<h3><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760585924/ahyo2fbsrsrytmwrtmxy.jpg"></h3>The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events' headquarters are located in the Chicago Cultural CenterPhoto courtesy the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events <h3> </h3><h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/10/08/chicago-cultural-commissioner-clinee-hedspeth-resigns" target="_blank">Chicago's cultural commissioner resigns following accusations of bullying and mismanagement</a></h3> During a meeting of the city of Chicago’s Cultural Advisory Council on Tuesday (7 October), it was announced that the commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Clinée Hedspeth, had resigned, effective immediately. When Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson appointed Hedspeth in&nbsp;<a style="color: inherit;" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases/2024/march/hedspeth-appointment.html" target="_blank">March 2024</a>, the announcement noted “a wealth of experience” in arts administration, public policy and community engagement, but arts leaders were sceptical. Via The Art Newspaper <h3><a style="background-color: rgb(251, 251, 251); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/11/museum-tour-state-funding/" target="_blank">On a tour in Chicago, state reps hear from museum leaders in an uncertain cultural funding landscape</a></h3> A walk through the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center’s first floor is a walk through African American history. It begins with slavery, and a visualization of slave ships arriving in the Americas, informed by primary-source insurance documents; the haunting progression shows vessels at first dotting the Atlantic, then overwhelming it. It ends with footage from Barack Obama’s election night address. Via Chicago Tribune <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/chicago-gallery-weekend-dealers-artists-collaborate-1234754476/" target="_blank">In an Uncertain Market, Chicago’s Art Scene Offers a Beacon of Hope for Artists and Gallerists Alike</a></h3> Luke Agada could have moved anywhere after finishing his MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2023, showing his work in national and international exhibitions, and receiving several awards and fellowships along the way.&nbsp; But the Nigerian painter and his wife decided to make Chicago their home—instead of New York or Los Angeles, the two biggest art hubs in the US. Via ARTnews

What We're Reading: 10/16/25

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760461091/xsmpsk4879bopnkcelhx.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/theaster-gates-oh-youve-got-to-come-back-to-the-city" target="_blank">Theaster Gates: OH, YOU'VE GOT TO COME BACK TO THE CITY</a>Opening: Thursday, October 16, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PMGRAY <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760461093/xygknhoc4d1jwwetauk6.png"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/yoko-ono-music-of-the-mind" target="_blank">Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind</a>Begins October 18Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760461094/m4robroza6iqlgiyanwu.png"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/blockbuster" target="_blank">blockbuster</a>Opening: Friday, October 17, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PMLily Pad | West <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760461096/pb6pjkli4dwqcti4zgvg.png"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/animalia" target="_blank">Animalia</a>Opening: Thursday, October 16, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PMKavanagh Gallery at Fine Line Creative Arts Center <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760461097/eo6kkvs2fz2qkdait08q.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/andi-crist-live-laugh-labor" target="_blank">Andi Crist: Live Laugh Labor</a>Opening: Thursday, October 16, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PMThe Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760461097/oaw0mculethzekmm1tih.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/an-evening-of-art-architecture" target="_blank">An Evening of Art &amp; Architecture</a>Opening: Friday, October 17, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PMEast Erie Gallery <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760461099/zobxudzkrw9vnb1qzskv.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/michael-j-miller-a-measure-of-time" target="_blank">Michael J. Miller: A Measure of Time</a>Opening: Friday, Oct 17, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PMSoNa Chicago Contemporary Art

New Exhibitions Opening October 15 - 18

<h1><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759879870/xsybkwihym7il4bqjfae.jpg"></h1><h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/silver-lining-the-prints-of-derrick-adams" target="_blank">Silver Lining: The Prints of Derrick Adams</a></h1> Oct 8 - Dec 19 Opening: Thursday, Oct 9, 7–9 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/tandem-press" target="_blank">Tandem Press</a> – Madison, WI <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759879872/flcib7ronqntpn7kzhwf.jpg"><h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/mapping-outside-the-lines" target="_blank">Mapping Outside the Lines</a></h1> Oct 9 - Feb 14, 2026 <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/newberry-library" target="_blank">Newberry Library</a> – Gold Coast <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759879873/jd9c6c3xoldloc9h7zom.jpg"><h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/recycled" target="_blank">Recycled</a></h1> Oct 10 - Oct 18Opening Friday, Oct 10, 5–9 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/the-art-center-highland-park" target="_blank">The Art Center Highland Park</a> – Highland Park <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759879873/qxywwp5ombiwows7b3pp.jpg"><h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/closing-reception-erosion" target="_blank">Closing Reception: Erosion</a></h1> Friday, Oct 10, 2025 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/chicago-grand-gallery" target="_blank">Chicago Grand Gallery</a> – Humboldt Park <h1> </h1><h1><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759879874/djpusk3roxvazbvqq6lb.jpg"></h1><h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/vesna-jovanovic-carnival" target="_blank">Vesna Jovanovic: Carnival</a></h1> Oct 11 - Feb 15, 2026 <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/hyde-park-art-center-hpac" target="_blank">Hyde Park Art Center (HPAC)</a> –&nbsp;Hyde Park <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759879876/fj2y0rynacs07f8gzyvo.jpg"><h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/csi-project-space-group-exhibit" target="_blank">CSI Project Space: Group Exhibit</a></h1> Oct 11 - Nov 21 <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/chicago-sculpture-international-csi" target="_blank">Chicago Sculpture International (CSI)</a> – Bucktown <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759879876/ajx2otzudcl3jjr9yezl.jpg"><h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/spaceshift-collective-garden-activation" target="_blank">SpaceShift Collective Garden Activation</a></h1> Saturday, Oct 11, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/the-arts-club-of-chicago" target="_blank">The Arts Club of Chicago</a> – Streeterville # <h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events" target="_blank">VIEW FULL CGN CALENDAR HERE</a></h4>

New Exhibitions and Events: October 9-11

<h1><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759494433/mfa0jtskjlhnlavf7dk1.jpg"></h1> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/25th-anniversary-benefit-auction" target="_blank">Arts of Life 25th Anniversary Benefit Auction</a></h1> Saturday, Oct 4, 2025 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://artsoflife.org/event/25thbenefitauction/" target="_blank">Details and tickets</a> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/circle-contemporary-arts-of-life" target="_blank">Circle Contemporary (Arts of Life)</a> at Epiphany Center for the Arts (West Loop) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759494434/awab44wvbyuhrbjwcxwl.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/theaster-gates-unto-thee" target="_blank">Theaster Gates: Unto Thee</a></h1> Sep 23, 2025 - Feb 22, 2026 Opening: Saturday, Oct 4, 2025 (check website for details) <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/smart-museum-of-art" target="_blank">Smart Museum of Art</a> (Hyde Park) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759494435/hipbu9xure3fpsysvclb.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/andrew-light-the-shadow-caster-variations" target="_blank">Andrew Light: The Shadow Caster Variations</a></h1> Oct 4, 2025 - Nov 16, 2025 <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/krasl-art-center" target="_blank">Krasl Art Center</a> (St. Joseph, MI) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759494436/nptgwb9rsmbgeypenqcr.jpg"><h1> </h1><h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/gods-of-small-things" target="_blank">Kaushik Sunder Rajan: Gods of Small Things</a></h1> Oct 2, 2025 - Oct 26, 2025 Opening: Saturday, Oct 4, 2025 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/perspective-photo-gallery" target="_blank">Perspective Photo Gallery</a> (Evanston) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759494437/sa83k5og8agj7n9bnz85.jpg"><h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/modern-vintage-chicago-oct" target="_blank">Randolph Street Market's Modern Vintage Chicago</a></h1> Sunday, Oct 5, 2025 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/randolph-street-market" target="_blank">Randolph Street Market</a> (Ravenswood)

New Exhibitions and Events: October 4 and 5

<h1><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759437400/hhl8sl6tn3fwmdpb1ygf.jpg"></h1> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/scott-burton-shape-shift" target="_blank">Scott Burton: Shape Shift</a></h1> Oct 3, 2025 - Dec 20, 2025 Opening: Friday, Oct 3, 2025 1:00 PM – 5:30 PM Also on view: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/the-joffrey-ballet-in-the-us" target="_blank">The Joffrey + Ballet in the U.S.</a> and <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/ellen-altfest-forever" target="_blank">Ellen Altfest: Forever</a> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/wrightwood-659" target="_blank">Wrightwood 659</a> (Lincoln Park) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759437401/zsnf2zci31mu1pgogxpd.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/william-blake-brothers-bones-beside" target="_blank">William Blake: Brothers’ Bones Beside</a></h1> Oct 3, 2025 - Nov 9, 2025 Opening: Friday, Oct 3, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/gallery-victor" target="_blank">Gallery Victor</a> (River North) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759437402/tcac2m8nqj0crogg8e4p.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/cinematic-dreams" target="_blank">Cinematic Dreams</a></h1> Oct 3, 2025 - Nov 15, 2025 Opening: Friday, Oct 3, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/hilton-contemporary" target="_blank">Hilton Contemporary</a> (River North) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759437404/js47atcbojnmcv7ajsho.jpg"><h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/found-in-place-tiffany-stronskys-abstract-exploration-of-belonging" target="_blank">Found in Place – Tiffany Stronsky’s Abstract Exploration of Belonging</a></h1> Oct 3, 2025 - Nov 1, 2025 Opening: Friday, Oct 3, 2025 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/oliva-gallery" target="_blank">Oliva Gallery</a> (Logan Square) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759437405/nap1d3ryirrhgzhp1jpw.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/beyond-the-fold-a-journey-through-the-realms-of-jason-brammer" target="_blank">Beyond the Fold: </a></h1><h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/beyond-the-fold-a-journey-through-the-realms-of-jason-brammer" target="_blank">A Journey Through the Realms of Jason Brammer</a></h1> Oct 3 - 5, 2025 During West Town Art Walk Opening: Friday, Oct 3, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/chicago-truborn" target="_blank">Chicago Truborn</a> (West Town) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759437405/lms8wn6hmwkf7hha3rck.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/michael-banning-my-window-is-a-garden-gate" target="_blank">Michael Banning: My Window is a Garden Gate</a></h1> Oct 3, 2025 - Nov 8, 2025 Opening: Friday, Oct 17, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/kim-storage-gallery" target="_blank">Kim Storage Gallery</a> (Milwaukee) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759437406/fe4udn4csjmbelymcpoz.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/entwined-landscapes" target="_blank">Entwined Landscapes</a></h1> Oct 3, 2025 - Oct 31, 2025 Opening: Friday, Oct 3, 2025 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/vivid-art-gallery" target="_blank">Vivid Art Gallery</a> (Winnetka) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1759437407/lo70pe7cqu43yotdztvu.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/elyse-martin-moving-on" target="_blank">Elyse Martin: Moving On</a></h1> Oct 2, 2025 - Oct 24, 2025 Opening: Friday, Oct 3, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/arc-gallery" target="_blank">ARC Gallery</a> (West Town)

New Exhibitions and Events: October 3

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758732840/rddftzys8pb0myroxu36.jpg">Tony Fitzpatrick Artist, actor, writer Tony Fitzpatrick has a new book out soon, The Sun at the End of the Road: Dispatches from an American Life, with an opening celebration at Great Lakes Tattoo in the West Loop on October 4. Fitzpatrick sports many tattoos himself, several of which are his own designs. In addition to being a sought-after space to get inked, Great Lakes Tattoo is also home to the Great Lakes Tattoo Gallery, a dedicated art space. Fitzpatrick shared with CGN an excerpt from the forthcoming book, which can be purchased from Eckhartz Press <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://eckhartzpress.com/shop/the-sun-at-the-end-of-the-road-dispatches-from-an-american-life/" target="_blank">here</a>. – GV <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758732841/lxqumybniargm0e09f4a.jpg"> <h3>THE MYSTERY OF COCK ROBIN (1969)</h3> More and more, an Albert Camus quote—about artists taking a long, arduous journey to rediscover the images which first opened their heart—feels true to me. As a kid, I loved signs, and Chicago was full of them. I memorized signs in Villa Park and Lombard as a way of navigating, and I especially loved the Cock Robin one because of the rainbow cones you could get there: three neon-bright, square scoops of sherbet. I also loved their burgers, which is not to say they were good. They weren’t. They were buffalo pucks but, as a kid, I ate all manner of garbage—happily—and I never stopped loving these. As a teen, Cock Robin was a safe place to hang out. The management didn’t seem to mind, as long as you consumed your share of Silver Dollar shakes and burgers. It was on Main Street, a draw for every kind of kid: greasers, potheads, jocks and oddballs like me were welcome. Kids from different cliques got to know each other and flirt with one another. I came to realize greaser girls were hot, but you ran the risk of getting your ass kicked for chatting them up. I’ll never forget the place. It is locked forever in the amber of my memory. Especially that sign—with its jauntily dressed robin, complete with top hat. I almost got a tattoo of it. Hell, I still might. Me and my delinquent friends took delight in informing the nuns we were going to “CA-a-a-h-h-C-K Robin.” They were a humorless lot of Felicians—mostly Polish, mostly from the old country. Sister Asunta was a straight-up psychopath. She would beat the snot out of you with beads, fists and the knotted rope she wore around her habit, signifying she was, in fact, a Bride of Christ. No wonder Jesus died a virgin. The nuns suspected we were saying something dirty but couldn’t really prove it. Knowing us though? They guessed it was unsavory and sinful, which is what we intended. I can tell what kind of neighborhood I’m in—anywhere in the world—just by their signs. The drive on Los Angeles’ Sunset Blvd from the Pacific to downtown LA takes you through every American circumstance and appetite, from penthouse to outhouse and back again. One minute, you’re driving through tony Bel-Air, and soon you’re among the walking wounded of East LA. The drive is amazing at night, when Los Angeles looks like a fleet, dark, sleek animal decked out in lights. I get what people love about it; on that majestic ride, everything looks possible. There are no Cock Robin burger joints in LA; they have Rick’s Drive In &amp; Out—way better food, with an iconic sign of its own. People who have had near-death experiences say, “Your life flashes before your eyes,” or some such jive. Maybe they’re not all the way wrong; I experienced something like it during my heart surgery. I found myself revisiting familiar places, situations and circumstances. Like déjà vu, but with greater resonance: the images that had first opened my heart. I saw the Cock Robin sign, and their rainbow sherbet cone from forty years ago; I saw the side of our ranch house from my childhood, where my mother grew lily of the valley and my sister kept rabbits. They felt like missives from a childhood, waving goodbye. # <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758732842/pmzskogvpovm3ecjmo4w.jpg">

Stories from Memory: Tony Fitzpatrick Shares Tales and Art

<h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/art-world-figures-remember-late-patron-agnes-gund-a-legend-and-icon-1234752937/" target="_blank">Art World Figures Remember Late Patron Agnes Gund: ‘A Legend and Icon’</a></h3> Anges Gund, an avid art collector and patron of towering importance to New York’s Museum of Modern Art,&nbsp;died&nbsp;Thursday in Manhattan. She was 87.&nbsp;The&nbsp;New York Times&nbsp;reported her death on Friday, but did not provide a cause. Following the announcement of Gund’s death, artists and cultural workers took to social media to honor her memory. “My heart just broke. Rest in peace dear Aggie. They broke the mold with you,” Roxana Marcoci, chief curator of photography at MoMA,&nbsp;wrote&nbsp;alongside a photograph of Gund at the opening of “LaToya Ruby Frazier: Monuments of Solidarity” with Frazier, playwright Lynn Nottage, and labor leader and feminist activist Dolores Huerta. Via ARTnews Image: Roxana Marcoci, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Agnes Gund, and Dolores Huerta attend MoMA's "LaToya Ruby Frazier: Monuments of Solidarity" at the Museum of Modern Art in 2024.Photo Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Museum of Modern Art <h3> </h3><h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://ocula.com/magazine/opinions/new-york-is-not-america-art-market/?b&amp;utm_source=email&amp;utm_medium=campaign&amp;utm_campaign=Thoughts%20on%20New%20York%20City%E2%80%99s%20Art%20Market%20%7C%20Seoul%20Rising&amp;utm_id=01K46FJE1QF4K6279R496YWHTZ&amp;_kx=ZldUrTFpbbbbjP8cT8DPQkm5mmpFOFdvvxIu2Lk_R3d5sIZ_MXgxAK72-q01k5UW.T28mdB" target="_blank">New York Is Not America: Thoughts on the City’s Art Market</a></h3> The collector scene in many parts of the United States is struggling with economic uncertainty, while dwindling attendance and layoffs have been seen at institutions like SFMOMA and the Art Institute of Chicago. Then there’s the rising political hostility which has buffeted the museum sector with funding cuts and censorship pressures in states such as Florida and Texas. But, through all of that, New York continues to be bolstered by a unique blend of global collectors, institutional heft and financial gravity. As a result, the city continues to behave like an outlier. Via Ocula <h3> </h3><h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/arts/design/new-york-art-80s-levy-gorvy-dayan.html" target="_blank">New York’s Art Stars of the ’80s, Curated by One of Their Own</a></h3> In “Downtown 81,” Edo Bertoglio and Glenn O’Brien’s no-budget New York film made in the early 1980s, a teenage Jean-Michel Basquiat roams a desolate Lower Manhattan, hauling a painting he’s trying to sell to make rent. “There was a diamond-brick road there and I could see it,” Basquiat’s only-lightly fictionalized character says with uncanny prescience. “I was off to be the wizard.” This is the moment of creative florescence that the uptown gallery Lévy Gorvy Dayan revisits with its exhibition,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(50, 104, 145);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.levygorvydayan.com/exhibitions/downtown-uptown" target="_blank">“Downtown/Uptown: New York in the Eighties,”</a>&nbsp;a blockbuster opening Thursday that surveys the decade’s art stars: Basquiat and Keith Haring, Julian Schnabel and David Salle, Cindy Sherman and Jeff Koons, among others.&nbsp; Via NYT <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/museums-politics-2679093" target="_blank">Is This the Breaking Point for Museums?</a></h3> It would be hard to exaggerate the seismic shift museums across the West are facing. As governments slash funding and threaten further cutbacks in public support,&nbsp;<a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(31, 31, 31);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/museums-sustain-unprecedented-assault-trump-first-100-days-2635944" target="_blank">American museums</a>, long facing dwindling backing from central bodies like the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), have typically looked to corporations, individual donors, private foundations, and earned income to prop up their budgets. British and especially German museums have long been able to rely on public largesse to a greater degree, but now even they, and museums in other European countries, are facing politicians who say they cannot justify cultural funding in times of strained budgets. Via Artnet

What We're Reading: 9/22/25

<h1><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758310450/pkuoq5olm6pn82svtazn.jpg"></h1><h1> </h1><h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/allison-reimus-repetition-with-variety" target="_blank">Allison Reimus: Repetition with Variety</a></h1> Sep 19, 2025 - Oct 18, 2025Opening: Friday, Sep 19, 2025 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/65grand" target="_blank">65GRAND</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758310451/wost6fv29zzqh3zx56bx.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/jacqueline-surdell-the-conversion-rings-rapture-and-the-forest-archive" target="_blank">Jacqueline Surdell: The Conversion: Rings, Rapture and the Forest Archive</a></h1>and<h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/natura-non-constristatur" target="_blank">Natura Non Constristatur</a></h1> Sep 19, 2025 - Nov 15, 2025Opening: Friday, Sep 19, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/secrist-beach" target="_blank">Secrist | Beach</a> Jacqueline Surdell is CGN's fall issue cover artist. Read the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/articles/jacqueline-surdell-an-artists-voice-helps-scale-her-art" target="_blank">full interview</a> with her here, and look for the print issue around galleries this weekend! <h1><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758310452/mcvan7u2iegu1e2gqqxm.jpg"></h1> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/weriem-lesprit-de-pierrot" target="_blank">WERIEM: L’esprit de Pierrot</a></h1> Sep 19, 2025 - Nov 22, 2025Opening: Friday, Sep 19, 2025 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/epiphany-center-for-the-arts" target="_blank">Epiphany Center for the Arts</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758310454/p2au9taqzzmla5989hqf.png"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/victoria-martinez-frente-a-la-vida-facing-life-exhibition-opening" target="_blank">Victoria Martinez: Frente a la vida / Facing Life</a></h1> Saturday, Sep 20, 2025 12:00 AM – 12:00 AMOpening: Saturday, Sep 20, 2025 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/poetry-foundation" target="_blank">Poetry Foundation</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758310455/uynekupw0iomhkqoexjr.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/luke-agada-to-translate-is-to-move-across" target="_blank">Luke Agada: To Translate is to Move Across</a></h1> Sep 20, 2025 - Nov 1, 2025Opening: Saturday, Sep 20, 2025 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/moniquemeloche" target="_blank">moniquemeloche</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758310456/juqoax6jdocnyseghmto.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/closing-reception-for-alex-katz-white-lotus" target="_blank">Closing Reception for Alex Katz: White Lotus</a></h1> Saturday, Sep 20, 2025 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/gray" target="_blank">GRAY</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758310457/yovhydkgnimqbyavhbhr.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/mac-pierce-artist-talk" target="_blank">Mac Pierce Artist Talk</a></h1> Saturday, Sep 20, 2025 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Read CGN's feature about Pierce's show <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/articles/deathmatch-by-mac-pierce-at-bert-green-an-intimate-artistic-exploration-of-war-and-games-both-real-and-pretend" target="_blank">here</a> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/bert-green-fine-art" target="_blank">Bert Green Fine Art</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758310459/jjernc6ccjkwjt6qfnuj.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/collin-moodyvom-boden-wine-tasting" target="_blank">Collin Moody/vom Boden Wine Tasting</a></h1> Saturday, Sep 20, 2025 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/corbett-vs-dempsey" target="_blank">Corbett vs. Dempsey</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758310460/zqsry34slotwblzb0m5q.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/black-women-and-clay" target="_blank">Black Women and Clay</a></h1> Sep 20, 2025 - Nov 16, 2025Opening: Saturday, Sep 20, 2025 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/ukrainian-institute-of-modern-art-uima" target="_blank">Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA)</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1758310461/wobls59qu0p3dnklfoiq.jpg"> <h1><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/special-mccormick-house-tour" target="_blank">Special McCormick House Tour</a></h1> Sunday, Sep 21, 2025 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/elmhurst-art-museum" target="_blank">Elmhurst Art Museum</a>

New Exhibitions and Events: September 19-20

<h4><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543341/fbk1d7emlmzj4rp2pmm0.jpg"></h4>Henri Matisse,&nbsp;Léda et le cygne&nbsp;(1944-46). Courtesy Sotheby’s. <h4> </h4><h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.artnet.com/market/pritzker-collection-sothebys-2688225" target="_blank">$120 Million Pritzker Collection Goes to Sotheby’s in New York</a></h4> A collection of works by some of the key artists of the 19th and 20th centuries, from the holdings of major Chicago collectors Jay and Cindy Pritzker, will be among the artworks included at Sotheby’s inaugural marquee Impressionist and Modern sale at its new Madison Avenue home this November. Via Artnet <h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/09/17/meet-the-former-auction-heavyweights-remodelling-the-art-market-as-advisers" target="_blank">Leaner, nimbler and more discreet: why some art advisory firms are growing in a downturn</a></h4> While the major auction houses have shed staff amid a bearish market since the pandemic, a gaggle of “super advisories” has been born, some founded by former top-level auction rainmakers with decades of experience and bulging address books.Without the vast overheads of auction houses and galleries, the leaner, nimbler, more discreet advisory model chimes with a cautious market. “Many of us advisors have thought, what about a Super Advisory firm: taking five specialists from different departments in the auction houses and putting them to work without the overheads,” says Josh Baer, author of the Baer Faxt trade newsletter and himself an art adviser. “The biggest cost for an art adviser is travel and you can easily stop that. It just makes sense that they could be more efficient and competitive.” Via The Art Newspaper <h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/lost-jesus-painting-peter-paul-rubens-paris-mansion-osenat-1234751588/" target="_blank">Long-Lost Painting By Rubens From 1613 Found in Paris Mansion by French Auctioneer</a></h4> A long-lost, dramatic painting of&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(229, 75, 39);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artnews.com/t/jesus-christ/" target="_blank">Jesus Christ</a>‘s crucifixion by 17th century Flemish master painter&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(229, 75, 39);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artnews.com/t/peter-paul-rubens/" target="_blank">Peter Paul Rubens</a>&nbsp;was found in a mansion in Paris, and will be auctioned this fall.Christ on the cross&nbsp;(1613) was discovered by French auctioneer Jean-Pierre&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(229, 75, 39);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artnews.com/t/osenat/" target="_blank">Osenat</a>&nbsp;last September, while preparing to selling the private residence in the city’s 6th district, according to&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(229, 75, 39);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250910-400-year-old-rubens-found-in-paris-mansion" target="_blank">AFP, which first reported the news.</a>Osenat said the large Baroque painting measuring 42 by 29 inches was “a true profession of faith and a favourite subject for Rubens, a protestant who converted to Catholicism”. Via ARTnews <h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/arts/design/jeffrey-gibson-sculptures-met-museum.html" target="_blank">In Jeffrey Gibson’s Sculptures, Child’s Play and Indigenous Truths</a></h4> Public sculpture has been under fire in recent years, from the politics of portraiture to a wild hypothesis that a man is living inside&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(50, 104, 145);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/is-a-man-trapped-in-anish-kapoors-bean-2676618" target="_blank">Anish Kapoor’s “Cloud Gate” (2006)</a>&nbsp;— nicknamed “The Bean” — in Chicago. One genre that seems to have navigated the culture and conspiracy wars without much tumult is sculpture popular with children. The beloved José de Creeft’s “<a style="color: rgb(50, 104, 145);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.centralparknyc.org/locations/alice-in-wonderland" target="_blank">Alice in Wonderland</a>” (1959) in Central Park remains an all-ages favorite, while Greg Wyatt’s “<a style="color: rgb(50, 104, 145);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gregwyattsculpture.com/bronze/peace-fountain" target="_blank">Peace Fountain</a>” (1985) at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, with its cavalcade of mythical creatures, has become a more recent classic. I thought of these when I saw Jeffrey Gibson’s new sculptures on the Fifth Avenue facade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.&nbsp; Via NYT

What We're Reading: 9/17/25

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757909348/lm14bldxcjo9h69iye0i.jpg"> By CGN Staff Chicago is about to welcome a bold, citywide celebration of design and ideas. On September 19, the Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) launches SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change, bringing together architects, artists, designers, and thinkers to explore how architecture can respond to—and inspire—transformative change. This fifth edition of the Biennial isn’t just one exhibition. It’s a multi-site, months-long festival that runs through February 28, 2026, weaving conversations and installations across Chicago’s neighborhoods and cultural landmarks. <h2>A Citywide Collaboration</h2> SHIFT is powered by a remarkable network of over 60 partners—from major museums and cultural institutions to innovative architecture firms and community organizations. These collaborations extend CAB’s reach and deepen its impact, turning the Biennial into a true celebration of Chicago’s creative and civic spirit. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757909349/y5zxt6wq9ppkfrovuswt.jpg">Thaden School, Architects: Marlon Blackwell Associates &amp; EskewDumezRipple. Photo: Timothy Hursley. <h2>Highlights of Opening Weekend</h2> The Biennial kicks off with a lively, not-to-miss opening weekend full of exhibitions, panels, tours, and performances. Here’s a taste of what’s planned:<ul><li>Exhibition Tours at the Chicago Cultural Center. Start with a guided tour of the Center’s exhibition spaces led by SHIFT Artistic Director Florencia Rodriguez.</li><li>Designer Sean Canty’s Immersive Installation. A space that doubles as a venue for discussions on publishing’s role in architecture and the nightclub as a lens for understanding collective life.</li><li>Self-Guided Citywide Tour. Visit key SHIFT sites:</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Graham Foundation for Fragmented Manifestos</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Griffin Museum of Science and Industry for TRACES</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Stony Island Arts Bank for the lively LOUDREADERS performance.</li></ul> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757909350/uutrrjhlqi1gw9f2blw5.jpg">TAKK (Mireia Luzárraga and Alejandro Muiño), “Fellaria’s Time Capsule” <h2>Spotlight on Program Partners</h2> Several partner institutions are presenting major exhibitions and conversations:<ul><li>Chicago Architecture Center (CAC). Hosting The Prize is the Beginning: Illuminating Architectural Excellence Through the Americas Prize (through October) and the September 18 panel New Architecture in a New World, which looks at architecture’s role in shaping change.</li><li>National Public Housing Museum. Showcasing Living in the Shade: Open Space and Public Housing, exploring the history and future of public housing.</li></ul> More special events include In the Making: A Public Art Journey at The Arts Lawn (September 19), Eyes on the Future at Studio Gang (September 19), and Myth of the Organic City at 6018North (September 19–21), among many others. <h2>Plan Your Visit</h2> The Biennial’s core exhibitions will unfold across several key venues:<ul><li>Chicago Cultural Center</li><li>Graham Foundation</li><li>Stony Island Arts Bank</li><li>Griffin Museum of Science and Industry</li></ul> And starting in November, a new exhibition site will open with more than 25 large-scale projects that further expand the conversation. <h2>Free and Open to All</h2> True to its mission, the Chicago Architecture Biennial remains free and open to everyone. Follow along on Instagram <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/chicagoarchitecturebiennial" target="_blank">@chicagoarchitecturebiennial</a> for behind-the-scenes previews, event updates, and stories from across the city. Whether you’re an architecture lover, an artist, or simply curious, SHIFT invites you to see Chicago—and the world—through a new lens. Full program details and itineraries are available on the Biennial’s <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org/" target="_blank">website</a>. Read CGN's interview with CAB Director Jennifer Armetta <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/articles/jennifer-armetta-championing-the-arts-one-project-at-a-time" target="_blank">here</a> from our fall 2025 magazine.

Opening Weekend for CAB6 – SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757646047/gdo5dl3aicqxcaaslr25.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/bethany-collins-dusk" target="_blank">Bethany Collins : DUSK</a>Opening: Thursday, Sep 11, 2025 5:00 PM – 7:30 PMPATRON&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757646048/q6xigd9igvouh9rgpybt.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/aaron-curry-richard-hawkins-human-non-human" target="_blank">Aaron Curry &amp; Richard Hawkins: Human Non-Human</a>Opening: Thursday, Sep 11, 2025 6:00 PM – 8:00 PMCorbett vs. Dempsey <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757646048/lnf63ess0ikieukosgdx.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/artists-talk-for-fragments-and-shadows" target="_blank">Artists' Talk for Fragments and Shadows&nbsp;</a>Thursday, Sep 11, 2025 7:00 PM – 8:00 PMPerspective Photo Gallery <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757646049/nsffbz1jvttqy4f6ymcs.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/tiffany-lamps-beyond-the-shade" target="_blank">Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade</a>Sep 12, 2025 - Mar 15, 2026The Driehaus Museum <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757646050/ltilqi9ss1qgaw5ky1cf.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/kiah-celeste-and-gordon-hall-artifact-unidentified" target="_blank">Kiah Celeste and Gordon Hall: Artifact Unidentified</a>Opening: Friday, Sep 12, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PMDOCUMENT <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757646051/sqzsrlkc1qyzrrhm4dh0.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/angels-now-in-technicolor-berninis-celestial-bodies-reimagined" target="_blank">Angels: Now in Technicolor</a>Opening: Friday, Sep 12, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PMGallery Victor <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757646052/chnlrkfvjm1jx9asxscn.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/misha-goro-images-of-the-city" target="_blank">Misha Goro: Urban Echoes</a>Opening: Friday, Sep 12, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PMAddington Gallery <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757646053/cacwixiqt5jndbqziqfr.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/porfirio-gutirrez-modernism" target="_blank">Porfirio Gutiérrez: Modernism</a>Opening: Friday, Sep 12, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PMVolume Gallery <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757646054/dtkjixbacifmvfpr4rkv.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/the-real-real" target="_blank">The Real Real</a>Opening: Friday, Sep 12, 2025 6:00 PM – 8:00 PMRosenthal Fine Art, Inc. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757646054/oevm2fcxqbl8vc1fucqy.png"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/csi-project-space-by-degrees-iv" target="_blank">CSI Project Space: By Degrees IV</a>Sep 13, 2025 - Oct 3, 2025Chicago Sculpture International (CSI) <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757646055/wijbrva5eh7pwrckic3r.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/diego-marcon-krapfen" target="_blank">Diego Marcon: Krapfen</a>Opening: Saturday, Sep 13, 2025 4:00 PM – 7:00 PMThe Renaissance Society <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757646056/tljnx9qyx4c2ilcb5bpe.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/oscar-joyo" target="_blank">Oscar Joyo</a>Sep 13, 2025 - Oct 11, 2025VSG Contemporary <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1757646058/h1oib902snmoaff3tuhy.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/the-futurepast-indian-art-deco-1925-1950" target="_blank">The FuturePast: Indian Art Deco 1925-1950</a>Opening: Saturday, Sep 13, 2025 6:00 PM – 8:00 PMThe Golden Triangle

Exhibitions Openings for September 11 -13

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543738/tsyrncfpm7uvd3pqqko9.jpg"><h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/audrey-niffenegger" target="_blank">Audrey Niffenegger: Wayward Bodies</a></h3> On view Sept 5–Oct 11Opening: Friday, Sept 5, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PMZolla/Lieberman Gallery <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543738/ql7vueto6wjgmtq6wxcc.jpg"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/the-scenic-route" target="_blank">The Scenic Route</a></h3> On view Sept 5 - 27Opening: Friday, Sep 5, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PMVertical Gallery <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543740/kpfovyolfm3mdjbpyjrs.png"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/holding-space" target="_blank">Holding Space</a></h3> On view Sept 5 - 27Opening: Friday, Sep 5, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PMOliva Gallery <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543741/hisgpu3zmjjabfs7opoe.png"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/a-world-undone-paula-shur" target="_blank">Paula Shur: A World Undone</a></h3> On view Sept 4–28Perspective Gallery <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543742/cwqm7nx75ym7ipsiasgb.jpg"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/diane-jurado-the-ambiguous-narrative" target="_blank">Diane Jurado: The Ambiguous Narrative</a></h3> On view Sept 4 - 26Opening: Friday, Sep 5, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PMARC Gallery <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543743/ntxk6nflpcmhccuigpi0.png"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/somewhere-in-between-christina-cooley" target="_blank">Somewhere Between, Christina Cooley</a></h3> On view Sep 4 - 28Opening: Friday, Sep 5, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PMGallery Seven <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543744/scdrl3ejh0wsdibt6dxv.jpg"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/true-colors-expressive-landscape-paintings" target="_blank">True Colors: Expressive Landscape Paintings</a></h3> On view Sep 6 - Oct 26Opening: Saturday, Sep 6, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PMThe Grove Gallery <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543745/s78kksp0ncmryvjiifu8.jpg"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/industry-of-the-ordinary" target="_blank">Industry of the Ordinary Summer Residency 2025 Exhibition</a></h3> On view Sep 6 - 27, 2025Opening: Saturday, Sep 6, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PMSoNa Chicago Contemporary Art # <h3>View the full CGN calendar of upcoming art events <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events?filter=upcoming&amp;page=1" target="_blank">here</a>. </h3> <h3>Sign up for our free weekly newsletter <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/newsletter" target="_blank">here</a>.</h3>

New Exhibitions: September 4–6

<h3>Curated Highlights for What’s Ahead in Chicago’s Art Scene</h3><h3> </h3><h3>September is here and it's a very busy, full, exciting month of art. With the arrival of our new fall issue of CGN, covering September-December, we have been sharing several seasonal previews&nbsp;–&nbsp;some that offer highlights through December as well as weekend previews of openings. We hope you enjoy all the coverage and see what you can in the coming days and weeks.</h3><h3> </h3><h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chicagogallerynews.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">Subscribe</a> here to receive a print copy in the mail and be sure to share all the events and news with friends.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>– CGN</h3> <h3>• Exhibitions</h3> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543187/mo2thalwkycwuvddl1p9.jpg"> <h3>Channeling: body ← Image → viewer</h3><h4> </h4>Sep 2, 2025 - Dec 20, 2025<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/museum-of-contemporary-photography-mocp" target="_blank">Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP)</a> This exhibition features eleven international artists whose work communicates through and with the body, positioning the viewer to a consciousness of their body and self, or how bodies channel and defy societal oppression and malevolence. Gestures such as crawling, lying, climbing, kneeling, pointing, running, and walking backward evoke memory, history, and rhetoric. This exhibition situates the body politic and ways in which history imprints upon us as a reminder that we are human, both in and out of the body. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/channeling-body-image-viewer" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543188/t7hejlmk3ynrdwoevvkq.jpg"> <h3>Diego Marcon: Krapfen</h3><h4> </h4>Sep 13, 2025 - Nov 23, 2025Opening: Saturday, Sep 13, 2025 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/the-renaissance-society" target="_blank">The Renaissance Society</a> Diego Marcon, an artist known for his radical rethinking of cinema, sound, and space, makes his U.S. debut at the Renaissance Society this September. Marcon’s practice is rooted in entertainment and structural cinema—eschewing traditional storytelling to explore the mechanics of filmmaking itself. His works challenge the hierarchy between subject and image, dissolving narrative into abstraction. For this exhibition, Marcon presents&nbsp;Krapfen, a newly commissioned musical dance film that stages an encounter between the kid, performed by dancer Violet Savage, and four characters represented by costume props: gloves, foulard, trousers, and pullover.&nbsp;Krapfen&nbsp;is also an encounter between the golden age of American animation and Italian opera. The choreography—a mix of contemporary dance, classical ballet, and popular entertainment forms—reflects the juxtaposition of traditional and digital filmmaking processes, a hallmark of Marcon’s practice. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.hydeparkart.org/exhibition/mark-me-too-five-artists" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543189/jvnrc9ffe5ky0gmafnde.jpg"> <h3>Luke Agada: To Translate is to Move Across</h3><h4> </h4>Saturday, Sep 20, 2025 4:00 PM – 7:00 PMOpening: Saturday, Sep 20, 2025 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/moniquemeloche" target="_blank">moniquemeloche</a> Luke Agada’s&nbsp;practice examines themes of globalization, migration and cultural dislocation within the framework of a postcolonial world and its impact on neo-cultural evolution. Agada's surrealist paintings of disembodied figures and dream-like grounds reference identity and the transformation of the postmodern human, where both time and space produce complex bodies of difference. Overlapping the past and present, the other and the self-reflect the ambiguity of our identiy within post-structuralist theory. Agada's work has been inspired by the postcolonial writings of Homi Bhabha, Edward Said, and literary works by Nigerian authors Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. His work is a continuous reflection of his investigative approach to history and critical theory with regards to the examination of the culture of dominance through globalization. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/luke-agada-to-translate-is-to-move-across" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543190/hmrphzprspn97k4yukuf.jpg"> <h3>You're All Dead to Me: Guest Curated Show by Marc LeBlanc</h3> Sep 26, 2025 - Oct 30, 2025Opening: Friday, Sep 26, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/circle-contemporary-arts-of-life" target="_blank">Circle Contemporary (Arts of Life)</a> To celebrate M. LeBlanc’s 8th anniversary, the gallery has collaborated with local non-profit Arts Of Life on an extraordinary exhibition/event.&nbsp;Over twenty artists have generously donated their work for an exhibition and raffle to be held on Devils Night at Midnight in support of the Arts of Life studio and program. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/youre-all-dead-to-me-guest-curated-show-by-marc-leblanc" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543191/yq8i7c0v4jbeklffyq8x.jpg"> <h3>Erosion: Olivia Petrides</h3> Sep 5, 2025 - Sep 26, 2025Opening: Friday, Sep 5, 2025 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/chicago-grand-gallery" target="_blank">Chicago Grand Gallery</a> Erosion&nbsp;explores the intersection of politics, ecology, and the fragility of the human condition through abstract, gestural works that blur the line between atmospheric and political realities. Using simple materials—ink, paper, watercolor, gouache, and fragments of newspapers—the artist creates layered, visceral images that echo both the turbulence of the natural world and the chaos of contemporary social discourse. <a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/erosion-olivia-petrides" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543192/n5ns6yitx6mdgkwdmkme.jpg"> <h3>Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade</h3> Sep 12, 2025 - Mar 15, 2026<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/the-driehaus-museum" target="_blank">The Driehaus Museum</a> From the 1890s to the 1920s, Tiffany Studios created a captivating range of decorative lighting fixtures that embraced the technological shift from oil lamps to electricity and simultaneously met the styles and tastes of nineteenth and twentieth century consumers. Drawn from the expansive collections of the Museum and the private art collection of Richard H. Driehaus (now in the Art Exhibition Lending Foundation), the exhibition explores how the artisans at Tiffany Studios used a range of materials—including bronze, enamel, pottery, and glass—to bring Tiffany’s innovative lighting designs to life.&nbsp; <a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/tiffany-lamps-beyond-the-shade" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <h3>• Markets &amp; Auctions</h3> <h3> </h3><h3><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543192/x0shiibopr7nvfhwjrjy.jpg"></h3> <h3>The Maloof Collection of Vivian Maier Gallery Talk and Photographs Reception</h3> Wednesday, Sep 10, 2025 5:00 PM – 7:00 PMOpening: Wednesday, Sep 10, 2025 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/heritage-auctions" target="_blank">Heritage Auctions</a> Heritage Auctions Director Sarahjane Blum gives a gallery talk about collector John Maloof’s journey and passion&nbsp;to protect and celebrate the legacy of Vivian Maier. Accompanying this Gallery Talk is a Preview of Photographs and The Maloof Collection. Enjoy this deeply personal look into the life and work of Maier consisting of ephemera and gallery prints accompanied by works from iconic names like Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Nan Goldin, and more. <a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/the-maloof-collection-of-vivian-maier-gallery-talk-and-photographs-reception" target="_blank">More info ›</a><h4> </h4> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543194/zo9an9ucixulttx0zcwh.jpg"> <h3>Fall Fashion</h3> Wednesday, Sep 10, 2025 10:00 AM<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/freemans-hindman" target="_blank">Freeman's | Hindman</a> Highlights from the auction's house's latest fashion offerings. <a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/fall-fashion-25" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543195/bjq0poszlgtpikm8qnk3.jpg"> <h3>Randolph Street Market Festival</h3> Sep 27, 2025 - Sep 28, 202510am to 5pm both days<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/randolph-street-market" target="_blank">Randolph Street Market</a> Chicago’s world-famous European style antique and vintage market festival returns September 27+28, 2025! Named Top Ten USA Markets by Travel &amp; Leisure, Architectural Digest, goop, USA Today and more! <a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/randolph-street-market-festival" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <h3>• Fundraisers</h3> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543195/y9rs2kqjh5bj8l8sfhnd.png"> <h3>WMG Fundraiser 2025</h3> Friday, Sep 5, 2025 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/woman-made-gallery" target="_blank">Woman Made Gallery</a>22 W. Washington St, Morningstar's venue &amp; patio <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://womanmade.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=77610ec6940e4a7c0d652a863&amp;id=f1df8847ca&amp;e=a3993dd90f" target="_blank">ART AND THE CITY</a>&nbsp;is Woman Made Gallery’s largest annual fundraiser, supporting the underrepresented voices of women and non-binary artists. Surprises and delights await on Morningstar’s sleek 7th-floor venue and outdoor patio: Silent auction, drinks and bites, mystery bags, music and unique performances and guests experiences. <a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/wmg-fundraiser-2025" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <h3>• Tours</h3> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543196/qlnls2z6drmfxick8gru.jpg"> <h3>Weekend Art Walk: West Chicago Avenue Galleries</h3> Saturday, Sep 20, 2025 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/art-encounter" target="_blank">Art Encounter</a> Explore Chicago’s West Town gallery scene with Art Encounter co-founder Joanna Pinsky. Visit Patron Gallery's a solo exhibition by Bethany Collins, then Volume Gallery for an exhibition of weavings by California based artist Porfirio Gutiérrez, see large scale representational graphite drawings by Journie Cirdain at Western Exhibitions as well as work by New York based artist Simone Mantellassi. End the tour at Document Gallery with a two person show of sculptors Kiah Celeste and Gordon Hall. <a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/weekend-art-walk-west-chicago-avenue-galleries" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543196/obijbc8wy9uw0b1dcpyd.jpg"> <h3>Special McCormick House Tour</h3> Sunday, Sep 21, 2025 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/elmhurst-art-museum" target="_blank">Elmhurst Art Museum</a> Join expert guest docent&nbsp;Bobbi Pinkert from the Chicago Architecture Center&nbsp;for a special McCormick House tour in celebration of the 2025 Chicago Architecture Biennial. As a self-named “archiholic,” Bobbi Pinkert has been a CAC docent since 1999. She is the leader of many tours including the First Lady, Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise. Pinkert will share her expertise about the McCormick House, Mies van der Rohe, and modernist architecture. The McCormick House is a single-family home designed in 1952 by Mies van der Rohe, one of the great architects of the 20th Century. It is one of only three free-standing residences designed and built by Mies in the United States--and one of only two open to the public.&nbsp;Advance tickets recommended due to limited capacity. <a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/special-mccormick-house-tour" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <h4> </h4> <h4> </h4><h2> </h2>

CGN Art Preview: September 2025

<h3>Fall is always a busy&nbsp;season in Chicago’s art world, with new&nbsp;exhibitions across galleries and museums opening every week.&nbsp;Right after Labor Day many new exhibition will be open, often through October and beyond. Listed here are a few highlights we are looking forward to seeing through the city, the suburbs and an hour or two away in Michigan and Wisconsin.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Soon we will also share more features about events and exhibitions happening this fall, from the return of the Chicago Architecture Biennial to the 3rd Chicago Exhibition Weekend, as well as many upcoming benefits and galas – all excellent ways to see art and support the dynamic institutions in our region.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Our fall magazine covers events taking place from September-December, and it also includes interviews with many area artists, collectors and other members of the art community.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>To subscribe to CGN in print <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chicagogallerynews.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">click here</a>.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>– CGN</h3> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543205/tnplbrt5qjjhbsromkvj.jpg"> <h4>The Opening of the Chicago location of the Illinois Holocaust Museum</h4> Illinois Holocaust Museum presents Experience360&nbsp;provides a panoramic view through history and truth, inviting visitors of all backgrounds to&nbsp;witness stories of survival, ask questions, and reflect on the past in ways that inspire empathy, respect, and hope. Featuring cutting-edge technology and immersive storytelling,&nbsp;Experience360&nbsp;offers visitors an opportunity to engage with history in deeply personal and interactive ways.&nbsp;Now open in downtown Chicago 360 N. State Street, Chicago<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/experience360/" target="_blank">ilholocaustmuseum.org/experience360</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543206/vsvee9wqk7fiplhwhv8c.jpg">Jaume Plensa. Hortense in Slumberland, 2021. Bronze, Edition of 11.&nbsp;30 x 22 x 20 cm. Photo: Roberto Ruiz © Plensa Studio Barcelona <h4>Jaume Plensa: A New Humanism –</h4><h4>Frederik Meijer Gardens &amp;&nbsp;Sculpture Park</h4> This exhibition in Michigan explores Jaume Plensa’s career-long engagement with themes common to our shared humanity such as dreams, desire, justice and mortality. While Plensa’s oeuvre is marked by diversity in format and media, the human condition remains the primary subject of his art. Featuring both monumental and intimate-scaled sculptures and select two-dimensional works that span three decades, this is the first retrospective of this internationally acclaimed artist in the United States. Oct 24, 2025–Mar 15, 2026&nbsp;•&nbsp;Grand Rapids, MI<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.meijergardens.org/" target="_blank">meijergardens.org</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543207/fytkzxehim1fvgwjvieu.jpg"> <h4>Roger Brown Study Collection–</h4><h4>The Art Preserve, John Michael Kohler Art Center</h4> The Chicago home collection of Roger Brown contains more than 2,000 artworks by other Chicago Imagists and non-mainstream artists. A dedicated student of artist Ray Yoshida, the collection echoes many of Yoshida’s sensibilities—folk and Indigenous art, objects from material and popular culture, costumes, souvenirs, and fine art. Brown’s southern heritage, sense of humor, and love of the silhouetted form are also evident throughout the collection. Operated as a semi-private house museum, the collection was acquired by the Arts Center from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) by Kohler Foundation, Inc. This introductory installation of a portion of Brown’s collection at the Art Preserve, will give visitors a sense of the rich trove of objects he collected. Oct 11–Spring 2026 • 3636 Lower Falls Rd., Sheboygan, WI • <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.jmkac.org/" target="_blank">jmkac.org</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543208/uagofh58ihnufnup0pwt.jpg"> <h4>Silver Lining:&nbsp;The Prints of Derrick Adams–</h4><h4>Tandem Press</h4> Derrick Adams (b. 1970, Baltimore, Maryland) is a multidisciplinary artist who closely considers the influence of popular culture on the formation of self-image. His work also questions how African American experiences intersect with art history, American iconography, and consumerism. Oct 8–Dec 19&nbsp;•&nbsp;1743 Commercial Ave.Madison, WI (53704)<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://tandempress.wisc.edu/" target="_blank">tandempress.wisc.edu/</a>

This Season’s Highlights: Fall 2025 Part II

<h3>Fall is always a busy&nbsp;season in Chicago’s art world, with new&nbsp;exhibitions across galleries and museums opening every week.&nbsp;Right after Labor Day many new exhibition will be open, often through October and beyond. Listed here are a few highlights we are looking forward to seeing through the city, the suburbs and an hour or two away in Michigan and Wisconsin.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Our fall magazine covers events taking place from September-December, and it also includes interviews with many area artists, collectors and other members of the art community.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>To subscribe to CGN in print <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chicagogallerynews.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">click here</a>.</h3><h3> </h3><h3> </h3><h3>– CGN</h3> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543218/egwuedthohzc8q4bnpuk.jpg">Yoko Ono with Glass Hammer, 1967, from Half-A-Wind Show, Lisson Gallery, London, UK, 1967. Artwork © Yoko Ono. Photo © Clay Perry.<h4> </h4> <h4>Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind –</h4><h4>Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago</h4> The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago will become the exclusive U.S. venue for Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind, a comprehensive solo exhibition dedicated to the artist, musician, and activist Yoko Ono. Traveling from Tate Modern in London, where it achieved record-breaking attendance, and developed in close collaboration with Ono’s studio, this groundbreaking retrospective spans 70 years of Ono’s innovative career. The exhibition features over 200 works, including participatory instruction pieces and scores, installations, a curated music room, films, music, photography, and archival materials. The exhibition highlights significant works from throughout Ono’s decades-long career, including the landmark performance work Cut Piece (1964); her collaborations with prominent musicians such as John Cage, Ornette Coleman, and her late husband, John Lennon; artwork activations, films, public artworks and more.&nbsp; Oct 18, 2025–Feb 22, 2026220 E. Chicago (60611)&nbsp;•&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://mcachicago.org/" target="_blank">mcachicago.org</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543219/drpe1aki0mrdp0ws4a2d.jpg">Bob Faust,* heavy wait* (detail), 2025, wallwork on paper, dimensions variable, courtesy of the artist. <h4>Shakkei: Work by Mayumi Lake and Bob Faust–&nbsp;</h4><h4>Elmhurst Art Museum</h4> Shakkei: Work by Mayumi Lake and Bob Faust is the first major museum exhibition for Chicago-based artists Mayumi Lake and Bob Faust, who are mutually inspired by the Japanese principle of Shakkei (“borrowed scenery”), a design philosophy that incorporates organic features and architectural designs. The artists’ kaleidoscopic works use color and pattern to create immersive optical experiences, interpreting the Eastern concept broadly as a metaphor for empathy, adaptability, and the ability to hold multiple viewpoints simultaneously. The exhibition will feature recent large-scale artworks by Lake and Faust in separate galleries, as well as a collaborative new work combining their design languages.&nbsp;For this exhibition, each artist will bring their own perspective to the concept of Shakkei, reflecting their unique experiences and history. While Lake’s imagery is based on the symbolic floral motifs found in antique Japanese girls’ kimonos, Faust often incorporates the surroundings of the project or exhibition venue into his “wallworks,” creating site-specific perspectives manipulated from digital photographs. Sept 6–Jan 5, 2026150 Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst (60126)&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://elmhurstartmuseum.org/" target="_blank">elmhurstartmuseum.org</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543220/dfmoplp67jcs0rsb7qze.jpg"> <h4>CAB 6–</h4><h4>Chicago Architecture Biennial</h4> Over the past decade, the Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) has sustained an international forum on architecture and urbanism centered in Chicago and has continued to produce the largest exhibition of contemporary architecture in North America every two years. This year marks CAB’s tenth anniversary with CAB 6 and it will be led by Artistic Director Florencia Rodriguez. Titled SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change, CAB 6 will present an expansive and multi-faceted exploration of the field of architecture and the built environment globally, specifically as they respond to and are remade by a rapidly changing world. September 12, 2025–February 28, 2026 •&nbsp;Chicago Cultural Center and city-wide locations<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org/" target="_blank">chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543221/jfehxtrr3kf0ixbwyzkc.jpg">Temitayo Ogunbiyi, You will feel out of many one people, 2019. Varnished Japanese ink and acrylic on found fabric, 54 x 36” <h4>Temitayo Ogunbiyi: You will have revelations along felled branches and longer roots/routes –&nbsp;</h4><h4>The Arts Club of Chicago</h4> Lagos-based artist Temitayo Ogunbiyi draws attention to the medicinal capacities and visual complexities of local flora, showing drawings, paintings, and sculpture that respond to Chicago’s social and natural environments. The exhibition considers exchanges of friendship and translations of language by referencing places the artist has visited. Various community programming is planned, including bespoke ice cream!&nbsp; Sept 17–Dec 19, 2025 • 201 E. Ontario (60611) • <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artsclubchicago.org/" target="_blank">artsclubchicago.org</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543222/jvxmd9txkptm6a3y0t5w.jpg">Helen Frankenthaler, Altitudes, 1978. Lithograph on paper, 22 × 31 in. Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, gift of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. 22 1/4 x 30 5/8 inches (56.5 x 77.8 cm) © 2024 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE), West Islip, New York Photograph by Thomas Barratt, courtesy Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, New York <h4>Pouring, Spilling, Bleeding: Helen Frankenthaler&nbsp;</h4><h4>and Artists’ Experiments on Paper –&nbsp;</h4><h4>The Block Museum of Art</h4> Helen Frankenthaler (American, 1928–2011) began printmaking in 1961, working across lithography, woodcut, and etching for the next 50 years. Frankenthaler is known for her abstract paintings and especially her signature “soak-stain” technique—allowing paint to sit, spread, and pool on untreated canvas. She brought this same sensibility, what she described as a “pouring, flooding, spilling, bleeding one,” to works on paper.&nbsp;&nbsp; While printmaking is often characterized by precision and control, Frankenthaler’s prints allow for chance encounters between pigment and surface—unintentional effects that emphasize the agency and alchemy of materials. The exhibition will focus on her print practice and call attention to the unpredictability, chance, and accident in Frankenthaler’s work. The exhibition will include works by other artists in The Block’s collection who similarly have embraced chance, accident, or aesthetic surprise in their artworks–Joan Mitchell, Grace Hartigan, and Robert Motherwell—and many others. In 2023, The Block Museum was one of ten university museums to receive artwork as part of the Frankenthaler Print Initiative. The exhibition will feature this extraordinary gift and bring it into conversation with prints in the collection. Sept 17–Dec 14&nbsp;•&nbsp;Northwestern University, Evanston, IL<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/" target="_blank">blockmuseum.northwestern.edu</a>

This Season’s Highlights: Fall 2025 Part I

<h4><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543275/fhcbsmgtbajrd8azeic3.jpg"></h4>Karl Wirsum, a prominent member of the Chicago artistic group The Hairy Who, was successful in life but less so in death.&nbsp;Courtesy Zack Wirsum<h4> </h4><h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://observer.com/2025/08/what-happens-to-an-artists-market-after-they-die/" target="_blank">What Really Happens to an Artist’s Market After They Die</a></h4> <a style="color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://observer.com/person/alasdair-nichol/" target="_blank">Alasdair Nichol</a>, deputy chairman of Freeman’s | Hindman auction house, calls it a “ghoulish” area, but it is one that he knows exists: “There often is a death watch for older artists and those believed to be in poor health.” Auctioneers, art dealers and gallery owners and most especially art collectors pay close attention to obituaries, based on what he called a popular fallacy that the prices for artists’ works will rise significantly on their passing. “A person I know has been buying up Richters”—referring to the 93-year-old German painter&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://observer.com/person/gerhard-richter/" target="_blank">Gerhard Richter</a>—“I assume with the intention of selling these things when he dies,” Nichol told Observer, adding that he remembers “a mini-boom” for memorabilia related to the singer&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://observer.com/person/david-bowie/" target="_blank">David Bowie</a>&nbsp;“prior to his death” in 2016. Via Observer <h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/architecture-design/2025/08/10/agora-abakanowicz-grant-park-iron-sculpture?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=081125%20Afternoon%20Edition&amp;utm_content=081125%20Afternoon%20Edition+CID_5258340f4346e7f3f892975857cc00cf&amp;utm_source=cst_campaign_monitor&amp;utm_term=Grant%20Parks%20Agora%20iron%20sculptures%20might%20have%20to%20relocate%20in%202026&amp;tpcc=cst_cm" target="_blank">Will Agora take a walk? Grant Park's iron sculptures might have to relocate in 2026</a></h4> The sculpture Agora — a striking work composed of 106 9-foot tall iron human figures — has been a fixture on the southern edge of Grant Park for nearly 20 years.But the artwork might have to take a hike next August.That’s when the Chicago Park District’s 20-year installation and maintenance agreement expires. The agreement allows Agora to occupy its Hutchinson Field location. The expiration doesn’t make the artwork’s relocation a certainty, but one of the proposals in the park district’s&nbsp;new Grant Park Framework Plan&nbsp;includes refashioning Hutchinson Field into a “neighborhood-oriented amenity” — and it doesn’t mention Agora sticking around. Via Chicago Sun-Times <h4><a style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagobusiness.com/residential-real-estate/school-art-institute-president-buys-lincoln-park-home?share-code=17549667261641665-1989c4ac788&amp;utm_id=gfta-ur-250811" target="_blank">School of the Art Institute president buys $2.2 million Lincoln Park house</a></h4> Jiseon Lee Isbara, president of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, bought a house in Lincoln Park for a little over $2.2 million.Isbara,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(29, 79, 216);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagobusiness.com/education/school-art-institute-names-jiseon-lee-isbara-president" target="_blank">who took the reins at the institution in July 2024,</a>&nbsp;and husband Melik Isbara bought the five-bedroom house on Halsted Street July 1, according to the Cook County clerk.An exhibited artist who previously was a top official at a California arts school, Lee Isbara would not comment on the purchase, a media representative at SAIC told Crain's. Via Crain's Chicago <h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.artnet.com/multimedia/art-market-minute-jul-28-2671920" target="_blank">How Is A.I. Reshaping the Market?</a></h4> It’s clear the market for A.I. artworks is expanding, as are the applications for the tech as a tool within the trade. But behind all the hype are serious questions about market readiness and ethics. Artnet’s European news reporter&nbsp;Jo Lawson-Tancred discusses how A.I. is changing how the art world does business. Listen via Artnet

What We're Reading: August 12, 2025

Curated Highlights for What’s Ahead in Chicago’s Art Scene As of August 5, we’re looking forward—not backward. Here are exhibitions, talks, and art happenings opening after this week. August can be a slower month in the art world, but it can also offer a chance to engage with art before the fall season is in full swing. And on that note, we are wrapping up production on the fall issue of CGN, covering September-December. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chicagogallerynews.myshopify.com/" target="_blank">Subscribe</a> and receive a copy in the mail! – CGN <h3>• Exhibitions</h3> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543235/khfjl2jyiyfsu0nzeidq.jpg"> <h4>Fortitude</h4> Dragonfly Gallery &amp; Creative Spaces August 8–31 | Opening: Friday, August 8, 6–9 PMAn immersive solo exhibition exploring resilience through vivid color, layered textiles, and sculptural form. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/fortitude" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543237/v8lxjgqkuqbflprscf4q.jpg"> <h4>Mark Me, Too: Five Artists</h4> Hyde Park Art Center August 9 – December 14 | Opening: Saturday, August 9, 2–4 PMThis group show spotlights five self-taught and underrepresented artists addressing autonomy, identity, and community through mixed media. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.hydeparkart.org/exhibition/mark-me-too-five-artists" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543238/dvzjh3afrub245o1xarn.jpg"> <h4>Chicken Stingel: The Sequel</h4> Old Friends Gallery August 14 – September 21 | Opening: Thursday, August 14, 6–9 PMA conceptual and comical follow-up by Kenny Schachter featuring “collaborations” with chickens, cast in copper, silver, and gold, riffing on Rudolf Stingel’s practice. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/chicken-stingel-the-sequel" target="_blank">More info ›</a><h3> </h3> <h3>• Special Events &amp; Auctions</h3> <h4><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543239/ketx9tbbcalc447uylpg.jpg"></h4><h4> </h4><h4>Ren Editions Pop-up</h4>The Renaissance SocietyFriday, August 8A pop-up event featuring a curated selection of rare and limited-edition artworks and publications by internationally acclaimed contemporary artists who have exhibited at the Ren.<a style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/ren-editions-pop-up" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543240/yx5ffzro6yukc01fjhyw.jpg"> <h4>Art on THE MART: August Projections</h4> Merchandise Mart / Chicago Riverwalk Nightly through SeptemberNightly large-scale video projections feature new digital works, including pieces by Arts of Life artists celebrating 25 years of inclusive creative studio practice. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artonthemart.com/" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <h4><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543241/gxydmulgysrv9hryewzu.jpg"></h4> <h4>In the Company of Women</h4>21c Museum Hotel ChicagoThursday, Aug 21, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PMOne night of conversation, creativity, and connection—complete with wine and art.<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/in-the-company-of-women" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760543242/czoey2nf3e6kweaopps0.jpg"> <h4>Essential Jewelry</h4>Freeman's | HindmanWednesday, Aug 27, 2025 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/essential-jewelry-aug-25" target="_blank">More info ›</a> <h4> </h4><h2> </h2>

CGN Art Preview: August 2025

<h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://hyperallergic.com/1030874/can-steve-martin-help-bring-visitors-to-the-frick-collection/" target="_blank">Can Steve Martin Help Bring Visitors to the Frick Collection?</a></h3> As if a $220 million makeover weren’t enough, the Frick Collection in New York City has enlisted comedian Steve Martin to promote the newly reopened museum, which returned to its Fifth Avenue headquarters this spring. In a&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(18, 18, 18);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itpleBx3-tc" target="_blank">new video</a>&nbsp;posted to the Frick’s website and social media, the&nbsp;Only Murders in the Building&nbsp;co-creator and actor prances around the freshly renovated Gilded Age mansion, narrating a short history of the museum and its originator, the industrialist and&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(18, 18, 18);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/goldman-henry-clay-frick-1849-1919/" target="_blank">notorious labor suppressor</a>&nbsp;Henry Clay Frick. Via Hyperallergic&nbsp; <h3> </h3><h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.wttw.com/playlist/2025/06/18/fine-arts-building-book" target="_blank">A New Book Explores the Fascinating Stories and Businesses Inside Chicago's Eccentric Fine Arts Building</a></h3> “What is this place?” Chicago author Keir Graff asks the question more than once as he’s describing the Fine Arts Building, the subject of his new book.The question is an apt one. The ten-story building is part of the stone, glass, and steel cliffs that line Michigan Avenue and overlook Grant Park. From the outside, the building is “kind of blocky,” Graff describes. “It’s not a stunning building like the Rookery Building.” Via WTTW<h3> </h3><h3> </h3><h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/arts/design/versailles-ai-app.html?unlocked_article_code=1.bk8.3zma.4tst9kToWiXQ&amp;smid=url-share" target="_blank">What’s on Cupid’s Mind at Versailles? A.I. Can Tell You.</a></h3> Early one midsummer afternoon in the Palace of Versailles’ gardens, a pigeon landed effortlessly on a masterpiece of French outdoor sculpture: a 17th-century statue of Apollo on a chariot, pulled by four horses. The statue, made of gilded lead, has stood in a vast fountain at Versailles in the three-plus centuries since Louis XIV was king of France — and it has now entered the digital age via a new feature on the historic site’s app: Powered by the tech giant OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, an audio tool lets visitors (on or off site) converse with 20 outdoor statues in three languages. On that summer afternoon, I put the chatbot to the test. Via NYT

What We're Reading: August 4, 2025

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760542107/k59jxijsorvqzeqwrm5b.jpg"> Local cartoonist Chris Ware's sheet of "Forever" stamps traces a busy postal carrier's journey through an urban landscape across four seasons. Credit: derek li wan po/Provided <a style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/07/22/us-postal-service-needed-stamps-to-celebrate-its-250th-anniversary-local-cartoonist-chris-ware-delivered/" target="_blank">USPS Needed Stamps For Its 250th Anniversary. Local Cartoonist Chris Ware Delivered</a>&nbsp;What’s older than the Declaration of Independence? Believe it or not: the United States Postal Service.The organization now known as the USPS was <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://facts.usps.com/benjamin-franklin-first-postmaster-general/" target="_blank">established in July 1775</a> — one year before the 13 original colonies declared themselves to be their own nation. This week, the agency <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2025/0428-usps-announces-stamps-celebrating-its-250th-anniversary.htm" target="_blank">celebrates its semiquincentennial</a> with a creative new stamp design featuring artwork by local cartoonist extraordinaire Chris Ware.&nbsp;Via Block Club Chicago <a style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/yvette-mayorga-times-square-arts-magic-grasshopper-2669062" target="_blank">Yvette Mayorga Is Unleashing a Candy-Coated Fantasy in Times Square</a>Times Square is about to get a sugar rush. <a style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artnet.com/artists/yvette-mayorga/" target="_blank">Yvette Mayorga</a>, the artist best known for her pink-hued, frosted confections, is unveiling her largest public artwork at the New York plaza—one that’s equal parts dreamy fairy tale and pointed social critique.Via Artnet <a style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/arts/design/amy-sherald-smithsonian-censorship.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZE8.Svkq.6qh_WIj7TJOj&amp;smid=url-share" target="_blank">Amy Sherald Cancels Her Smithsonian Show, Citing Censorship</a>Amy Sherald — the artist who rocketed to fame with her 2018 <a style="color: rgb(50, 104, 145);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/arts/design/amy-sherald-michelle-obama-official-portrait.html" target="_blank">portrait of Michelle Obama</a> — has withdrawn her upcoming solo show from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery because she said she had been told the museum was considering removing her painting depicting a transgender Statue of Liberty to avoid provoking President Trump.Via NYT

What We're Reading July 28th

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760542061/fxjnglqe1lhxp0okfmr7.png"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/luminosity-the-ocean-between-viii" target="_blank">LUMINOSITY: The Ocean Between VIII</a>Opening: Friday, July 18, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PMOliva Gallery <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760542062/b4suys7vvivg4xeftrwd.jpg"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/april-behnke-mind-games" target="_blank">April Behnke: Mind Games</a>Opening: Friday, July 18, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PMKim Storage Gallery <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760542063/d22t8zp3ayohywe68gjx.png"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/fawn-penn-remedy-for-the-relief-of-human-suffering" target="_blank">Fawn Penn: Remedy for the Relief of Human Suffering</a>Opening: Friday, July 18, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PMVSG Contemporary <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760542064/kiyf2wqg9pmrbqkmkv0p.png"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/juan-carlos-rodriguez-sound-the-alarm" target="_blank">Juan Carlos Rodriguez: Sound the Alarm</a>Opening: Friday, July 18, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PMSouth Shore Arts <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760542065/mizbotmqiybtwupriavz.png"> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/three-ways-of-seeing-tomo-mori-marie-kirk-burke-and-jill-hackney" target="_blank">Three Ways of Seeing: Tomo Mori, Marie Kirk Burke, and Jill Hackney</a>Opening: Saturday, July 19, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PMJudy Ferrara Gallery

New Exhibitions: July 18 - 19

<h3><a style="color: rgb(32, 76, 156);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artnews.com/list/art-in-america/features/what-is-art-good-for-christine-sun-kim-stephen-shore-1234746972/" target="_blank">What Is Art Good For? Seven Artists&nbsp;Respond.</a></h3>All artists have wrestled with the question of why they make art. The endeavor can sometimes feel impotent or indulgent, or perhaps motivated by compulsion alone. Yet here we are, continuing a tradition that has spanned the entirety of human history. My ears always perk up when an artist offers or even implies an answer to art’s purpose, with their words or with their work, so I posed the question to seven artists with evident opinions. Some responded with words to live by; others turned the prompt into a creative or conceptual challenge—as artists are wont to do. (Still others not included declined to answer, emailing simply, “I don’t know.”) The responses below range, as might be expected, from cynical to sincere, with some managing neat answers and others leaning into the open-endedness that the question—and that art—engenders.&nbsp;—As told to Emily Watlington Via Art in America <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/07/15/free-art-with-strings-attached-zero-art-fairs-first-edition-in-new-york-city-puts-a-new-spin-on-the-old-fair-format" target="_blank">‘Free art, with strings attached’: Zero Art Fair’s first edition in New York City puts a new spin on the old fair format</a></h3><a style="background-color: rgb(255, 254, 250); color: inherit;" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.zeroartfair.com/about/" target="_blank">Zero Art Fair</a>&nbsp;appears normal enough. Held last week in a white-walled gallery towering above Chelsea at the Flag Art Foundation’s ninth-floor headquarters, collectors perused paintings, sculptures and other works last week. But after finding something they liked, instead of handing over bank details, buyers presented a paper card and took their art home with no money changing hands. Under that system, 179 works were placed with a total retail value of $537,500, with 14 additional works on hold, fair organisers said on Monday (14 July). The Art Newspaper <h3> </h3><h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/12/arts/design/art-homosexuality-museums-chicago-art-institute.html" target="_blank">How ‘Gay’ Became an Identity in Art</a></h3>When did homosexuality change from a description of what people&nbsp;do&nbsp;to a definition of who they&nbsp;are? How was an act transformed into an identity? In this precarious moment, as&nbsp;White House pronouncements, court decisions and&nbsp;public polling&nbsp;indicate backsliding support for gay rights in this country, such questions, long chewed over by scholars of sociology, philosophy and gender studies, are addressed in two impressive art exhibitions in Chicago. Via NYT Thumbnail image: Andreas Andersen, “Interior with Hendrik Andersen and John Briggs Potter in Florence,” 1894, from “The First Homosexuals: The Birth of a New Identity, 1869-1939” at Wrightwood 659 gallery in Chicago. Credit: Direzione Musei Statali della Città di Roma; via Wrightwood 659 <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/man-arrested-stone-of-destiny-scottish-museum-2667564" target="_blank">Man in Kilt Breaks Glass Protecting the Stone of Destiny at Museum</a></h3>&nbsp;35-year-old man wearing a kilt was arrested in the Scottish city of Perth after he allegedly broke the glass protecting an artifact that has been key to U.K. history for centuries. Via Artnet

What We're Reading: July 16, 2025

<h4><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541918/z0oysq3qjyqpqfjdqm9p.jpg"></h4>Gustave Caillebotte’s&nbsp;The Floor Scrapers&nbsp;(1875) Courtesy of Musée d’Orsay, Dist. GrandPalaisRmn/Franck Raux <h4> </h4><h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/07/07/gustave-caillebotte-blockbuster-that-sparked-controversy-in-france-opens-chicago-one-key-difference" target="_blank">Gustave Caillebotte blockbuster that sparked controversy in France opens in Chicago—with one key difference</a></h4> When the new, career-defining survey of&nbsp;<a style="color: inherit;" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/keywords/gustave-caillebotte" target="_blank">Gustave Caillebotte</a>&nbsp;opened in late June at its final stop, the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC), the checklist was very similar to previous versions at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Its chronological layout will also be familiar to any return visitors. But the show is dramatically different in at least one respect: its title. The Midwestern institution has changed the exhibition title from&nbsp;<a style="color: inherit;" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.getty.edu/exhibitions/caillebotte/" target="_blank">Gustave Caillebotte: Painting Men</a>&nbsp;(in French,&nbsp;<a style="color: inherit;" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.musee-orsay.fr/fr/agenda/expositions/caillebotte-peindre-les-hommes" target="_blank">Caillebotte: Peindre Les Hommes</a>) to the more gender-neutral—or neutered—<a style="color: inherit;" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/10068/gustave-caillebotte-painting-his-world" target="_blank">Gustave Caillebotte: Painting His World</a>&nbsp;(until 5 October). Could it be that the Chicago museum is toning things down because so many French art critics flipped out over the male focus? Via the Art Newspaper <h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://observer.com/2025/07/art-exhibition-review-catalyst-intuit-art-museum-chicago/" target="_blank">Migration, Marginalization and Outsider Art Collide in Intuit Art Museum’s ‘Catalyst’</a></h4> <a style="color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://observer.com/person/isarnu-guy-conners/" target="_blank">Isarnu Guy Conners</a>’&nbsp;North Avenue Beach&nbsp;is a small painting of the Chicago waterfront. It’s composed of tactile blobs of colors that resolve themselves into swimmers, bicyclists, clouds, rocks and the Chicago skyline off in the distance. The influence of artists like Van Gogh and the Impressionists is obvious, though Conners was born in Japan, and looking at the painting reminds us that the Impressionists were powerfully influenced by the colors and carefully casual compositions of Japanese prints. North Avenue Beach&nbsp;is on display as part of “Catalyst: Im/migration and Self-Taught Art in Chicago,” an exhibition at the newly reopened Intuit Art Museum. Artists like&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://observer.com/person/henry-darger/" target="_blank">Henry Darger</a>, artists/collectors like&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://observer.com/person/roger-brown/" target="_blank">Roger Brown</a>, and institutions like Intuit itself have made Chicago a center for the study of and cultivation of&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://observer.com/2025/02/interview-andrew-edlin-outsider-art-fair-art-market/" target="_blank">outsider or self-taught art</a>. Chicago, as a transportation hub, has also been a major destination for immigrants from Poland, Mexico, Asia, the American South and more. Via Observer <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541920/taffy0rrwfbd6xjaoisj.jpg">Jasper Johns,&nbsp;Flag&nbsp;(1960-66). The Middleton Family Collection. Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. <h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/america-250th-anniversary-exhibitions-2662919" target="_blank">Countdown to America’s 250th: The Museum Shows Mapping the Country’s Past—and Future</a></h4> The countdown to the 250th anniversary of America’s independence has begun, and museums are already lining up celebrations to mark the milestone. Far from empty flag-waving exercises, these exhibitions richly explore the nation’s founding ideals and contested histories through the lenses of art and artifacts. What did independence mean then—and what does it mean now? Here are 10 shows that encourage reflection as much as a deep reckoning. Via Artnet <h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/art-basel-2025-blue-chip-galleries-sales-trend-1234746767/" target="_blank">Galleries’ Reporting Seems to Show Sales Slipping at Art Basel, Even As Number of Artists Rises</a></h4> It’s no secret that the art market has been mired in a prolonged slump for nearly two years. Where dealers and market observers once described conditions in late 2023 and 2024 using euphemisms like “soft” or “a correction,” this spring’s assessments were more often met with shrugs—or, when expectations were exceeded, with outsized celebration. Such was the case with Frieze’s fairs in&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(229, 75, 39); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.email.artnews.com%2F%3Fqs%3D3d0fb3860d124f56314637ce8db1d95543aad6df6ec68375699ab99ae1d5f3b73288518a46e02b505793bf800725447faaeb570a1e681627&amp;data=05%7C02%7Chjacobs%40artnews.com%7Ca432e50fe25141053b6908ddb9846776%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C638870700523456828%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=LpDe9Qr61YvsL9nlC13F3A6jniJZIby05oFZpjIuKHg%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">LA in February</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(229, 75, 39); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclick.email.artnews.com%2F%3Fqs%3D3d0fb3860d124f5670cb541357ef495ae312a809e07193b81f914fb90a46c07ddf18739f4e84c6fd285ffe2873f3ff43a0647395926e3794&amp;data=05%7C02%7Chjacobs%40artnews.com%7Ca432e50fe25141053b6908ddb9846776%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C638870700523656971%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=tEl2DOWhrTv0%2BsVO9LM%2FlgznRMQSDPGAzXYYUECHUF8%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">New York in May.</a> Via ARTnews

What We're Reading: July 7, 2025

CGN adds to its calendar of art events daily, and there is no shortage of new exhibitions, openings, art fairs, talks and family art events to explore. We have put together a preview of what is coming up the rest of this month as an art-filled summer ramps up. Events happen throughout the city as well as in the suburbs and within a day's drive. Whether you have an hour after work or you are looking for a weekend road trip, take a look and do a little planning in order to take a step into the world of art. Everyone is welcome! Highlights are organized by event type. Dates vary and are subject to change. –&nbsp;GinnyCGN Publisher <h3>• Exhibitions</h3> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541876/hjwubxvmhnws61yyxsi9.jpg"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/city-in-a-garden-queer-art-and-activism-in-chicago" target="_blank">City in a Garden: Queer Art and Activism in Chicago</a></h3> Jul 5, 2025 - Jan 25, 2026 <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/museum-of-contemporary-art-chicago-mca" target="_blank">Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA)</a> City in a Garden: Queer Art and Activism in Chicago&nbsp;is an intergenerational group exhibition that highlights Chicago’s essential, yet often underacknowledged, role in the story of queer art and activism. The exhibition examines this history from the mid-1980s, when activists radically mobilized in response to the US government’s disastrous handling of the AIDS crisis.&nbsp; <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541877/ac3ahz6rdf0enkgepvwb.png"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/mau-mau-solo-show" target="_blank">Mau Mau Solo Show</a></h3> Jul 11, 2025 - Jul 26, 2025Opening: Friday, Jul 11, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/vertical-gallery" target="_blank">Vertical Gallery</a> Mau Mau is a renowned British urban graffiti artist who’s gained an international following with his humorous street, print and graffiti work. He incorporates political, environmental and cultural commentary to his work – often with his trademark character of a mischievous and fun loving Fox. With roots planted in surf and country vibes of the North Devon coast, Mau Mau brings an air of rural sophistication to the art he has been creating for twenty years. He has painted his way around the world, his artwork appearing on everything from shipwrecks to surfboards and billboards to city walls. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541878/grwnyt4bd23kqi1bazl4.jpg"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/alex-katz-white-lotus" target="_blank">Alex Katz: White Lotus</a></h3> Jul 11, 2025 - Sep 20, 2025 <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/gray" target="_blank">GRAY</a> Though titled after the hit television show,&nbsp;White Lotus&nbsp;by Alex Katz bears very little relation to HBO’s dark comedy. Rather, the paintings in this series are guided more by the tools of cinema, through Katz's use of monumental canvas, dramatic lighting, and repeating figures. Opening at GRAY’s Chicago gallery on July 11, 2025,&nbsp;White Lotus&nbsp;is a testament not only to Katz’s nonstop creative output, but also his status as one of the most groundbreaking American artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541879/cpcjyilyntddqbe2b7x9.jpg"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/paul-segedin-and-karen-perl" target="_blank">Leopold Segedin | A Habit of Art: Paintings from 2015 to the Present</a></h3> Jul 8, 2025 - Aug 10, 2025Opening: Sunday, Jul 13, 2025 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/evanston-art-center" target="_blank">Evanston Art Center</a> Leopold Segedin is a Chicago-born painter (b. 1927) who has been exhibiting his work since 1944. His works have been shown at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Corcoran Art Gallery in Washington, D.C., and the Milwaukee Art Institute. At 97, Segedin currently lives and works in Evanston from his home studio. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541880/g4lavcm1xc6nprgl1vhf.jpg"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/kathleen-waterloo-new-encaustic-paintings" target="_blank">Kathleen Waterloo. New Encaustic paintings</a></h3> Jul 11, 2025 - Sep 1, 2025Opening: Friday, Jul 11, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/addington-gallery" target="_blank">Addington Gallery</a> Solo exhibition -&nbsp;Kathleen Waterloo. New Encaustic painting <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541881/zshpagihjrahkuby7qkp.png"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/luminosity-the-ocean-between-viii" target="_blank">LUMINOSITY: The Ocean Between VIII</a></h3> Jul 18, 2025 - Aug 16, 2025Opening: Friday, Jul 18, 2025 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/oliva-gallery" target="_blank">Oliva Gallery</a> Curated by Marianna Buchwald and Tamara Wasserman this group exhibition brings together a dynamic roster of international and Chicago-based artists whose work reflects the fluid intersections of culture, imagination, and personal mythology. The exhibition explores light, not only as a visual phenomenon, but as a metaphor for transformation, connection, and creative vision. Through diverse media including painting, sculpture, mixed media, and installation, the featured artists illuminate the conceptual distance between places, people, and identities, transforming it into a shared space of artistic inquiry. <h3>• Summer Road Trips: Rockford, Wisconsin, SW Michigan</h3> <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541882/l83n4qip0hi8q3lfiyzq.jpg"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/art-fair-on-the-square" target="_blank">Art Fair on the Square</a></h3> Jul 12 and 13, 2025<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/madison-museum-of-contemporary-art-mmoca" target="_blank">Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA)</a> One of the Midwest’s most popular and highly regarded outdoor celebrations of the arts will return to the Capitol Square on Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13, 2025, as MMoCA presents the 67th annual Art Fair on the Square. With its mix of music, entertainment, and outdoor dining, as well as over 500 artists exhibiting paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture, jewelry, handmade clothing and accessories, and fine craft, the fair draws nearly 200,000 visitors to Madison’s Capitol Square. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541883/x5hu3yfj9iqxfb7hxhgc.jpg"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/day-trip-art-of-rockford-il" target="_blank">Day Trip: Art of Rockford, IL</a></h3> Thursday, Jul 17, 2025 8:30 AM – 6:30 PM <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/art-encounter" target="_blank">Art Encounter</a> Mark your calendars for our bus trip to Rockford, IL, a city bursting with artistic energy and local charm! Join Art Encounter's Sarah Packer and Joanna Pinsky to visit a local muralist in his studio, take a guided tour of the Rockford Art Museum, explore the city's renowned public art, and meet a unique collective of artists. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541883/v5bgmpw6vx9rrtd8jfz2.png"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/forward2025" target="_blank">Forward</a></h3> Jul 16, 2025 - Aug 31, 2025Opening: Friday, Jul 18, 2025 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM in conjunction with <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/gallery-night-mke-reception-for-forward" target="_blank">Gallery Night MKE</a> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/lily-pad-west" target="_blank">Lily Pad | West</a> Since 1851, Wisconsin has embraced the word "Forward" as its state motto, a simple yet powerful declaration of progress and positivity. At Lily Pad | West, we have embodied this spirit for the past eight years, consistently advancing our vision of showcasing world-class art through a dynamic mix of local, national, and international artists. As the gallery expands its horizons, we are proud to remain deeply rooted in supporting the vibrant community of contemporary Wisconsin artists. "Forward" is the gallery's fourth annual group exhibition featuring an impressive lineup of Wisconsin-based artists. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541884/n0dfz4mtypyo2l0goujz.jpg"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/april-behnke-mind-games" target="_blank">April Behnke: Mind Games</a></h3> Jul 18, 2025 - Aug 16, 2025Opening: Friday, Jul 18, 2025 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Gallery Night MKE)Artist Talk: Saturday, July 19 beginning at 1PM (Gallery Day MKE) <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/kim-storage-gallery" target="_blank">Kim Storage Gallery</a> Kim Storage Gallery is thrilled to present "Mind Games," a solo exhibition by Chicago-based artist April Behnke. This captivating show features a new body of work showcasing Behnke's exploration of perceptual play through paintings and drawings. The exhibition delves into the ways we use vision to perceive patterns and make sense of the world. Behnke skillfully interrupts these patterns, mixing up foreground and background to create a visual experience that is both familiar and disorienting. Visitors will be intrigued by the dynamic interplay of colors and shapes, which challenge and engage the viewer's perception. "Mind Games" not only references the show's main theme but also invites viewers to participate in a playful and interactive experience. Behnke's work draws inspiration from both board games and early video games, incorporating structured patterns and visual interruptions that evoke a sense of nostalgia and curiosity. This exhibition marks Behnke's first solo show at Kim Storage Gallery, and it promises to be a thought-provoking and visually stimulating event. Join us for the opening reception and artist talk, where Behnke will provide deeper insights into her creative process and the conceptual underpinnings of her work. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541885/x3mieqcrysulzo7wsrqd.jpg"> <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events/randolph-street-market-in-three-oaks-michigan" target="_blank">Randolph Street Market – in Three Oaks Michigan</a></h3> Jul 26 and Jul 27, 2025<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/organizations/randolph-street-market" target="_blank">Randolph Street Market</a> Chicago's internationally renowned Randolph Street Market&nbsp;is taking a road trip this summer to Three Oaks Michigan!&nbsp;&nbsp;We're bringing 50 of the best dealers&nbsp;our Windy City extravaganza has to offer,&nbsp;just ninety minutes from downtown but a world away!&nbsp;&nbsp;If you're missing us this summer, take a day trip or stay the weekend.&nbsp; Come shop the wares of some of the dealers you love, cruise the stores on Three Oaks' main drag and even stop for a swim at Warren Dunes State Park. <h3><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagogallerynews.com/events" target="_blank">View the full CGN calendar here</a></h3>

CGN Art Preview: July 2025

<h4><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1760541862/ha0allcuejkhsndhvdux.jpg"></h4>The new entrance is intended to take pressure off the Louvre’s main entrance, which was designed by the architect I.M. Pei in the 1980s. Credit: Andrea Mantovani for The New York Times<h4> </h4><h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/arts/design/france-louvre-design-competition.html?unlocked_article_code=1.TE8.MhgS.FcJbMp27V3NW&amp;smid=url-share" target="_blank">France Opens Competition to Expand Overcrowded Louvre</a></h4> France on Friday started an architectural competition for the daunting task of expanding the Louvre in Paris, in a bid to ease overcrowding at the world’s biggest and most visited museum.The project, which will create a new entrance and give the Mona Lisa a new exhibition space, was first&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(50, 104, 145);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/arts/design/mona-lisa-louvre-macron.html?searchResultPosition=2" target="_blank">announced in January</a>&nbsp;by President Emmanuel Macron. He set the ambitious target of welcoming 12 million visitors per year — three million more than today — while also solving crowd-management headaches at the museum. The architectural competition will be decided by a 21-person international jury, which will choose five finalists in October. A winner will be announced in early 2026, according to the Louvre. Via NYT <h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/ken-griffin-13th-amendment-copy-sothebys-1234746499/" target="_blank">Ken Griffin Buys Lincoln’s Handwritten Copy of 13th Amendment for $13.7 M.</a></h4> Billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin&nbsp;has been revealed as the winner of last week’s auction at Sotheby’s for President&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(229, 75, 39);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.artnews.com/t/abraham-lincoln/" target="_blank">Abraham Lincoln</a>’s handwritten copy of the 13th Amendment, the auction house said in a statement Monday. The document—one of only four copies still in private hands—was offered during the first part of Sotheby’s “Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana” sale last Thursday, with an estimate of $8 million to $12 million. After a spirited round of bidding, Griffin secured the winning bid of $12 million by phone. With buyer’s premium, the total came to $13.7 million, well above the $2.4 million record set for a different copy of the amendment in 2016. Via Artnews <h4><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.wttw.com/playlist/2025/06/27/bear-frank-lloyd-wright-home" target="_blank">'The Bear' Spotlights Frank Lloyd Wright's Home and Studio in Oak Park</a></h4> The Bear&nbsp;is famous for spotlighting beloved Chicago landmarks, and the new fourth season is no different. In episode five, protagonist Carmy drives to the western suburb of&nbsp;<a style="background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245); color: rgb(0, 81, 186);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.wttw.com/chicago-by-l/neighborhoods/oak-park" target="_blank">Oak Park</a>&nbsp;to visit the legendary architect&nbsp;<a style="background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245); color: rgb(0, 81, 186);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.wttw.com/playlist/2022/12/22/frank-lloyd-wright-jonathan-adams" target="_blank">Frank Lloyd Wright</a>’s home and studio. Carmy wanders through the connected buildings, admiring such details as the octagonal, double-height drafting room; the barrel-vaulted second floor playroom; patterned windows and skylights of Wright’s own design; and some signature high-backed chairs in the dining room. Interspersed throughout the shots are blueprints, historic photos of the home, and a photo of the Wright family there, which a docent shows to Carmy. (The&nbsp;<a style="background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245); color: rgb(0, 81, 186);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://flwright.org/tour/home-and-studio" target="_blank">home and studio</a>&nbsp;are open for tours.) Unsurprisingly, the chef Carmy lingers in the kitchen at an antique stove. Via WTTW

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