Art for which the idea (or concept) behind the work is more important than the finished art object.&nbsp;

Conceptual / Performance

<h3>Developed during the Italian Renaissance, primarily for aesthetics or beauty, the highest art was that which allowed the full expression and display of the artist's imagination.</h3>

Fine Prints & Painting – Pre 18th Century

<h3>Graphic Art covers a broad range of visual artistic expression, typically two-dimensional. It includes calligraphy, photography, painting, typography, computer graphics, and bindery.&nbsp;</h3>

Graphic Art

Works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects.

Artists' Books

The exploration of video art and music or sound set, including visual music, abstract film, audiovisual performances and installations.

Video / Sound

The objects produced by shaping pieces of clay that are then hardened by baking, or the skill of making such objects.

Ceramics

An artistic form in which hard or plastic materials are carved, modeled, casted, and constructed into a three-dimensional art object.&nbsp;

Sculpture

The process of creating artworks by printing, typically on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints that have an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting.

Printmaking

<h3>Something made in an earlier period that is collected and considered to have value because it is beautiful, rare, old, or of high quality.</h3>

Antiques and Artifacts

Imagery where the subject matter centers around a view or depiction of Chicago.&nbsp;

Chicago Scenes & Regionalism

Old Masters refer to any painter of skill who worked in Europe before about 1800.

Old Masters

Socio-Political art is used to help the public understand a particular social or political issue.

Socio-Political

<h3>The attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding artistic conventions, or implausible, exotic, and supernatural elements.</h3>

Realism

<h3>Artwork (particularly paintings and sculptures) that is clearly derived from real objects and is representational.</h3>

Figurative

<h3>Individual works of art that are substantially or wholly made of glass. Glass art ranges in size from monumental works and installation pieces, to wall hangings and windows, to works of art made in studios and factories, including glass jewelry and tableware.</h3>

Glass

<h3>Artwork that often deals with Rococo, the Enlightenment, Neoclassicism, and Romanticism.</h3>

Fine Prints & Painting – 18th & 19th C.

From the Tate Museum's website: Modernism refers to a global movement in society and culture that from the early decades of the twentieth century sought a new alignment with the experience and values of modern industrial life. Building on late nineteenth-century precedents, artists around the world used new imagery, materials and techniques to create artworks that they felt better reflected the realities and hopes of modern societies.

Modernism

<h3>Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic combination of materials, methods, concepts, and subjects that continue to challenge boundaries.</h3>

Fine Prints & Painting – Contemporary

<h3>Art that is concerned with the design and decoration of objects that are chiefly prized for their utility, rather than for their purely aesthetic qualities including, ceramics, glassware, metalware, furniture, textiles, clothing, and more.</h3>

Furniture & Decorative Arts

<h3>Emerging art is work by artists who are still building their artistic careers and have not yet reached a more established and widely recognized status.&nbsp;</h3>

Emerging

<h3>Fiber art refers to fine art whose material consists of natural or synthetic fiber and other components, such as fabric or yarn. It focuses on the materials and on the manual labour on the part of the artist as part of the works' significance, and prioritizes aesthetic value over utility.</h3>

Fiber Arts / Textiles

The quality of dealing with ideas rather than events. Freedom from representational qualities in art.

Abstraction

<h3>Art by African-American artists.</h3>

African-American

<h3>The art and science of designing and making buildings, or the style of a building.</h3>

Architecture

<h3>Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, an emphasis on light and its changing qualities, and inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience.</h3>

Impressionism

From the Tate Museum's website: Abstract expressionism is the term applied to new forms of abstract art developed by American painters such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning in the 1940s and 1950s. It is often characterized by gestural brush-strokes or mark-making, and the impression of spontaneity.

Abstract Expressionism

Numismatics

Relating to Africa or people of African descent.

African

Eastern European art is a product of recent history. It can be traced to the division of Europe into the Western and Soviet spheres of influence of the allied victory over Germany in World War two.

Eastern European

Considered one of the most influential periods of art, featuring movements including Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, Dada, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism.

Early 20th Century

Skill and experience, especially in relation to making objects by hand.

Craft

<h3>The skill of making plans, drawings, or arrangements to show how a building or product is made.</h3>

Design

Asian art is diverse and rich, spanning thousands of years and dozens of countries. It is known for its ritual bronzes, beautiful ceramics, calligraphy, jades, textiles, painted landscapes, garden design, pagodas and stupas, and woodblock prints.

Asian

<h3>An artistic genre of three-dimensional works that often are site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space.</h3>

Installations

An art form that combines visual art with dramatic performance.

Performance

Some of the most prominent, highly influential artists, who challenged preconceptions and pushed the limits of visual art, shaping the art world of our time.

Modern Contemporary Masters

Created in accordance with the vision of the artist as a photographer, using photography as a medium to bring something to life that only lives in the artist's mind.

Photography

The design movement in interior, product, graphic design, architecture, and urban development from roughly the 1930's to 1965.

Mid-Century

A movement in art and literature that flourished in the early 20th-century. Surrealism aimed at expressing imaginative dreams and visions free from conscious rational control.&nbsp;

Surrealism

An innovative discipline which seeks to unify a large range of art forms. This is creatively achieved by combining an array of artistic insights and crafts such as film, literature, performance, music and sound, drama, visual arts, or design.

Multi-Media

<h3>The depiction of landscapes in art—natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent composition.</h3>

Landscape

Plein air is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look.

Plein-air

Printed 2-D artwork which is designed to be affixed to a vertical surface, may consist exclusively of images, or images and text.

Poster / Lithography

<h3>A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person.</h3>

Portraits / Portraiture

<h3>These works are often stunningly beautiful, and encourage the viewer to engage with the rich history of research and experimentation that led to the piece’s conception.</h3>

Scientific

<h3>The Art of the American West is defined by geographical subject, consists of historic and contemporary works of art which focus on varying expressions of individuals, landscapes, ideals, and myths of the American West.</h3>

Western (The American West)

<h3>Borrowed from Wikipedia: In visual arts, music, and other mediums, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Donald Judd, Agnes Martin, Dan Flavin, Robert Morris, Anne Truitt, and Frank Stella. It derives from the reductive aspects of modernism and is often interpreted as a reaction against abstract expressionism and a bridge to postminimal art practices.</h3>

Minimalism

<h3>Occupying the space between fine art and the everyday, functional art refers to aesthetic objects that serve utilitarian purposes. The genre is remarkably inclusive, it encompasses everything from furniture and lighting to dishes and even books.</h3>

Functional Art - Jewelry / Fashion

A range of artistic practices encompassing both historical approaches to nature in art and more recent ecological and politically motivated types of works.

Wildlife / Nature

Watches & Timepieces

Sports Collectibles

3-Dimensonal

Rare Books / Manuscripts

Western European art represents a continuous, though disrupted, tradition from antiquity until the present time. Until the mid-19th century it was primarily concerned with representational and Classical modes of production. After the mid-19th century modern, abstract and conceptual forms gained favor.

Western European

<h3>Artistic expression of Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, as well as Latin and Hispanic Americans living in other regions. Latin American art has roots in the many different indigenous cultures that inhabited the Americas before European colonization in the 16th-century.</h3>

Latin American and Hispanic

Comics

Large Scale (over 6')

Visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues. Common forms and media include spray paint graffiti, stencil graffiti, poster art, sticker art, street installations, and sculpture.

Pop / Street Art / Graffiti

Medieval / Renaissance 

Non-Western

<h3>Art produced by self-taught or naïve art makers. Typically, those labeled as outsider artists have little or no contact with the mainstream art world or art institutions. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or elaborate fantasy worlds.</h3>

Folk / Outsider / Self Taught

American Regionalism

Literary Arts

Mosiac

Includes manuscripts, prints, drawings, collages, and paintings on paper.

Works on Paper

Prints and Drawings

Located one block east of the historic Water Tower, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago has been at the forefront of showcasing new and experimental work since its inception in 1967. Be inspired by their ever-changing, provocative exhibits and programs; indulge in&nbsp;innovative cuisine crafted by one of the city’s foremost chefs at their restaurant, Marisol; and shop at one of the best gift stores in Chicago. Visit the MCA’s <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.mcachicago.org/" target="_blank">website</a> to plan your next visit. The MCA offers&nbsp;FREE admission for&nbsp;anyone under 18 all&nbsp;year long. Photo: T. McDonald&nbsp;Photography (@tmcd.chi)

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA)

Welcome to Lily Pad Gallery West, where art comes to life in the heart of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Nestled in The Third Ward, the vibrant cultural tapestry of the city, our gallery is a sanctuary for artistic expression, a haven for creativity, and a celebration of the diverse talents that grace our walls. The Gallery is a special place where there is a wonderful dialogue between the artist and the beholder. Each artistic piece is curated with care and invites the viewer to explore the varied possibilities of the human spirit through artistic expression. Lily Pad Gallery West is more than just a destination; It is a community. We believe in the transformative power of art to inspire, connect, and elevate. It is where we value the beauty of diversity and the endless forms it takes in the realm of creativity. Whether you’re an art enthusiast, a seasoned collector, or a curious soul seeking inspiration, Lily Pad welcomes you to embark on a visual journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the extraordinary. Come to the Lily Pad Gallery experience and let the magic of art envelop you. Our gallery is a cozy space where artistic talent meets appreciative hearts! Visit our website to view more information and our full exhibition schedule. Lily Pad Gallery is a participant in Milwaukee’s Third Ward Gallery Night MKE events. Dates are below and details at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gallerynightmke.com/" target="_blank">gallerynightmke.com</a> • January 16 and 17, 2026• April 17 and 18, 2026• July 17 and 18, 2026• October 16 and 17, 2026

Lily Pad | West

Seven years after launching her namesake gallery in Seattle, Mariane Ibrahim moved their space to Chicago in 2019. In September 2021, the gallery opened their inaugural European space in Paris and in February 2023 opened a location in Mexico City. The gallery has hosted acclaimed exhibitions, with a founding focus on the African diaspora, from leading and emerging artists. The gallery has worked with global renowned institutions and have had an international presence at art fairs with acclaimed and prize-winning presentations. In 2021 Ibrahim was awarded The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and the Letters) on behalf of the Ministry of culture in France. Notable prizes and appointments include the Prize Winner from Presents Section, The Armory Show 2017, current Selection Committee, The Armory Show, current Visionaries Committee, Performa Arts and member of the Art Dealers Association of America. Image: Sol Kordich, Coming back to the one. Installation View. Courtesy of Mariane Ibrahim.

Mariane Ibrahim

Established in 1940 as a not-for-profit organization that supports the Art Institute of Chicago, the SCA promotes a deeper understanding and appreciation of the art of the current moment. SCA programs and events offer this insight to participants through accessing artists, leading critics, historians, curators, dealers, distinguished private collections, and major art destinations within the United States and abroad. The SCA also has made a substantial contribution to the museum’s collection and presentations of contemporary art through its acquisitions, special initiatives, and exhibition support. In 2017, the SCA Engagement Fund was established to lend financial support to select Art Institute of Chicago initiatives related to contemporary art. Providing further opportunities for SCA members to participate directly in the museum’s work, this includes but is not limited to support for: exhibitions and performances, the production of publications, education initiatives, and programming.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Society for Contemporary Art (SCA)

Since 1916, The Arts Club of Chicago has been a preeminent exhibitor of international art, a forum for established and emerging artists, and a celebrated venue for performers from around the world. For over 100 years, The Arts Club has opened its membership to artists and patrons of the arts, and its exhibitions to the public.&nbsp; Image: Haegue Yang, artist. Photo: Michael Tropea

The Arts Club of Chicago

The Elmhurst Art Museum is an arts complex with three distinct focus areas. A balance of art, education, and architecture programming is central to our efforts to inspire and enrich our community and cultivate a creative space where art is for everyone. We hold public art events and educational hands-on activities related to rotating contemporary art exhibitions and the celebration of the McCormick house, a rare single-family home designed by Mies van der Rohe.&nbsp; The Elmhurst Art Museum is located in Elmhurst, 25 minutes from downtown Chicago by public transportation (Metra). Our website has information about exhibitions, events, classes, and other activities. Image: Elmhurst Art Museum with Sentrock’s Bird City Saint

Elmhurst Art Museum

The Cleve Carney Museum of Art’s goal is to encourage the growth and understanding of contemporary and modern art through exhibitions and educational programming that cultivates a variety of perspectives. The museum is named in honor of one of Glen Ellyn’s most revered philanthropists, the late Cleve Carney, a contemporary art collector and supporter of the arts. Located on the campus of the College of DuPage the CCMA is an intimate museum space that provides year round programming to the public.&nbsp; Image: Photo by Margo Hawk

The Cleve Carney Museum of Art  (CCMA)

Rosenthal Fine Art is located in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. Founded in 1984, Rosenthal provides a wide range of personalized services including appraisals and curatorial consultations, new acquisitions and exhibitions. The gallery also provides valuation advice in the form of appraisals for insurance, donations, estate settlements and expert witness services. Our focus is Modernism, Abstract Expressionism, Post-War, and Contemporary.&nbsp; Artists include: Jack Beal, Harry Bertoia, Stanley Boxer, Joseph Bueys, John Cage, Giorgio Cavallon, Gene Davis, Jim Dine, John Deom, Sam Gilliam. Judith Goldsmith, Dimitri Hadzi,&nbsp;Keith Haring, Sharon Kopriva, Richard Lindner, Reuben Nakian, Claus Oldenburg, Jerry Ott, Santiago Parra, Larry Poons, James Rosenquist, Hunt Slonem, Elsworth Snyder, Harry Sudman, Bill Weege, Dennis Wojtkiewicz, and Larry Zox. Image: Main upstairs gallery, Seasonal Selections Exhibition

Rosenthal Fine Art, Inc.

The RAM Permanent Collection focuses on modern and contemporary art, photography, studio glass, African American art from the South, and regional art; exhibits change throughout the year.&nbsp; Various educational programs including lectures and classes for adults and classes for children are offered. The mission of Rockford Art Museum is to foster creativity and build community through visual arts. Visit <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rockfordartmuseum.org" target="_blank">rockfordartmuseum.org</a> or our social media for upcoming events and 2026 exhibition schedule. Download our app at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://app.cuseum.com/rockford-art-museum" target="_blank">app.cuseum.com/rockford-art-museum</a> for archived audio tours, lectures, and more!&nbsp; Image:&nbsp;Installation view: Homecoming In Color, 2025

Rockford Art Museum

We look forward to seeing you in the New Year!Wrightwood 659 is closed for the holidays December 27th and 28th and will re-open Friday, January 3.May your holiday season be filled with joy.&nbsp; Wrightwood 659 is a world-class gallery hosting powerful, thought-provoking exhibitions featuring architecture and socially engaged art since opening in 2018. Located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood and designed by Pritzker-Prize winner Tadao Ando—one of the preeminent architects of our time—Wrightwood 659’s soaring, light-filled galleries offer both intimate and monumental experiences as visitors engage with the pressing issues of our time.&nbsp; Exhibitions are curated by leaders in their field and are often unique to Wrightwood 659— each informed by a progressive and forward-thinking vision. They have included the works of more than 100 artists and architects such as Le Corbusier, Tadao Ando, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. The visitor experience is enhanced by highly trained gallery educators. Join the e-news list at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://wrightwood659.org" target="_blank">wrightwood659.org</a> to receive updates on exhibitions and programs. Admission to Wrightwood 659 is only available during the public showing of exhibitions. Advanced reservations are required and available exclusively at&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://wrightwood659.org" target="_blank">wrightwood659.org</a>. Walk-up admission cannot&nbsp;be accommodated.&nbsp;Image: Second floor, installation view&nbsp;at Wrightwood 659, 2018, © 2018. Jeff Goldberg.

Wrightwood 659

Chicago Sculpture International - CSI is a non-profit organization with over 300 local, national and international members. Since 2004, CSI has been&nbsp;championing sculptors and the creation of sculpture, with local and regional exhibitions,&nbsp;large-scale public art, and educational&nbsp;outreach. 2025 Exhibits:• 12th Year of Sculpture in the Parks and The Chicago Tree Project in collaboration with the Chicago Park District• Outdoor Exhibitions at Big Marsh Park, Miller Beach, Evanston &amp; more• CSI Biennial Exhibition Materiality curated by Debra Favre at Evanston Art Center• CSI Outdoor &amp; Indoor Exhibition at Oak Park Art League• Exhibitions of CSI members and fellowship recipients at CSI Project Space We offer a broad range of programs for our members and for the public that include:+ <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagosculpture.org/sculpture-in-the-parks" target="_blank">Sculpture in the Parks:</a> 20 large- scale sculptures by CSI members in 20 different parks throughout Chicagoland in collaboration with the Chicago Park District+ <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagosculpture.org/exhibitions-events" target="_blank">Gallery Exhibitions:</a> Juried CSI member&nbsp;exhibitions at CSI Project Space, Evanston Art Center, Koehnline Museum of Art, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, the Beverly Arts Center, Epiphany Center for the Arts, among others+ <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.chicagosculpture.org/csi-project-space" target="_blank">Educational Outreach with Project Space:</a> Experimental art space for CSI emerging artists and community outreach programs like free public art making workshops for youth, adults and seniors&nbsp;We believe in creating community through sculpture. Become a member and exhibit your work, Support us with a Donation, or Learn more about upcoming events and workshops at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://chicagosculpture.org" target="_blank">chicagosculpture.org</a>&nbsp;Image: Anthony Heinz May, Ecoaestheticism &amp; Darlys Ewoldt, I Feel You in the Wind &nbsp;<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dfafo598z/image/upload/v1735531825/eiqk3snawoiwb57zmlyp.jpg">

Chicago Sculpture International (CSI)

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) is an independent organization that exhibits, collects, and preserves modern and contemporary art to provide transformative experiences that educate, reflect, and inspire us as individuals and a community. MMoCA fosters the exchange of ideas and creates experiences to inspire a wide audience. It is a nexus for the work of emerging and established regional, national, and international artists, serving as a catalyst for the continued development of a vigorous community of artists and provides a forum encouraging people to be challenged by, reflect on, and make connections between art and the world around them. Designed by world-renowned architect César Pelli, the Museum offers 51,500 sq. ft. of interior space, as well as the 7,100 sq. ft. Rooftop Sculpture Garden. Public amenities include spacious galleries that host rotating exhibitions, a 230-seat lecture hall, and a study center for drawings, prints, and photographs. MMoCA presents lectures, discussions, tours, and educational programming free of charge at the Museum. Additionally, MMoCA partners with regional artists for the bi-annual Gallery Night, provides a mobile art classroom to the region, and transforms downtown Madison for the annual Art Fair on the Square. Always admission-free. Museum exhibitions and most education programs at MMoCA are also free to the public. Image Courtesy of Sharon Vanorny

Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA)

Frederik Meijer Gardens &amp; Sculpture Park, one of the world’s most significant botanic and sculpture experiences, was recently named the Top Sculpture Park in the United States by USA Today’s “10Best” and listed as the 81st most visited museum in the world by The Art Newspaper, the leading global art news publication. The 158-acre main campus features Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory; one of the country’s largest interactive children’s gardens; arid and Victorian gardens with bronze sculptures by Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin; a carnivorous plant house; outdoor gardens, including a replica 1930s-era farm garden; an eight-acre Japanese garden featuring contemporary sculpture; and a 1,900-seat outdoor amphitheater garden, showcasing an eclectic mix of world-renowned touring musicians each summer. The permanent collection highlights hundreds of sculptures from internationally acclaimed artists: Magdalena Abakanowicz, El Anatsui, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder,&nbsp;Mark di Suvero, Marshall Fredericks, Henry Moore, Michele Oka Donor, Beverly Pepper, Jaume Plensa, Auguste Rodin, Richard Serra, Yinka Shonibare CBE and&nbsp;Ai Weiwei, among others. Indoor galleries with changing sculpture exhibitions&nbsp;have hosted shows by Jonathan Borofsky, Edgar Degas, Jim Dine, Richard Hunt, Cristina Iglesias, Rebecca Louise Law, Pablo Picasso, George Segal and others.&nbsp; Frederik Meijer Gardens &amp; Sculpture Park promotes the enjoyment, understanding and appreciation of gardens, sculpture, the natural environment, and the arts. Education programs welcome 80,000 students and guests each year. Culinary Arts &amp; Events offerings include weddings, corporate meetings and award-winning catering. Photo by Michael Moran

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Classic but contemporary, the new Raclin Murphy Museum features 23 permanent collection galleries and numerous site-specific commissions by Jenny Holzer,&nbsp;Maya Lin, Kiki Smith, Julie Mehretu, Jaume Plensa and others. Pictured: The museum facade.

Raclin Murphy Museum of Art

F.L Braswell Fine Art is a private dealership focusing on modern and contemporary art by European and American artists. Based in Chicago, Illinois and founded in 2000, areas of specialty include original prints, works on paper and abstract art from the 1930s to present. We also provide consultative services to assist new and established collectors in the acquisition of artwork, framing and installation. We welcome clients in Chicago by appointment. Image: Sam Francis,&nbsp;“The Upper Yellow,” 1960,&nbsp;27.5 × 35 inches

Modern Contemporary Masters

Other Specialties

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