An Art Lover’s Guide to Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago isn’t just one of the Windy City’s most notable art museums—it ranks among the oldest and largest museums in the United States, period. Located in a grand building that’s guarded by two famous lion statues and situated on the edge of Millennium Park, the museum is also conveniently easy to slot into a full day of sightseeing.

Book a guided museum tour, and make like Ferris Bueller as you scout out legendary works from Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks to Marc Chagall’s America Windows.

Insider tip: The Art Institute is particularly notable for hosting the largest collection of impressionist works outside of Paris—look out for masterpieces by Monet, Seurat, Van Gogh, and more.

Clearly, Chicago is a place that takes its culture seriously, given that it also happens to boast one of the world’s largest museums dedicated to contemporary art: The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA), conveniently situated in the bustling Magnificent Mile area.

Where the Art Institute enshrines some of art history’s most notable works, the MCA captures the zeitgeist and showcases the best of today’s art across a range of media and genres. After grabbing admission tickets, scope out its current exhibitions—artists ranging from Kerry James Marshall to Lorna Simpson and Yoko Ono have all been showcased here.

Scholarly Hyde Park is rich in Chicago cultural attractions. Case in point: the University of Chicago—and its resident, free-to-all Smart Museum of Art. The fine art museum has been a campus highlight for more than 50 years, thanks in part to its permanent collection of 17,000 works.

Highlights to look out for include European artworks by Goya and Veronese, Asian scroll paintings and ceramics, and modern works by Rivera and Rothko. Afterwards, it’s worth dipping into the museum’s temporary exhibitions—or making the most of a good-weather day by exploring its sculpture garden.

Located in the heart of Chicago’s Mexican American Pilsen neighborhood, the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) is home to one of the country’s largest collections of Mexican art. That makes it an ideal place for a cultural immersion, and if you visit you'll be rewarded with an array of some 22,000 works, spanning ancient artifacts and folk art to paintings, beadwork, and much more.

If you’re after art festivals in Chicago, the NMMA also delivers: Its annual Sor Juana Festival features performances by Mexican women artists, while the Day of the Dead celebrations draw huge crowds.

Insider tip: In the Pilsen area on the second Friday of the month? Scope out the more than 30 galleries that open their doors across the Chicago Arts District.

No Chicago mural guide (or art guide!) would be complete without the Wabash Arts Corridor, located in Chicago’s vibrant South Loop. First established by Columbia College in 2013, and billed as “a living urban canvas,” this outdoor art gallery features an array of large-scale murals, all conveniently clustered along Wabash Avenue.

Famous international street artists the likes of Shepard Fairey, Ben Eine, Marina Zumi, and Collin Van Der Sluijs have all taken their brushes to the neighborhood’s walls. Go for an independent stroll—or book a custom Chicago walking tour to scope them out with a guide.

Many of the best galleries in Chicago focus on formally trained artists, but the Intuit Art Museum opts to shine the spotlight more broadly. A cultural highlight of the city’s West Town neighborhood, the museum is dedicated to so-called “outsider art” and self-taught artists.

Its 1,600-strong collection represents paintings, sculptures, photographs, and more, dating from the 19th century to today. What unites them all is a focus on artists who had to confront “societal, economic or geographic barriers” in their careers—and still managed to build thriving artistic practices.

The Magnificent Mile is a strong contender for the ideal Chicago art neighborhood: After all, there’s the Museum of Contemporary Art—and then, on the flip side, there’s the Driehaus Museum. Housed in the historic Samuel M. Nickerson House (a gem of Gilded Age architecture, also known as “the Marble Palace”), the museum celebrates the era’s lavish interiors and opulent decorative arts.

Inside, you can discover an extensive collection of Tiffany lamps, pre-Raphaelite paintings, brass chandeliers, and other delightfully over-the-top objets. Grab tickets online—or swing by after a Magnificent Mile sightseeing tour.

In a place as architecturally notable as Chicago, no cultural tour is complete without exploring the city’s most celebrated buildings. First, get an overview during an architecture-themed Chicago River tour. Then, immerse yourself in the Prairie School when you delve into Frank Lloyd Wright’s legacy.

Wright spent many years in the Chicago area, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District in nearby Oak Park, home to some 30 of his buildings, is one of the best places for a crash course. Book a guided tour of his Home & Studio to really get an up-close look.

From the Chicago Picasso to Calder’s Flamingo, the Windy City has been celebrated for its public art for decades. More recently, the unveiling of Millennium Park in 2004 introduced some of the most popular public art in Chicago to locals and visitors. Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate—better known as “The Bean”—has since become a city icon, while pieces such as the Crown Fountain captivate with their larger-than-life faces spewing jets of water.

Thankfully, such pieces are free and easy to see—or, for a more guided experience, you can book a walking tour, bus tour, or art tour to learn even more.