Art Institute of Chicago (AIC)

Since its founding as a museum and school for the fine arts in 1879, the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) has become a cultural cornerstone in America’s second city. The museum is especially known for its collection of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings, including masterpieces such as Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” and exceptional postwar holdings. In keeping with the academic origins of the institution, a research library was constructed in 1901; major expansions have followed, most recently the Modern Wing designed by Renzo Piano, which opened in 2009. The permanent collection has grown from plaster casts to nearly 300,000 works of art in fields ranging from Chinese bronzes to contemporary design, textiles and installation art. Together, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the museum are now internationally recognized as leading institutions for the fine arts in the United States.