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A painting shows a cat-headed figure and a large brown bear in a the branches of a pine tree. The hybrid figure gestures toward a flock of bird birds darting about the blue sky.

From the Artist
An Offering to Beauty: Raqib Shaw on Paradise Lost

Hear from the artist about the thought, labor, and introspection that has gone into the making of his monumental painting over the last two decades.

One Theme, Multiple Voices
Unfazed: Cats in Art

Five felophiles on our staff share works by artists who share their love of cats.

Staff Picks
Kinds of Green

Six staff members ruminate upon some of their favorite greens in the museum.

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Provenance Stories
Looted and Restituted: Matisse, Paul Rosenberg, and the Art Institute of Chicago

Follow the journey of Matisse’s painting Daisies from its theft by the Nazis to its permanent home in the Art Institute’s collection.

Two children lay in the shadow of their house on the ground

Artists at Work
In Conversation: Abelardo Morell Explores the Universe in His Home

Curator Elizabeth Siegel and photographer Abelardo Morell discuss how years of working at home have helped him to rediscover the magic of lenses and vision.

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Exploring the Collection
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Correspondence Art

Just like letters and cards, artworks sent through the mail make personal connections.

Artist Correspondence
Frida Kahlo’s Letters to Nickolas Muray

Photo shows a dark-haired young woman and girl in the foreground of a white gallery space looking at a printout while a young couple stands behind them, their backs to the viewer, looking at Jay DeFeo (Mary Joan DeFeo)’s The Annunciation, a large abstract painting suggesting large white wings with purple and teal on a black background.

Top 10
Ways to Spend a Summer Day

Whether you’re looking for something relaxing, thrilling, or creative to do, our list of can’t-miss summer offerings and events will help you plan the perfect visit.

Interpreting the Collection
The Story of Money in Five Artworks

These artworks illustrate how the definition of money changes with time and advances in technology.

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Bodhisattva Reimagined: The Buddha of the Future Made Whole

An exciting project is underway to imagine a new hand for our remarkable large stone Maitreya, involving robot technology, Carrera marble, and an international roster of scholars.

Color photograph of a older man chipping away at a piece of marble with a chisel in one hand and a hammer in the other.

The Creative Process
Making a Video about Making a Sculpture

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the process of creating short videos out of the lengthy process of carving a marble sculpture.

Photo of a group of visitors standing before Georges Seurat's "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884," including a young girl in a light-green sundress who holds the hand of the woman standing next to her as they smile up at each other.

Top 10
Ways to Maximize Your Summer

Make the most of the season with art making for all ages, outdoor dining, special gatherings, and more this summer.

Black and white photograph of a cow skull hanging on a brick wall. A woman leans against the wall, holding its snout in her right hand, her nose pressed against its side.

Inside an Exhibition
12 Things to Know about Georgia O’Keeffe

Get some insights into the life and work of this original and iconic American artist.

A skyscraper with a prominent, illuminated Rose Window and golden roof at center is otherwise dark against an equally dark city night. The overall blackness is punctuated by tiny illuminated rectangles of windows at left and circles suggesting streetlights and headlights on a road that travels in perspective up the painting at right. To the right of the road are the even, gridlike gray windows of a sparsely illuminated office building.

Inside the Exhibition
Skyscraper Living: Georgia O’Keeffe and the Shelton Hotel

An unexpected move to a residential high-rise gave O’Keeffe a new perspective on nature and the built environment.

A photo shows a young, light-skinned woman with light-brown hair smiling and facing the viewer. Behind her and to her right is a balcony rail, beyond which extends the light-filled, white expanse of the Art Institute of Chicago's Griffin Court, within the Modern Wing. Glass doors and windows hint at a park just beyond.

Meet the Staff
Lauren Makholm, Director of Production, Publishing

With a passion for storytelling and attention to detail, she brings the museum’s print and digital publications to life.

Alma Thomas Starry Night Astronauts Original

Exploring the Collection
The Wonder of Wandering Interns

Eight interns at the Art Institute share artworks they think you should know.

From the Curators
Charles Ray’s A copy of ten marble fragments of the Great Eleusinian Relief

Two curators delve into the complex history behind a modern-day sculpture that channels Classical antiquity.

A rectangular quilt composed of various fabrics in dark or muted colors in a 4-by-5 section grid. Each section has a horizontally striped fabric as a background. Overlaid is a thick X shape in solid black, and overlaid on top of that is a square of a different striped fabric. Two stripes of black separate the outside columns from the two inner columns.

Inside the Exhibition
Exuberant Experimentation: Christina Ramberg’s Late Works

Discover how quiltmaking opened up new worlds of creativity for the beloved Chicago artist in the mid-1980s.

Interpreting the Collection
Strategic Reserves of Hope: Peter Blume’s The Rock

In the devastated landscape of Blume’s world, mystery and hope strike a vibrant balance.

A woven textile in shades of brown, blue, and metallic gold. On a mud-brown background are a series of many small gridded square shapes. Each is coppery gold with a halo of blue behind it and many fine blue threads crossing the square laterally, all evenly spaced. Bisecting each square vertically is an unruly tuft of brown fiber.

Inside the Exhibition
The Alchemy of Weaving

Learn how contemporary textile artists from across the globe have advanced the ancient and seemingly magical practice of turning thread into cloth.

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