When "The Child's Bath" got a bath | Art Institute Shorts

Watch as paintings conservator Kelly Keegan removes old layers of varnish to reveal the hues Cassatt intended for "The Child’s Bath." And see this work on view in our recently opened exhibition, "Mary Cassatt: After Impressionism." Work depicted: Mary Cassatt. "The Child’s Bath," 1893. Robert A. Waller Fund. On view in Gallery 184.

Lecture: Figuring Gender in the Works of Willem de Kooning and Beyond

In this talk, Christa Noel Robbins discusses how gender is depicted in Willem de Kooning’s paintings and drawings—many of which are featured in the exhibition "Willem de Kooning Drawing." Focusing on de Kooning’s unorthodox process, Robbins shows how gender is destabilized and expressed in a deeply ambivalent way that can be likened to one’s own conflicted experience of inhabiting gender. Robbin also explores s...

Twenty-five feet of Tiffany glass | Art Institute Shorts

The “Hartwell Memorial Window” was commissioned by Mary Hartwell in honor of her late husband, Fredrick Hartwell. Designed by Agnes Northrop, Tiffany Studios’ leading landscape-window designer, this work invites viewers to look closely at its many fine details. The “Hartwell Memorial Window” was housed in the sanctuary of the Community Church of Providence until 2018, when the congregation decided to relocate it to the Ar...

Member Conversation: Willem de Kooning Drawing

Exhibition curators Kevin Salatino, Mel Becker Solomon, and Charlotte Healy, and paper conservator Margaret Holben Ellis discuss "Willem de Kooning Drawing," the first exhibition to examine the expansive drawing practice of the Dutch-born, American artist. The curatorial team focus on de Kooning’s continual innovation with experimental drawing techniques and his unique ability to dissolve the boundaries between representation and abstracti...

Member Lecture: Willem de Kooning Drawing

Exhibition curator Kevin Salatino discusses "Willem de Kooning Drawing," the first exhibition to examine the expansive drawing practice of the Dutch-born, American artist. Salatino focus on de Kooning’s continual innovation with experimental drawing techniques and his unique ability to dissolve the boundaries between representation and abstraction, male and female figures, “high” and “low” art forms, and, in particular, the disciplines ...

Conversation: The People’s Treasures—Collecting and Sharing Korea’s Cultural Heritage

The artworks showcased in "Korean National Treasures: 2,000 Years of Art" belong to the Korean people thanks to a single groundbreaking gift from the Lee family. Lee Kun-hee, the late chairman of Samsung Group, along with his father, Lee Byung-chull, the group’s founder, collected exceptional and storied objects from throughout Korean history as a means of preserving and celebrating the nation

Modern Woman: Mary Cassatt's Mural for Chicago

At the heart of Mary Cassatt: After Impressionism is a public work lost to time—a bold, gigantic mural celebrating women that enshrined the artist in Chicago history. Discover the story behind the mural, titled Modern Woman, and learn how the groundbreaking artist drew inspiration from around the world.

Lecture: Beyond Form—Abstraction at Midcentury

In the aftermath of World War II, artists across the globe turned to the expressive power of abstraction to grapple with their new postwar reality. Breaking from artistic traditions of the past, artists used color, form, shapes, and gestural mark-making to convey complex ideas and challenge established worldviews. The exhibition, "Beyond Form: Abstraction at Midcentury," unites works on paper by 65 artists from 23 countries, half of which a...

Artist Talk: Susan Folwell Takes on Route 66

Artist Susan Folwell (Santa Clara) celebrates the 100th anniversary of Route 66! Folwell takes a journey down the legendary highway—which notably begins right in front of the Art Institute of Chicago—and shares stories about her ceramic series "Roads Well Traveled: Route 66," inspired by the nostalgia, camp, and scenic beauty of “America’s Main Street.”

The story behind Monet's most ambitious paintings | Art Institute Shorts

Claude Monet called his "Water Lily" series his "most beautiful" project. Learn more about this late-career undertaking and the more than 300 canvases he made on the theme with Gloria Groom, Chair and David and Mary Winton Green Curator, Painting and Sculpture of Europe. Work shown: Claude Monet. "Water Lily Pond," 1917–19. Gift of Mrs. Harvey Kaplan.