Celebration awaits Art Institute's new Modern Wing
The Modern Wing of The Art Institute of Chicago opens May 16 with a public celebration for the project that was 10 years in the making. With its motto, "Welcome to Modern. Circa Now," the wing will house the art museum's collection of 20th and 21st century art.
Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the 264,000-square-foot addition makes The Art Institute of Chicago the second-largest museum in the United States, following only the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Made of Indiana limestone and double glass, the building also features a “flying carpet” roof, a floating, cantilevered structure that blocks fierce sunlight from the south while letting northern light enter the skylights of the galleries below.
The events will begin with a ceremonial ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. May 16 will also mark the official opening of the 625-foot Nicholas Bridgeway, Piano’s pedestrian bridge connecting the museum to Millennium Park to the south. Music and dance events will take place both within the museum as well as outdoors, and many international notable musicians will be playing in galleries throughout the building.
Admission to the entire museum will be free from May 16 through May 22. Events for children will be held in the wing’s new Ryan Education Center. An upscale restaurant overlooking the city will also open on the third floor.
Flooded with light and large windows that look out onto the city, the Modern Wing will house the museum's modern European, contemporary, architectural and photographic permanent collections.
In addition, 30 works by American artist Cy Twombly titled The Natural World, Selected Works, 2001-2007 comprise the opening exhibit and include paintings, works on paper and sculpture. Twombly is known for his calligraphic graffiti paintings.
Posted by Lori Rotenberk
