
Note: The Columbus Drive entrance is closed to the public in preparation for construction of the new building, the Modern Wing. See more about museum access.

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