Current Exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago Within the Context of Design Chicago

Current Exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago Within the Context of Design Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago is set to host an exciting lineup of exhibitions as part of DesignChicago 2025, an event that brings together the architecture and design industry. From October 8, 2025, visitors can immerse themselves in four extraordinary exhibitions, each with its unique themes and focuses.

1. Gustave Caillebotte: Painting His World This exhibition showcases more than 120 works by the Impressionist artist Gustave Caillebotte, providing a comprehensive look at his worldly artwork. The show highlights Caillebotte’s unique focus on interiors, landscapes, and waterscapes, as well as his depictions of friends, family, sportsmen, and workers. It runs through October 5, 2025.
2. The Dawn of Modernity: Japanese Prints, 1850–1900 Located in Gallery 107, this exhibition traces the visual development and influence of Japanese prints during a pivotal transitional period. It explores the artistic responses and cultural shifts between 1850 and 1900 in Japan, offering insights into the origins of modern art aesthetics. The exhibition is on view through October 13, 2025.
3. two hundred and fifty-one days – Bryana Bibbs (February 1–May 26, 2025) A solo exhibition by contemporary artist Bryana Bibbs, this show explores themes of loss, ancestry, time, and memory, inviting viewers to engage with personal and collective histories through her artistic lens.
4. A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration (January 25–April 27, 2025) This exhibition examines the profound social and cultural impacts of the Great Migration on the United States, using both historical and personal perspectives to reveal the movement's legacies in American life and culture.

Among these exhibitions, the Art Institute of Chicago is also presenting three retrospectives.

1. H. C. Westermann: Anchor Clanker This retrospective celebrates the deft use of materials, especially wood, by the U.S. Navy veteran who studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. H. C. Westermann's work resists categorization and combines technical precision, outsider sensibility, existential commentary, absurdist humor, and cultural critique. The exhibition runs from October 8, 2025, to May 17, 2026, in Gallery 227.
2. Raqib Shaw: Paradise LostRaqib Shaw: Paradise Lost is an exhibition featuring a 100-foot-wide, 21-panel painting developed over sixteen years by Raqib Shaw. The show offers a rare opportunity to witness the intricate detail and the vast scale of Shaw's work.
3. Pixy Liao: Relationship MaterialPixy Liao: Relationship Material is a solo exhibition presenting approximately 45 works from Pixy Liao's long-running project Experimental Relationship. The exhibition invites visitors to explore the complexities and nuances of relationships through Liao's unique artistic lens.

Each exhibition brings a sharp curatorial lens to themes that mirror the challenges and opportunities designers face every day: authorship, identity, transformation, and control. After attending these exhibitions, visitors can attend the Build Your Dream Team workshop to turn inspiration into an actionable growth plan for their business. These exhibitions collectively span diverse artistic media and historical contexts, highlighting the Art Institute of Chicago’s rich programming during DesignChicago 2025.

The H. C. Westermann: Anchor Clanker exhibition is the most comprehensive presentation of H. C. Westermann's sculptures in Chicago in over two decades. The exhibition is anchored by a major gift from the Estate of Alan and Dorothy Press. Meanwhile, The Dawn of Modernity: Japanese Prints, 1850-1900 exhibition presents a nuanced portrait of a culture negotiating its own modernity while retaining a distinctly Japanese aesthetic language. The exhibition features prints in triptych format that reflect Japan's evolving national identity, technological advancement, and engagement with Western visual conventions. Subjects in the exhibition range from newly modernized cityscapes and Western-style architecture to changing representations of women and daily life.

The Dawn of Modernity: Japanese Prints, 1850-1900 is an exhibition showcasing Meiji-era printmaking and visual modernization. It traces the visual response of Japanese printmakers to the nation's rapid transformation following its opening to international trade in 1859. This exhibition provides a fascinating insight into the artistic responses and cultural shifts during this pivotal period in Japanese history.

These exhibitions, along with the workshops and events planned for DesignChicago 2025, promise to be an unforgettable journey through time, culture, and creativity. Whether you're a design enthusiast, a history buff, or simply someone looking for an inspiring experience, the Art Institute of Chicago's DesignChicago 2025 lineup is not to be missed.

1. Delving deeper into global cultural movements, visitors can explore Raqib Shaw: Paradise Lost, an exhibition featuring a sprawling, intricately detailed painting that spans over sixteen years of Raqib Shaw's artistic journey.
2. In addition to these extraordinary exhibitions, travelers and lifestyle aficionados can glean insights into the societal impacts of historical events by attending A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration. This exhibition underscores the enduring impacts of the Great Migration on American life and culture.

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