Overview

October 20, 2007 through August 3, 2008

Big Picture: A New View of Painting in Chicago offers a history of painting in the city by showcasing works ranging from the late-19th-century realist, satirical, and folk traditions to mid-20th-century expressionism and abstraction. Works selected for this exhibition include 49 pieces from the Museum’s own collection, and approximately 30 pieces on loan from private collectors.

Part of American Art American City, a city-wide American art initiative sponsored by the Terra Foundation for American Art, this exhibition draws from the Museum’s rarely displayed collection of historical paintings and explores several styles and subjects.

Themes, Subjects, and Artists

Big Picture explores the traditions of landscape and figurative painting in Chicago, as well as the city’s contributions to American abstraction. Additional works depict social spaces, including a group of large murals formerly installed in some of the city’s historically significant bars and restaurants.

Notable figures from Chicago history are the subject of several works, such as William Herman Schmedtgen’s Caricature of George Ade and Orson Collins Wells from 1912, and a more recent piece depicting Leopold and Loeb, created by Ed Paschke in 2004. Also included are works by lesser-known but skilled artists such as James Needham, and famous Chicagoans including Leon Golub and Phil Hanson.

Visitors will have the rare opportunity to view selected pieces that are displayed to reveal their backs, or versos. The two-sided view of a watercolor, for instance, reveals seldom-seen artists' notes and sketches.

Multimedia

Slideshow

A preview of selected pieces from the exhibition.

> View a slideshow of paintings from Big Picture

This exhibition could not have been possible without the generous support from The Guild of the Chicago Historical Society in honor of Miss Racine Tucker, the Terra Foundation for American Art, and Robert and Joan Clifford.