Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:220 E Chicago Ave.
Chicago, Illinois
Tel:
(312) 280-2660
Explore one of the nation's largest museums devoted to the art of our times. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago offers thought-provoking paintings, sculpture, and photography, along with video and film performance - a true Mecca of contemporary art.
The Museum of Contemporary Art is housed in a new limestone and aluminum building which contains 45,000 square feet of gallery space, an auditorium, and a sculpture garden. The collection here includes visual art from 1945 to the present, with a strong focus on surrealism, minimalism, conceptual photography, and work by Chicago-based artists. Popular works include "In Memory of My Feelings - Frank O'Hara" by Jasper Johns, "Study for a Portrait" by Francis Bacon and "Campbell's Soup Cans II" by Andy Warhol. In the past, the Museum has hosted one-person shows for Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, and has also played host to the first U.S. exhibitions of Frida Kahlo and Antoni Tapies.
The MCA Chicago has volunteer guides who offer tours of the museum's exhibitions. The tours usually last 45 minutes and on Tuesdays there is free admission at the Museum. There are always intriguing performances scheduled here too, as well as family programs, including workshops, Family Days, excursions, and more. The Museum has a full-service restaurant, and an express counter called Puck's at the MCA, which offers a seasonal lunch menu. For unattached ladies and gents, the first Friday of every month is singles night at the Museum with Wolfgang Puck hors d'oeuvres and live music.
The MCA is located four blocks east of the Chicago Avenue rail stop on the CTA Red Line. It is easily accessible by the #10 Museum and #66 Chicago Avenue buses, as well as several Michigan Avenue bus routes.
From Museum of Contemporary Art - Chicago, Illinois:
One of the nation's largest facilities devoted to the art of our time, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) offers exhibitions of the most thought-provoking art created since 1945. The MCA documents contemporary visual culture through painting, sculpture, photography, video and film, and performance. Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the MCA boasts a gift store, bookstore, restaurant, 300-seat theater, and a terraced sculpture garden with a great view of Lake Michigan.