Modern Wing at the Art Institute

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The Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago is a 25,000 square meter expansion which houses collections of European contemporary art. The building also unifies and completes the cultural and urban campus of the Art Institute. [paragraph break] Located in Grant Park, a green space on the banks of the lake, the Art Institute sits between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive, its site being bisected by railroad tracks. The limestone Beaux-Art building dated 1893 faces the western side of the city. Just behind it, the Modern Wing sits at a 90° rotation facing north, providing a new point of access to the museum from Millennium Park. The lightweight, transparent vertical facade of the Modern Wing features glass and metal referencing the Chicago skyline, while the solid limestone walls punctuating the glass facade pay tribute to the architecture of the original Art Institute building.

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