Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Ave.; 312-443-3600, artinstituteofchicago.org
The Art Institute is one of the world’s most famous art museums, particularly known for its collection of French Impressionist and postimpressionist paintings by artists such as Monet, Renoir, Seurat and Caillebotte. Works from galleries housing this collection include “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884” by Seurat, “American Gothic” by Grant Wood and “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper. Other galleries take visitors through the art of ancient, medieval and Renaissance Europe; decorative arts like the popular Thorne Miniature Rooms; textiles of the world; prints and drawings; architecture and photography. The museum’s 264,000-square-foot Modern Wing, designed by Renzo Piano, features 20th and 21st century works, including European painting and sculpture, contemporary art, architecture and design, photography and electronic media. Featured artists include Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning, Jasper Johns and Jackson Pollock.
Through Oct. 9: “Avant-Garde Art in Everyday Life”: An exhibition of works in photography, photomontage, photographically illustrated posters and books, and rare examples of porcelain and glassware explores the east-central European modernism period a century ago.
Through Oct. 23: “Eija-Liisa Ahtila: The House”: The exhibition, based on research and interviews by the Finnish artist of individuals suffering from psychotic disorders, features vignettes that flow through reality and illusion.
Through Nov. 6: A Golden Spider-Silk Textile: A new installation for African art and Indian art of the Americas galleries is woven fabric made from the silk of Madagascar’s golden orb spiders. The silk from more than 1 million spiders was harvested for about five years and used to create the textured patterns, representative of Madagascar’s 19th century nobility.
Ongoing: “Chagall’s America Windows”: One of the Art Institute’s most asked-about works, the large stained glass windows by Belarusian artist Marc Chagall commemorate the American Bicentennial, and are the centerpiece for a presentation of public art in the Rubloff Auditorium.
Loyola University Museum of Art
820 N. Michigan Ave.; 312-915-7600, luc.edu/luma
Loyola’s art museum is dedicated to exhibitions that focus on spirituality in art.
Through Oct. 23: “Inscribing the Divine: The Saint John’s Bible”: Contemporary calligrapher and illuminator Donald Jackson is creating a handwritten Bible — the way the Bible was produced in its first 1,500 years — for the Benedictine monks of St. John’s Abbey. Thirteen bifolia from the books of Pentateuch and Psalms, including the illumination of the seven days of Creation, will be on display for this exhibit.
Ongoing: “Gilded Glory: European Treasures From the Martin D’Arcy Collection”: More than 500 works from the 12th through 19th centuries are featured in this exhibition. The collection is considered one of the finest of medieval, Renaissance and Baroque art in the Midwest.
Museum of Contemporary Art
220 E. Chicago Ave.; 312-280-2660, mcachicago.org
One of the nation’s largest modern art museums offers thought-provoking art created since 1945. The MCA’s permanent collection includes work by Franz Kline, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons. The museum highlights surrealism of the 1940s and ’50s, minimalism of the 1960s, conceptual art and photography from the ’60s to the present, recent installation art, and art by Chicago-based artists. Besides art in all media and genres, the MCA has a gift store, bookstore, restaurant, 300-seat theater and a garden with views of Lake Michigan.
Through Sept. 18: “Mark Bradford”: The first survey of the artist’s work includes early sculptural projects and new commissions.
Through Oct. 16: “Pandora’s Box: Joseph Cornell Unlocks the MCA Collection”: With Cornell’s work a familiar connection to Chicago, this exhibition features works from the artist’s 60-year history in dialogue with objects from the MCA collection.
Through Oct. 25: Farmers market: The European-style open-air market features fruits, vegetables, flowers, cheeses, baked goods, spices and more for sale. 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays
National Museum of Mexican Art
1852 W. 19th St.; 312-738-1503, nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
Located in the heart of Chicago’s Pilsen/Little Village community, the museum exhibits traditional and contemporary Mexican art prints and drawings, papier-mache, ceramics, historically significant photographs and avant-garde installations from local and international artists. The museum also brings children in by the busload to see art demonstrations and hear storytellers. Each year around Halloween, it hosts the city’s most-visited Day of the Dead exhibit.
Through Sunday: “Intermission”: Two decades of artwork from Benito Huerta is on display, paintings and prints that show Huerta’s conceptual art influences and interest in the Chicano Movement.
Through Nov. 27: “Claro y Obscuro”: The exhibit of paintings by Elsa Munoz of still settings and meditative moments that suggest something has just happened or is about to happen shows her interest in chiaroscuro technique.
National Veterans Art Museum
1801 S. Indiana Ave., third floor; 312-320-9767, nvam.org
Formerly the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, this is the world’s only museum with a permanent collection focusing on the subject of war from an artistic perspective. With a mission of inspiring greater understanding of the real impact of war, the museum collects, preserves and exhibits art inspired by combat and created by veterans of all U.S. military conflicts. The museum houses more than 1,400 works of art by 255 artists, including paintings, photography, sculpture, poetry and music.
Through Nov. 11: “Intrusive Thoughts”: The exhibit explores the aftermath of military service in the 21st century and includes Marcus Erickson’s “Angel in the Desert,” a life-size cast iron memory of a fallen Iraqi soldier. The contributing artists are veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan and/or the global war on terror.
Ongoing: “The Things They Carried”: This collection of pieces from the permanent collection serves as a visual companion to Tim O’Brien’s text of the same name, using fine art and photography by combat veterans to illustrate the narrative.
Smart Museum of Art, the University of Chicago
5550 S. Greenwood Ave.; 773-702-0200, smartmuseum.uchicago.edu
Founded in 1974, the museum is home to special exhibitions and a collection that spans 5,000 years of artistic creation. Working in close collaboration with scholars from the University of Chicago, the Smart Museum has established itself as a leading academic art museum and an engine of adventurous thinking about the visual arts and their place in society.
Through Sept. 4: “Go Figure”: The exhibition looks at pivotal moments in figurative art of the last 60 years through the work of artists including Leon Golub, Nick Cave, Kerry James Marshall and Clare Rojas.
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