Art Institute of Chicago Tour

Get acquainted with some of the most iconic pieces of western art with a museum expert

$283 and up

Private

N/A

Small group

Tour Details

About the Tour

Category: Art
Duration: 3 hours
Location: Chicago

Photos & Highlights

Comprehensive tour of the Art Institute of Chicago and the history behind it all
Led by an art historian, curator, or artist
Art Institute of Chicago

Tour Description

Chicago is home to one of America's most important art museums, the Art Institute of Chicago. Located in an enormous Beaux-Arts complex, this architecturally impressive building holds some 260,000 works from around the world and is most renowned for its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. From Seurat's Sunday on the Grand Jatte to Picasso's Old Guitarist to Warhol's Four Mona Lisas there is much to cover. On this three-hour Art Institute of Chicago Tour led by an art historian, curator, or artist, we’ll delve not only into the museum’s diverse collection, but discuss the its history and the wealthy patrons, industrialists, and donors that created it.

Working Outside In

We will begin our Art Institute of Chicago Tour by touching upon the architecture of the building and the various phases it has seen since the 1890s. Our tour will have an architectural slant, but before beginning we will discuss the various rooms and collections on offer to our group. Not only will we talk about the paintings and other works themselves, but we’ll also discuss their relationship and link to the city of Chicago. The identity of the artwork will be placed in context both geographically and thematically. Our route may take a number of twists and turns throughout the museum according to the interests of our group.

Art Institute of Chicago Tour

The most popular collections within the museum tend to be the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist pieces, so our guide will make sure to discuss in detail a few works within this sphere. From Toulouse-Lautrec to Mary Cassat, our guide will select carefully to enable a rich narrative within this era. Following on from this, a must-see in the Art Institute is A Sunday on La Grand Jatte by George Seurat, a 2 year masterpiece and a great example of what is now known as pointillism. We may continue onto the modern collections, picking out revered Picasso’s before glancing Chagall’s stained glass.

Asian and American Collections

The Asian Collection is another highlight of our Art Institute of Chicago Tour; the building itself is designed by Japanese architect Tado Ando. Home to works spanning nearly five millennia from China, Korea, Japan, India, southeast Asia, and the Near and Middle East, there are 35,000 objects of interest. We will touch on a handful in detail. It’s hard to leave the institute without seeing the American Art collection. From Hopper’s Nighthawks (arguably one of the most recognizable American artworks) to Grant Wood’s American Gothic, we will delve into the enduring influence of the American sphere of art. We’ll be sure to both examine well-known highlights and uncover unexpected delights, tracing the connections between and importance of all of the pieces.

Unearthing the Unexpected

The Medieval and Renaissance Art collection has recently been restored and offers a wonderful contrast to the more popular styles on show. We may touch on these collections, even adding the Byzantine and Ancient Galleries for a more offbeat examination of this building. As a result of visiting these often overlooked collections, we will engage in art from periods that might be a little less familiar, but important in understanding the development of western art.

Interested in holistic look at the city’s history? We suggest our Chicago Art Tour which explores public art in the city’s Loop neighborhood.

Take Aways

We’ll leave one another with an increased awareness of the importance of the Art Institute for the city of Chicago and its place on the world stage. We will have gained a fuller appreciation for the eclecticism of the Art Institute’s collection, the building’s architecture, and the movements and eras of art that are contained therein.

FAQ

I don't see the ticket option for Illinois or Chicago resident?

Please let us know in your order notes and we will adjust the pricing to reflect your resident status.

I have a particular area I am interested in or a collection I'd love to see. Can this be arranged?

Most likely yes, please let us know in your client booking note your interests and this will greatly help your expert prepare.

Where You'll Start

Tour Experts

Taylor

Taylor L. Poulin is Assistant Curator at the Terra Foundation for American Art, where she helps develop and implement exhibitions of historical American art. Prior to this, she spent three years at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as the Curatorial Associate in American Art, where she co-curated the 2016 traveling exhibition The Idea of North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris. Taylor has contributed to various exhibition catalogues and has been published in American Art Review and American Arts Quarterly. She completed her M.A. at Tufts University focusing on American modernism, and her undergraduate studies in art history at the University of Notre Dame. Taylor’s research interests include women artists, government-funded art, and global expressions of modernism. She resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Sally

Sally Sexton Kalmbach is a fourth generation Chicagoan that has been designing and giving walking tours in the city for 15 years. She has taught classes in Chicago history at the Newberry Library, and has given numerous speeches and customized tours for individuals and small groups. Her expertise and ability to present material in an accessible, yet informative manner have resulted in a loyal following. Sally is the author of two books about Chicago history: "The Jewel of the Gold Coast, "Mrs. Potter Palmer's Chicago" and "Mrs. Thorne's World of Miniatures"

Sarah

Sarah Bond is an art historian, independent scholar, and tour guide. Born and raised in Chicago, she received a BA from Williams College and a PhD in Art History from Harvard University, specializing in Medieval Art. She has lectured on a variety of topics and taught at DePaul University. Sarah has been leading customized tours at the Art Institute of Chicago since 2005. Recently, she has developed tours of the newly opened Deering Galleries of Medieval and Renaissance Art, Arms, and Armor. Sarah is also an expert on Chicago churches and has taught and researched in that field. Her church tours take people into the diverse neighborhoods of the city and are a good way to explore local Chicago history, ethnicity, and cuisine.

18 Reviews – (4.73)

Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.

Sarah was fantastic. Extremely knowledgeable and very sensitive to our interests. She is very genuine in her passion for the arts!

Eyal

Dec. 9, 2019

Taylor was punctual and friendly. She met our group at Starbucks and gave us an overview of the museum and what we would be seeing on our tour. She asks us questions so she could customize the tour to our interests. She was friendly and flexible and dealt with our group of 9 very different personalities seamlessly.

Sarah

Nov. 30, 2019

Sally was phenomenal. Incredibly engaging the entire three hours. I love Context Travel because I don’t necessarily need an expert to tell me more about the pieces I already love — I need an expert to tell me why I should look a bit closer at the pieces of art that don’t necessarily catch my eye or aren’t part of my favorite periods of art. Sally had incredible knowledge about major works and hidden gems through out the Art Institute of Chicago.

Daria

Nov. 17, 2019

View more reviews