Chicago Art
By JohnK
One of the Art Institute’s most loved pieces by Chicagoans is Marc Chagall’s America Windows and it’s been missing for years. Created in 1977 to honor the Bicentennial, the six windows display music, painting, literature, theatre and dance and are meant to celebrate the country as a place of cultural and religious freedom.
Chagall was in Chicago in the early ‘70s working on his mosaic The Four Seasons at Chase Plaza and conceived the windows as a gift to the city. They are also famous for their appearance in the movie Ferris Beuler’s Day Off. The windows have been restored over the past five years and will be reinstalled this fall.
Their new installation will be presented in a display that highlights the city’s support for public sculpture. These include Alexander Calder’s Universe at the Sears Tower and his Flamingo at the Federal Center, the Chicago Picasso and Joan Miro’s Chicago at the Daley Center, Jean Dubuffet’s Monument with Standing Beast at the Thompson Center, Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate at Millennium Park and several famous statues in the North Garden of the Art Institute.
Another great reason to visit the Art Institute if you haven’t recently is the new Modern Wing, opened May 2009 and designed by noted architect Renzo Piano.