Art for sale, Chicago
Where to find art for sale, Chicago
Anyone looking for art for sale in Chicago should check out the River North district. River North has the highest concentration of art galleries in the U.S. outside of Manhattan. The district also hosts many other cultural venues, including theatres and museums as well as places to eat, drink, and party. Galleries include:
Contemporary art is represented in a range of media and styles.
Established in 1993, the Gallery exhibits Latino art, with paintings, sculpture, photographs and paper-works available to purchase. They are particularly good at educating visitors about Latino art.
You will find a large collection of vintage and contemporary photographs including some very rare articles. There is also a library of art and design literature available to assist in your viewing and purchasing. Past exhibits have included the likes of Alvin Booth.
Wicker Park is also host to a lot of art activity. It makes for an ideal alternate destination for those who want to avoid the more crowded River North district. Galleries include:
Shashi Caudill Photographs and Fine Art
They offer consultancy services to private and public collections, which includes acquisition, framing and installation advice. The Gallery also display and sell vintage and contemporary photographs as well as paper-works, paintings and sculpture.
A collaboration of local artists provide a mix of fine art, murals, portraits, furniture and consultancy.
Around West Fulton Street and West Lake Street are a plethora of galleries. Galleries include:
Thomas McCormick Galleries
The Gallery includes contemporary and early 20th century art. IT holds the estates of many artists including Robert Nickle who is famous for his collages.
For more information about the Chicago art scene, checkout the blog of Abraham Ritchie who is a freelance cultural commentator who writes on Chicago art and beyond.
Well known art galleries in Chicago
Established in 1967, The Museum of Contemporary Art showcases work from 1945 onwards. Debuts by Frida Kahlo and the first solo exhibition by Jeff Koons give a fair idea of the Museum's focus. Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, and Alexander Calder are also represented in the Museum's exclusive collection - comprised of less than 2,400 objects, and rationalised extensively from the 7,000 objects it had when it opened in 1996.
Celebrating Mexican culture throughout the ages, the National Museum of Mexican Art features over 5,000 artifacts, from photography to folk art to paintings.
The National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum is filled with art that is used to express the human experience and emotion of war. It is unlike many other war museums, which usually just showcase war memorabilia. Many of the featured artists are war heroes themselves, which enables the viewer to get a first hand view of what battle is like.
Every tourist and local should visit the Art Institute of Chicago because it houses some of the world’s most celebrated collections; mostly Impressionist and Post-Impressionist. Its galleries encompass one million square feet making it the second largest art museum in the U.S.
Art events in Chicago
In October, the “Around the Coyote” festival promotes local artists and lesser-known galleries. The goal of this event is to help these galleries gain recognition both locally and internationally. The organization also runs year-long public outreach programs and hosts monthly exhibits.
Founded by the Chicago Artists’ Coalition in 1998, the Chicago Art Open is also held in October. This event is considered to be the highlight of Chicago Artists’ Month. As with the “Around the Coyote” event, the aim of the event is to celebrate local talent. However, this event has a slightly different emphasis; the event focuses more specifically on established artists.
Art Chicago at Navy Pier is held every May. Originally founded in 1980 with the idea that the event would run along Art Basel lines. This was a great success, quickly gaining an international profile and recognition. From the mid 2000s the event faced difficulties, and went into temporary decline. One part of the problem was due to the rise of the Miami art scene, which was viewed as stealing Chicago's thunder. These issues came to a head in 2006, and the event has demonstrated renewed strength since.
Chicago’s annual Street Art Fair in Hyde Park is held in June. This is Chicago’s oldest juried art fair, and offers a great family day out. Access to artists is really good, and there are plenty of activities to get involved with.
Artists from Chicago
Ivan Albright (1897-1983) is best known for his magic-realist paintings set around self portraits, still life works, and character studies.
In 1968 and 1969, the Chicago Imagists, who included Roger Brown, Leon Golub, Robert Lostutter, Jim Nutt and Barbara Rossi attracted attention locally and nationally through their bizarre, sometimes grotesque, representational paintings.
Based in Chicago, Robert Guinan paints stark, realistic images of people attached to night life and bars including musicians and barflies. Guinan's profile is currently greater in Paris than Chicago, which is perhaps unsurprising given his subject matter.