It is true that art museums are about the stubborn, matter-of-factness of things: the works of art. But access to the Art Institute’s collection has always been enhanced by words and reproduced images. With the launch of our redesigned Web site, we acknowledge the importance of digitized access to the works of art.

Here you will learn about the character and structure of our collection and our educational programs and exhibitions. You will also learn how to visit and contact us easily. I very much look forward to you visiting the museum.

It opened on its present site at Michigan Avenue and Adams Street in 1893. Built on rubble from the 1871 Chicago fire, the museum housed a collection of plaster casts and had a visionary purpose: to acquire and exhibit art of all kinds and to conduct programs of education.   More detail...