“That was Harrison Ford.” the security officer whispered. “He’s in town filming a movie.” Celebrities of Ford’s status often get private tours before the museum opens, which is for security reasons as much as it is a courtesy. It’s always fun to see the famous people who love art as much as the staff who work here do.
Perhaps unsurprisingly there are quite a few in that camp—artists, actors, politicians, designers, musicians, scientists, and even some muppets. We gathered some highlights across the decades in the list below (part one of a two-part series).
Georgia O’Keeffe
The artist had a strong relationship with the museum, having spent a year studying at the School of the Art Institute. After the death of her husband—photographer and art dealer Alfred Stieglitz—O’Keeffe donated his art collection, including his immense holdings of photography as well as several of paintings to the Art Institute.
Georgia O’Keeffe
The artist in a gallery featuring her works, 1967
Georgia O’Keeffe
Walt disney
On his visit to the museum in 1960, the famous animator and film producer enjoyed a very hands-on exploration of the Thorne Miniature Rooms, which were conceived and commissioned by Narcissa Niblack Thorne.
Walt Disney exploring the Massachusetts Dining Room, 1960
Narcissa Niblack Thorne
Narcissa Niblack Thorne commissioned master craftsmen to create 68 miniature rooms at a scale is one inch to one foot.
Eleanor Roosevelt
In 1934, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt unveiled Jules Breton’s The Song of the Lark at the museum as “America’s Best Loved Picture,” according to a contest sponsored by the Chicago Daily News, and called it her favorite painting.
The former First Lady unveils The Song of the Lark in the galleries, 1934
Jules Breton
swami vivekananda
In 1893, a young Hindu monk named Swami Vivekananda opened the World’s Parliament of Religions with an electrifying speech that brought representatives of the world’s major faiths to their feet. While the room he spoke in wasn’t technically a part of the Art Institute at that time, it became part of the museum shortly thereafter. His followers still visit the museum to see the space where he spoke.
The World’s Parliament of Religions on the stage in what would become Fullerton Hall, 1893
Swami Vivekananda (second from right, in the black robes and turban) onstage at the World’s Parliament of Religions, 1893
Ivan Albright
A graduate of the School of the Art Institute, Chicago artist Ivan Albright’s unique style defies categorization. He remains one of the most uncompromising artists of the 20th century, and the museum is proud to possess the largest public collection of his works.
The artist standing in front of a self-portrait painted 30 years before the photo, n.d.
Ivan Albright
A Celebrity Artwork
Ivan Albright executed The Portrait of Dorian Gray for the 1945 movie adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel. The macabre portrait appeared in vivid Technicolor in the otherwise black-and-white film, causing a sensation. When Albright’s canvas was exhibited later that year, the Chicago Tribune reported that the museum “is having a heck of a time handling the crowds flocking to see his painting.”
A still from the film The Portrait of Dorian Gray, 1945
Ivan Albright
Canine Celebrities
Between 1922 and 1940, elite teams of German Shepherds selflessly watched over the artworks in the galleries. Accompanied by a (human) night guard, they traveled a distance of five miles each night, from 9:00 at night until 6:00 in the morning. (These pups have become quite popular in recent times thanks to some articles and social posts.)
Keeper Bill Seiler with Art Institute watchdogs Billo and Bella at ease in front of Acrobats at the Cirque Fernando (Francisca and Angelina Wartenberg), 1938
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Marcel Duchamp
The artist and provocateur Marcel Duchamp, often associated with Dada and conceptual art, had a long-standing relationship with the Art Institute. A friend and advisor to Katharine Kuh, the museum’s first curator of modern art, Duchamp played a special role in the gift of the prestigious Mary Reynolds Collection of Surrealism in 1951.
Marcel Duchamp
Curator Katherine Kuh, a proponent of modern art, talks with Marcel Duchamp on the steps of the Woman’s Board Grand Staircase, 1951
Marcel Duchamp
Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy
The television power couple unveil “American Gothique,” a Muppet-inspired version of Grant Wood’s famous painting at the Art Institute. They visited the museum in 1992 to celebrate the opening of a new children’s center. Today, the Ryan Learning Center in the Modern Wing offers free family events and programs throughout the year.
The dynamic duo captured the hearts of young visitors when they unveiled their parody of the much-parodied American Gothic.
Grant Wood
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Topics
- Museum History
- People
- Artists
- Modern Art
- Contemporary Art
- Arts of America
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Impressionism
