theartsdesk in Chicago: Radical Invention in the Windy/Second City | reviews, news & interviews
theartsdesk in Chicago: Radical Invention in the Windy/Second City
theartsdesk in Chicago: Radical Invention in the Windy/Second City
From Matisse to Malkovich: the Second City caters for all cultural tastes
Sunday, 09 May 2010

A fresh look at Matisse: 'Bathers by a River', 1916-17The Art Institute of Chicago
On my previous trip to the Second City in 2009, the much-awaited Art Institute of Chicago extension wasn’t quite ready for visitors, but is now about to celebrate its first birthday, and it’s a treat. The Modern Wing adds 35 per cent more space to the Institute, bringing it up to a nice round one million square feet and making it America’s second biggest art museum after the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It was designed by Renzo Piano, whose new wing (another glass-and-steel box) will be unveiled at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art later this year; he’s clearly the go-to guy for art museums, having previously designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris. He’s also, by the way, the same man who is about spoil my beloved SE1 in London with his Shard monstrosity, but that’s for another day.
On my previous trip to the Second City in 2009, the much-awaited Art Institute of Chicago extension wasn’t quite ready for visitors, but is now about to celebrate its first birthday, and it’s a treat. The Modern Wing adds 35 per cent more space to the Institute, bringing it up to a nice round one million square feet and making it America’s second biggest art museum after the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It was designed by Renzo Piano, whose new wing (another glass-and-steel box) will be unveiled at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art later this year; he’s clearly the go-to guy for art museums, having previously designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris. He’s also, by the way, the same man who is about spoil my beloved SE1 in London with his Shard monstrosity, but that’s for another day.
Major giving, particularly to the arts, is one of the many, many things I adore about America
Explore topics
Share this article
The future of Arts Journalism
You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!
We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d
And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more Visual arts











Add comment