The Art Institute of Chicago, 2026
Purchase from the Art Institute Museum Shop
Available to booksellers from Yale University Press
A showcase of two hundred of the Art Institute of Chicago’s iconic works from around the world and across human time
From ancient Roman statuary and Chinese ceramics to medieval metalwork and contemporary paintings, Highlights of the Art Institute of Chicago presents two hundred of the museum’s signature works. Selected from a world-class collection of nearly 300,000 objects, this publication encompasses the full range of artistic media, spanning print, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, video, and cultural objects.
Offering an exciting variety of perspectives, texts by the museum’s curators and by artists, architects, and specialists inspire readers to make new and unexpected connections among some of the world’s best-known works of art, such as Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, Grant Wood’s American Gothic, Georges Seurat’s Sunday on La Grande Jatte, and Katsushika Hokusai’s Great Wave.
- An illustrated timeline explores the Art Institute’s rich history, contextualizing its architecture and foundational collections within the city.
- Mini essays offer deeper dives into on areas of collection strength, such as the Thorne Miniature Rooms; the museum’s holdings of Impressionism, Surrealism; and Japanese prints; and uniquely Chicago stories about local artists and architecture.
This elegantly designed book tells the museum’s story through its collection as never before.
Edited by James Rondeau
Contributions by 92 authors
272 pages, 7 × 9 inches
250 color + 4 black-and-white illustrations
Hardcover $40
ISBN: 978-0-300-288537
