The Art Institute of Chicago has been rated the best museum in the world by TripAdvisor multiple years running, and that ranking is not hyperbole — this is a collection that holds Seurat's 'A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,' Hopper's 'Nighthawks,' Wood's 'American Gothic,' and the finest Impressionist collection outside Paris, all under one roof with free admission on certain days.
The museum sprawls across both sides of the railroad tracks behind Millennium Park, connected by the Modern Wing — Renzo Piano's 2009 addition that doubled the gallery space and gave the museum one of the most beautiful contemporary art halls in America. The original Beaux-Arts building, guarded by the famous bronze lions, houses the European paintings and the extraordinary collection of medieval armour. Cross the bridge to the Modern Wing and you're in a completely different aesthetic universe of natural light and open space.
What makes the Art Institute exceptional isn't just the collection — it's the depth. The Japanese print collection is one of the finest outside Japan. The Thorne Miniature Rooms — 68 tiny furnished rooms recreating historical interiors at 1:12 scale — are unlike anything in any other museum. The paperweight collection, the textile collection, the architectural fragments salvaged from demolished Chicago buildings — every corner has something that could justify a museum of its own. Plan three hours minimum, but you could spend three days and not see everything.
Verified Facts
The Art Institute was rated the best museum in the world by TripAdvisor multiple years
The Modern Wing was designed by Renzo Piano and opened in 2009
The museum houses Seurat's 'A Sunday on La Grande Jatte' and Hopper's 'Nighthawks'
The Thorne Miniature Rooms contain 68 rooms at 1:12 scale
Get walking directions
111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603
