e and I took a trip down to the Art Institute to check out their new Modern Wing. While I find modern and contemporary art to be the most interesting to view, I was definitely more interested in the building itself. I’m a huge Renzo Piano fan ever since visiting Zurich.
If you are coming from Millennium Park, you can take a long bridge that ends up on the third floor of the building, where the cafe and sculptural seating reside. From there you can head down to the main entrance. The whole place is beautiful (more pictures will be posted later), and gallery spaces are, as you might expect, simple and spacious. The main vertical circulation is a stair case hung from the ceiling. This opens the space and adds to the overall feeling of lightness, and just overall looks cool.
The exhibits are what you would expect for the modern wing of an art museum. You’ve got your Miro, your Johns, your On Kawara, and many many more. Everything is well presented, par for the course at the Art Institute. I personally find the photography section pretty weak, but I’ll get into my thoughts on photography as art some other time.
The architecture section now has a much better home in the new wing, and it’s something that I always enjoy checking out. Sketches, renderings, models, et cetera. There was some furniture thrown in there too, but it’s odd now to see museum in an art museum and then walk a few blocks to a furniture store and see the same items. Going to a furniture store is free, and they let you actually sit on the chairs.
If you’re in Chicago, take time out this summer and go to the new modern wing at the Art Institute.
EDIT: Here are some more pictures from today:
Filed under: chicago, architecture, art institute, modern art, renzo piano
