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Chicago's Art Scene

Chicago's Art Scene

Chicago’s art scene can best be described as diverse and historic. Buildings that date back to the 1800s sit among modern skyscrapers. Paintings on the sides of tall brick buildings reflect cultural themes. The works of world-famous artists like Picasso and Frank Lloyd Wright can be found in the many museums and galleries scattered throughout the city. While Chicago’s central “Loop” district bustles with businesspeople, it’s worth taking a pause to marvel at some of the iconic pieces it has to offer.

Hotdog Chicago
Downtown Chicago

CHICAGO FINE ARTS BUILDING

What began as the Studebaker Carriage Company factory and showroom in the 1800s is now home to Chicago’s finest artists, musicians and architects. Take a step inside and you’re immediately whisked back to the original time period. Music drifts past closed studio doors and spills into the hallways, revealing a piano lesson or violin rehearsal tucked behind. The same studios once housed prominent Chicago architect Frank Lloyd Wright, sculptor Lorado Taft and Wizard of Oz illustrator W. W. Denslow. Browse the Dial Bookshop on the seventh floor or waltz through a classical sheet music store on the ninth floor – it’s all accessible by a manually-operated elevator. During Open Studio Nights on the second Friday of each month from 5-9pm, the public is invited to meet the painters, writers, photographers and musicians who continue the artistic legacy and whose work currently takes residence in Chicago’s vibrant Fine Arts Building.

Inside the Fine Arts Building - Chicago
Fine Arts Building Chicago

MONADNOCK BUILDING

Monadnock Building
Chicago Monadnock Building

CALDER’S FLAMINGO

Calder Statue - Chicago
Detail of Calder's Famingo Statue - Chicago
Full view of Calder's Famingo Statue - Chicago

PICASSO’S “UNKNOWN”

Picasso's Unknown statue in Chicago

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO

Lion outside the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
Inside the Art Institute of Chicago
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