Art Insitute of Chicago on Museum Monday

Welcome to Museum Monday, where I showcase some of the great events going on at museums and the interactive museum experience.  This week I am pleased to share the latest news from the Art Institute of Chicago and their involvement in the Google Art Project.

Chai Lee, Associate Director of Public Affairs, was kind enough to take time from his busy schedule to discuss the addition of the Art Institute in the expansion of the Art Project.  “Google came to us after going around the world approaching different museums.  They captured 50 percent of the medium base, and the results were spectacular.”

Impressionism, Post Impressionism, Asian art, and African art galleries are all represented on the Google Gallery views.  This ‘street view’ of the various collections was accomplished during December and January over five evenings, photographing the galleries to give the world access to what is available at the Art Institute.  The masterpieces featured combine contributions from all 34 curators who chose from the Institute’s 300,000 objects.  The 550 choices were reduced to a final count of 155 pieces of art by 125 artists that can be viewed individually or in their gallery setting.

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Georges Seurat, 1884

For the mega pixel image, the museum chose the famous “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte”, by Georges Seurat, 1884.   An icon of Chicago and the Art Institute, this popular painting of immense proportion commands a majority of its gallery location.  A detailed study of the finite brush strokes is difficult to surmount without the technology offered by the Google Art Project.  Taken off the wall, the painting was put into the conservation lab, and special photographers worked in the dark detailing this spectacular painting.  On display, viewing this work up close is not possible, due to its popularity and size.  But thanks to Google, every bit of action captured in this painting can be studied and scrutinized.

Mega Pixel detail Google Art Project

I have chosen to highlight some of my personal favorites from the Art Institute, interspersed with my own photographs.  The history of these objects on the details page was a bonus to my own museum experience.

Bust of a Youth, 1630/40, Francesco Mochi

This marble statue is believed to be a bust of St. John the Baptist, and instantly commands attention upon entering the gallery where it is displayed.  The technical prowess of the sculptor Mochi is shown by the sharp turn of the youth’s head, the distant gaze, and the parted lips.

The provenance of this piece proves interesting; originally from the collection of Federico Gentili di Giuseppe (d. 1940), and the estate sale at the Hotel Drouot, Paris, 1941.  This curatorial auction was declared void by the French court; sold at the Arcole auction house in 1988 to the Anthony Roth of London, and subsequently sold to the Art Institute that same year.

Room View, Author’s Own

Federico di Giuseppe, an Italian of Jewish descent, amassed a large collection of art that he displayed at his home in Paris.  He died of natural causes in the weeks prior to the Nazi invasion of France in 1940, which forced many of his family members to flee the country.  The French Vichy government auctioned many objects from his collection in 1941.  The Art Institute reached an agreement with the heirs of di Giuseppe in 2000, through a purchase and donation agreement that allowed the museum to keep this beautiful sculpture.

Saint George Killing the Dragon, 1434/35, Bernat Martorell

This vivid painting once formed the center of an altarpiece in the chapel of the Catalan government palace in Barcelona.   Saint George was the patron Saint of Catalonia, and Martorell was the leading painter of Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia in northeastern Spain.  The image was flanked by smaller, narrative panels, now at the Musee du Louvre in Paris, that illustrate the martyrdom of the Saint in typical gothic style and gruesome detail.

To the left of the St. George picture in the museum view is an interesting room that I wish the Google Art Project had been able to share.  Several religious reliquaries and icons are displayed in a tightly controlled atmosphere, the darkened room only adding to the mystic of these unusual items.

Room of Religious Icons and Reliquaries

Reliquary at the Chicago Art Institute

The Resurrection, 1619/20,Francesco Buoneri, called Cecco del Caravaggio

The only documented painting by Buoneri, commissioned in 1619 by the Tuscan ambassador to Rome, Piero Guicciardini.  Originally rejected by the patron, it was subsequently sold to another collector.  Buoneri is considered one of Caravaggio’s closest followers, and may have been the “boy Francesco” who assisted the painter during his last years in Rome.  This personal connection is suggested by his nickname, Cecco del Caravaggio.  References to this artist can be found in Andrew Graham Dixon’s “Caravaggio, A Life Sacred and Profane”, as the model for the artist’s ‘Cupid’, and the assistant who prepared his paints and canvases.

Detail of The Resurrection

Minute details of The Resurrection

My thanks to Chai Lee at the Art Institute of Chicago, for sharing his experiences with the Google Art Project and the help of Robby Sexton at the Institute for supporting my blog with great information.  My next Museum Monday will continue the latest from Chicago with the current exhibition of Roy Lichtenstein.  And just for fun, here is the scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off featuring the Art Institute of Chicago.

Author and Trusted Museum Companion

Resources:

Federico Gentili di Giuseppe, Artnet.com

The Flagellation of Saint George, Louvre

Saint George Dragged Through the City, Louvre

The Proconsul Dacian Sentencing Saint George, Louvre

The Beheading of Saint George, Louvre

Graham-Dixon, Andrew, “Caravaggio, A Life Sacred and Profane“, WW Norton & Company, New York, London, 2011, pages 247, 248.

Chicago Art Institute, The Museum Experience

July 18, 2011

By Mary Jo Gibson

My last Museum Monday introduced a virtual tour of the Chicago Art Institute with a promise of a true museum experience to follow.  I was able to meet with Social Media Coordinator, Jocelin Shalom and future Coordinator Robby Sexton who shared time from their busy schedule to discuss the changes social media has brought to their institution, making the museum visit itself an even greater experience.  Their enthusiasm for this new medium was evident.  With web interaction on several platforms, they are seeing positive and measurable results that are now becoming accepted public relations practice in museums around the country.

The Chicago Art Institute has an immense collection and I was only able to brush the surface as we wandered from room to room, taking in all the artifacts, paintings and sculpture.  My favorite area is the Renaissance wing, offering great paintings of epic size from old masters.  Highly detailed classical sculptures of varying religious and secular images abound; each room waiting to fill the senses as you reflect on the images, the history, the lives of the subject and the artist.  For every step along the way, one meets with jewels.  Chicago’s world class collection of art ranges from an entire wing of the biggest names in modern art, to architectural fragments, Greek, Egyptian and Roman sculpture, Renaissance jewelry bearing minute detail, American folk art, European furniture, and the Thorne rooms, a collection of miniature period rooms covering several styles and history of interior and architectural design.

The Grand Staircase of the Museum displays the artwork of Jitish Kallat, Public Notice 3, commemorating two American events.  The first World Parliament of Religions held on September 11, 1893 in Chicago at the World’s Columbian Exposition at what is now the museum’s Fullerton Hall, and the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on the same date, 108 years later.  A moving speech given by Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament arguing for an end to fanaticism and respectful recognition of all traditions of belief through universal tolerance displayed in LED lit text on each of the 118 risers.  An ingenious installation, connecting two historical moments of time and catching just a few words is enough to entice the viewer to read more.

Above the grand staircase is a large collection of salvaged artifacts from some of the great architects of Chicago.  Beautiful deco designs that once graced buildings in the city, recalling a time when architecture was truly an art form.  Pieces from Frank Lloyd Wright, Adler and Sullivan, Charles Atwood, Frederick Baumann, Burnham and Root, Marion Mahony Griffin, Holabird and Roche, tell the story of Chicago’s memorable and now demolished past through their collection of fragments.

No trip to the Art Institute would be complete without a look at “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” by George Seuart.  Made famous for a new generation in the John Hughes film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” this painting commands the room, with plenty of viewing area reflecting its popularity.  I watched several people studying it at length, commenting on new discoveries even noticing the border for the first time.

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884, George Seurat 1859-1891

I feel compelled to make a small comment about the food court at the Art Institute.  Not only are the choices first class, sandwiches, salads, fruit, pasta, everything Chicago eating is famously known for, the dining area is situated alongside a sculpture fountain to complete the experience.  The area offers a calm repast of delicious food and a moment or two for reflection before returning to the wonders found inside.

Lunch by the fountain

The belief that the internet will replace an actual museum visit is an obvious misnomer; one only needs to find the museum that drives your passion; filling the mind with visions is the utmost pleasure of a physical visit to a museum and the experiences it waits to share. While the Google Art Project allows access to faraway places and the media available therein, participating in the actual viewing of the collection is what keeps people coming back to see more.  If the crowds at the Chicago Art Institute are any indication, attendance is not suffering.

I am excited to share the Art Institute’s upcoming show “Windows on the War”, Soviet Tass posters at home and abroad, 1941-1945.  Discovered in storage and not seen in the United States since WWII, 250 of these immense propaganda posters will be on display from July 31-October 23.  Ranging in size from five feet to ten feet, these images of industrial art are unique, reflecting the collaboration between Russia, Britain and the United States.  Follow the Tumblr link for a glance at this exhibit.

Again, my thanks to Robby and Jocelin and the exceptionally knowledgeable staff at the Chicago Art Institute.  It was a wonderful visit and I look forward to perusing the Japanese, Korean, Indian and Islamic areas on my next visit.
I leave you with one of my favorite, unexpected pieces of art, The Monkey Band, by the German Meissen Porcelain Company, created in the 18th century.

Cheers!

Mary Jo