Founded in 1879, the Art Institute of Chicago is one of the nation’s oldest museums—and one of its greatest. Spanning two connected buildings and covering nearly one million square feet, it is also one of the largest, making a visit to the Art Institute a potentially intimidating endeavor.
Ask 10 people what to see there, and you may get 10 different answers. Some will direct you to the Impressionist galleries, where world-famous works by Van Gogh, Caillebotte, and Seurat lie in wait. Others will tell you to go to the Surrealist section, which houses quite a few treasures. And still others—locals, most likely—will urge you visit some of the less often visited corners of the museum, notably the basement gallery for Narcissa Niblack Thorne’s elaborate miniatures.
To help you out, we’ve assembled a list of 100 great artworks to see at the Art Institute. They run the gamut from ancient Greek statues to Japanese folding screens, from medieval rarities to modernist masterpieces. In sum, they offer a view of global art history that is only growing wider as the Art Institute acquires works to fill the gaps in its extensive collection.
Two things to bear in mind: First, the artworks below are not ranked by quality; they are instead grouped by the areas of the museum in which they appear. Second, we’ve done our best to note which works aren’t currently on view, though this changes frequently, since pieces are regularly loaned out for exhibitions and galleries are frequently renovated and rehung. Check the Art Institute’s website for the most current information about what’s in the galleries.
