Just when we needed it most, escapism comes to town via the largest collection outside of Paris of the Impressionist’s works—on display now at The Art Institute of Chicago.
“Why go to Paris since Paris has come to Chicago?” – Chicago Daily Tribune, 1888
This month, our 2020 Best Museum winner The Art Institute of Chicago welcomes a new exhibition: Monet and Chicago, which will showcase the Art Institute’s exemplary holdings alongside Chicago-based collections. No stranger to Chicago, Claude Monet not only sold numerous paintings in the 1880s to Chicago’s elite collectors, sparking a buying frenzy, but in 1903, the Art Institute became the first American museum to buy a painting by the French artist.
Running through January 18, Monet and Chicago is the first exhibition to explore Chicago’s pioneering connection to the artist. Guests can view more than 70 paintings in the exhibition, which include rarely seen still lifes, figural scenes, seascapes, and landscapes, spanning Monet’s early career sketching caricatures to his last canvases, inspired by his garden and water lily pond.
In accordance with Covid-19 safety measures, tickets are required. Purchase here.
Don’t Miss: The Art of the Cocktail
Complete your Monet experience with a beautifully handcrafted cocktail at Travelle at The Langham, a Best Of 2020 winner. The menu of inspired cocktails by mixologist Slava Brisov reimagine Monet’s famous works, which include Arrival of the Normandy Train ($21), Clavados with aromatic smoke, Water Lily Pond ($17), a light summer spritz, and Stacks of Wheat ($16), a combination of wheated bourbons. Reservations are available, and you can grab Stacks of Wheat to-go, which comes in a special wax sealed bottle with a crystal ice cube on the side. Through January 18th.
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Macaire Douglas lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and two sons. She proudly supports Save Abandoned Babies Foundation, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that works tirelessly to prevent the illegal abandonment of newborns nationwide. Since its inception in 2000, more than 3,600 newborns have been safely surrendered and adopted into loving homes.
