With its random-access MP3 technology, the audio guide offers a customized tour every time it's used. Visitors can begin anywhere they wish in the museum and access messages in any order that suits their interests.
Audio guides are available in English and Spanish.
The commentary is presented in a conversational tone appealing to listeners of all ages.
Guides include special exhibition tours when available.
Renting an Audio Guide
Guides can be rented for $7 per person ($5 for members). They are free for visually impaired visitors and their escorts.
Guides are available at the audio guide counter or the admissions counter in both the Michigan Avenue and Modern Wing lobbies.
Guides can be returned to their original rental location and picked up later the same day with a receipt if breaks are taken for lunch or other plans.
Four tours are available:
Collection Highlights
Listen to informative commentary on works representing 5,000 years of artistic achievement. Collection highlights include art from the following areas: China, Japan, Korea, India, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, ancient Egypt and the Near East, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and Europe (Renaissance to Modern). In the Modern Wing, hear about 20th-century and contemporary works—in some cases, from the voices of the artists themselves.
Lions Trail Family Tour
The Lions Trail tour is designed for children ages 5 to 10 for an informative, dramatic, and fun tour of the collection. Listen in English or Spanish. This tour has 32 stops.
Listen to highlights of the audio guide:
Claude Monet's Haystack Series
Gloria Groom, David and Mary Winton Green Curator of European Painting
Pablo Picasso's Mother and Child and The Red Armchair
Douglas Druick, President and Eloise W. Martin Director
Marc Chagall's White Crucifixion
Stephanie D'Alessandro, Gary C. and Frances Comer Curator of Modern Art
On Kawara's Oct. 31, 1978 (Today Series, "Tuesday") James Rondeau, Frances and Thomas Dittmer Curator and Chair of Contemporary Art
Richard Serra's Weights and Measures Richard Serra
Audio Tour en Español
Por favor, diríjase al mostrador de audioguías para más información.
The gallery audio guide is produced by Acoustiguide, Inc. and generously sponsored by