Remarkable Giving

Throughout the history of the Art Institute, patrons and collectors have played an invaluable role in expanding the museum. Through their gifts, these individuals and families have secured the Art Institute's reputation as a world-class institution, and this spirit of generosity and connoisseurship continues to enhance and shape the museum today. Click here to find out more about the individuals behind the building of the Modern Wing.

Modern Wing architect Renzo Piano awarded the prestigious American Institute of Architects Gold Medal

Modern Wing architect Renzo Piano has been awarded the prestigious American Institute of Architects Gold Medal. This is the highest honor that the AIA can bestow on an individual, and is given in recognition of a significant body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture. Past recipients of this award include Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, John Wellborn Root, and Louis Henri Sullivan, who have made indelible impressions on the city of Chicago and the Art Institute.

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The Modern Wing to be enclosed by January 2008

As we look toward 2008, we can reflect back on a busy and successful year at the Art Institute. Construction on the Modern Wing advances at an impressive pace. The Modern Wing is no longer a distant vision, but rather an actual entity rising from the corner of Columbus Drive and Monroe Street.

The design and construction team at the Art Institute plans to have the building fully enclosed by January, allowing crews to continue working through the cold winter months as we race toward completion of this historic project.

In order to enclose the building, crews are at work finishing the "curtain wall," or the window-wall system that serves as the exterior of the Modern Wing. The curtain wall is comprised of a double layer of glass panels separated by a walking surface used to clean the interior cavity and change light bulbs. Warmed air insulates the space between the panels, providing temperature and humidity control in the gallery spaces. This unique building feature protects priceless art from harmful light, while still allowing museum visitors to experience the museum's world-class collection in natural light.

Also to be completed are the third floor skylights and the Griffin Court skylights. As you will see when the Modern Wing opens in 2009, the character of the building in greatly informed by the light that flows through the structure.

The "flying carpet" is also currently being installed. This signature building element consists of a white, extruded-aluminum sun screen that will hover over much of the Modern Wing, capturing the north light and delivering it to the third floor gallery skylights while gently shading the garden.

The flying carpet is composed of computer-modeled "wings" developed specifically for the Art Institute's site. As part of our green building initiatives, this shade will save electricity consumption while helping to achieve ideal lighting conditions during the day.

Finally, the dedicated Museum Education children's entrance at Columbus Drive is approaching completion.

Inside the existing buildings, renovation of Gunsaulus Hall has begun, and will continue through the spring of 2008, transforming this dark central corridor into a light-filled and inviting new home for Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian art. For the first time in the history of the Art Institute, galleries of Asian art and sculpture will be displayed together in a one cohesive extended space. Trustee Marilynn B. Alsdorf has made this renovation possible through a landmark gift to name the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art.

In the spring of 2008, newly constructed prints and drawings galleries will open in a space formerly occupied by African and Amerindian art. This move will allow the prints and drawings galleries to appear alongside the Jean and Steven Goldman Print and Drawing Study Room, enhancing the experience of visitors and scholars to this world-renowned department.

As you can see, nearly every corner of the museum will be enhanced in the coming months and years. See construction photos and take a look inside the Modern Wing yourself.

Work Begins on the Nichols Bridgeway

On September 20, 2007, the Art Institute officially broke ground for the Nichols Bridgeway. The ceremony took place in the Chase Promenade of Millennium Park, a fitting location for the bridge that will provide a direct link from the museum to the park. "This bridge literally brings the city of Chicago to the doorstep of the Art Institute. Both in physical presence, and what we hope will be a warm and inviting welcome, the bridge promises to strengthen the connection between this world-renowned art museum and our world-class city," said President and Eloise W. Martin Director James Cuno. "We are grateful to the administrators of Millennium Park for their enthusiasm for the project, as well as to the City of Chicago. We are confident that the Nichols Bridgeway will be a powerful architectural and social element in Chicago's lively downtown area."

Named in honor of Art Institute trustees and longtime benefactors Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols, the Renzo Piano?designed pedestrian bridge will span approximately 625 feet. Beginning from the southwest corner of the Pritzker Great Lawn, the bridge will rise over the Lurie Gardens and cross Monroe Street before culminating at the third floor of the Modern Wing, where visitors will enjoy free access to the museum's new sculpture terrace and dining facilities. Sloping gently to a height of 60 feet, the bridge will offer unparalleled views of the park, the Chicago skyline, and Lake Michigan.

The Art Institute is working closely with Millennium Park to minimize the project's impact on the park and its visitors. Trees and plantings at the bridge site will be relocated during construction, and replanted or replaced when building is complete. The Art Institute has also engaged the acoustical and audio consulting firm Talaske to help ensure that construction noise does not disrupt activities at Jay Pritzker Pavilion and other park locations. Monroe Street, area Metra stations, and the Millennium Park garage will remain open throughout the building phase.

The Nichols Bridgeway is expected to be completed in 2009, and will open in conjunction with the Modern Wing later that year.