Smart Museum of Art

Smart Museum of Art The art museum of the University of Chicago. Always free. The Smart Museum will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024. Admission is always free.
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As the fine arts museum of the University of Chicago, the Smart Museum of Art is a site for rigorous inquiry and exchange that encourages the examination of complex issues through the lens of art objects and artistic practice. Through strong scholarly and community collaborations and a welcoming approach to its exhibitions, collections, publications, research and teaching, and public programs, the

Smart Museum plays a dynamic role in expanding artistic canons, rethinking received histories, introducing new perspectives, and engaging diverse communities—locally, nationally, and internationally.

A glimpse into the Smart by the numbers, thanks to UChicago Magazine! Swipe for some numbers then and now as the museum ...
01/23/2025

A glimpse into the Smart by the numbers, thanks to UChicago Magazine! Swipe for some numbers then and now as the museum continues to celebrate its 50th year celebration as a free museum.

Credits:
[1]: Photograph of Dedication Presentation. Smart Museum of Art Archives.
[2]: Photograph of Dedication Event, Guests in Gallery. Smart Museum of Art Archives.
[3]: At the Smart Museum of Art for its 50th Birthday Party at the University of Chicago for the opening of “50th Birthday Party,” photographed on October 10, 2024. (Photo by Jason Smith)
[4]: Photograph of Event in Gallery. Smart Museum of Art Archives.

01/21/2025

From Family Days to school tours, we believe art museums are for everyone at any age. Take a look at the energy captured at a recent tour with Ray Elementary School! The Smart offers to schools and community organizations for FREE!

We loved seeing the creations during Family Day last weekend! Families and individuals of all ages created art using the...
01/18/2025

We loved seeing the creations during Family Day last weekend! Families and individuals of all ages created art using the “exquisite co**se” method.

Join us at our next Family Day on February 8th inspired by unique art-making methods 🎨

Join us for the first Smart Salon of the year: Art and Infinity, with W.J.T Michell. This event is free, registration on...
01/16/2025

Join us for the first Smart Salon of the year: Art and Infinity, with W.J.T Michell. This event is free, registration on the Smart's website is encouraged.

Fascination with the infinite seems hardwired in human consciousness, finding expression in art and literature, science and religion. But not all infinities are the same. This lecture will explore several varieties of infinity as they are realized in the visual arts, from William Blake’s Minute Particulars to J. M. W. Turner’s sublime landscapes to Antony Gormley’s Infinite Cube, now on display at the Smart Museum. The lecture will conclude with the story of this work’s origin in the visionary geometry of artist Gabriel Mitchell.

01/15/2025
01/08/2025

The Smart had so many artists of all ages at last month's Family Day! Miss out on the fun? Our next Family Day is this Saturday, January 11th from 1-4 PM, focusing on creating and collaborating using the "exquisite co**se" art method. FREE and for the whole family at the Smart Museum of Art 🎨

Join us this upcoming Saturday for our monthly Family Day at the Smart! From 1-4 PM, this event is free, and all ages ar...
01/06/2025

Join us this upcoming Saturday for our monthly Family Day at the Smart! From 1-4 PM, this event is free, and all ages are welcome ✨ See you there!

Learn about the exquisite ways that artists create, from collaborative drawings by the Surrealists and Imagists to spectacles of sculpture with artists H.C. Westermann and Yeesookyung. Then, enjoy making projects inspired by the "Exquisite Co**se" method, which encourages families to draw, write, assemble, and create together.

Image: André Breton, Paul Éluard, Valentine Hugo, other unidentified contributors, Exquisite Co**se (Cadavre exquisite), undated, Pastel on black paper. Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, Gift of Amy Gold and Bret Gorvy, 2014.26.

As the temperatures drop this upcoming week, let the Smart Museum be a refuge of warmth and art. Whether you make it the...
01/04/2025

As the temperatures drop this upcoming week, let the Smart Museum be a refuge of warmth and art. Whether you make it the plan for the weekend or as a winter break activity, the Smart is always free to the public Tuesday - Sunday 10 AM - 4:30 PM ☃️

Credits:
At the Smart Museum of Art for its 50th Birthday Party at the University of Chicago for the opening of “50th Birthday Party,” photographed on October 10, 2024. (Photo by Jason Smith)

In honor of the peak of 2025’s first meteor shower earlier today, consider the beginnings of amateur star gazing with Ho...
01/03/2025

In honor of the peak of 2025’s first meteor shower earlier today, consider the beginnings of amateur star gazing with Honoré Daumier’s lithograph, its title translating to “Mr. Babinet warned by his concierge of the arrival of the comet.” The series of lithographs document an alternate history around public hysteria in 1857 about an astronomer’s false prediction of a comet that would destroy the earth.

See two of these lithographs at the Smart, on view now as part of “The 50th: An Anniversary Exhibition.”

“In the mid-nineteenth century, sky-gazing became accessible to the amateur, meaning that observation of the cosmos with a telescope was no longer restricted to so-called experts. Too often, however, possession of a telescope did not mean access to useful information. The man crouching at the telescope in this print is the gentleman-astronomer Babinet, who looks in the opposite direction of the comet while his concierge, with eyes protruding and mouth agape, attempts to alert him to it.”
-Martha Ward and Anne Leonard, Looking and Listening in Nineteenth-Century France, exh. cat., Chicago: Smart Museum of Art, 2007, p. 32–34.

Credits:
[1] Honoré Daumier, “Monsieur Babinet prévenu par sa portière de la visite de la comète” [Mr. Babinet warned by his concierge of the arrival of the comet], 1858, Lithograph on original newsprint, Image: 7 15/16” x 10 1/2” Sheet: 9 7/16” x 12 1/2.” The Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, Purchase, Paul and Miriam Kirkley Fund for Acquisitions, 2005.31.3.

[2] Installation view, “The 50th: An Anniversary Exhibition”, 2024. Photo by Michael Tropea.

Last week, the Smart hosted a class from Ray Elementary School! We're proud to host scheduled K-12 tours throughout the ...
12/30/2024

Last week, the Smart hosted a class from Ray Elementary School! We're proud to host scheduled K-12 tours throughout the school year, giving students an opportunity to experience art up close with our museum educators.

H. C. Westermann gives a lesson on the alternative holiday card from the Smart's H. C. Westermann Study Collection. Usin...
12/25/2024

H. C. Westermann gives a lesson on the alternative holiday card from the Smart's H. C. Westermann Study Collection. Using linocuts, sketches, and doodles, Westermann wrote and sent holiday and New Year's cards that were uniquely his own 🎁

Credits
Slide [1]:
H. C. Westermann, Untitled (Christmas), 1971, Ink and watercolor on wove paper, 7 5/8" x 10 11/16." The Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, The H. C. Westermann Study Collection, Gift of the Estate of Joanna Beall Westermann, 2002.190

H. C. Westermann, Letter and Linocuts, 1966, Letter and two linocuts on one sheet, 6 3/8" x 10 5/8." The Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, The H. C. Westermann Study Collection, Gift of Martha Westermann Renner, 2004.241d

Slide [2]:
H. C. Westermann, New Year Card, 1961, Pen, ink and watercolor on cardboard with antique card attached and cut out lithograph of a baby, 10 1/4" x 7 1/8." The Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, The H. C. Westermann Study Collection, Gift of Martha Westermann Renner, 2004.220

Slide [3]:
H. C. Westermann, Disasters in the Sky #1: Bat and Building (Air Disasters in the Sky #1) and Merry Xmas 6 & 2 A Happy New Year, 1962, Two one-color linoleum cuts (black), printed side by side on the same bi-fold sheet on thin wove Japan, 9 " x 13." The Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, The H. C. Westermann Study Collection, Gift of the Estate of Joanna Beall Westermann, 2002.196

Slide [4]:
H. C. Westermann, Christmas Card, 1964, Linocut with little cutouts , 8 7/8" x 12 3/4." The Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, The H. C. Westermann Study Collection, Gift of Martha Westermann Renner, 2004.223a-t

H. C. Westermann, Embellished Christmas Card with Note, n.d., Pen and ink on card, 6 3/4" x 6 1/2." The Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, The H. C. Westermann Study Collection, Gift of Martha Westermann Renner, 2004.217

12/23/2024

On View Now: "Soundsuit" by artist Nick Cave as part of The 50th: An Anniversary Exhibition. Cave's are sculptural, wearable garments that exist both as static sculptures and as vessels for performance.

In the video, you'll see the Smart's storied history with the Chicago-based artist—back in 2011 for the Smart's Go Figure exhibition, there was a public performance in the museum's courtyard of multiple Soundsuits performing in unison. When worn, the sculptures eradicate identity and offer a new way of being in the world, one without judgment based on appearance.

See one of Cave's Soundsuits made of twigs up-close at the Smart Tuesday - Sunday from 10 AM - 4:30 PM 🪴

Credit: Nick Cave, Soundsuit, 2011, Twigs, wire, upholstery, basket, and metal armature. Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, Purchase, The Paul and Miriam Kirkley Fund for Acquisitions, 2011.44.

12/21/2024

It's in the little details at our 50th Anniversary exhibit. At the Smart, you can see works of art up close and for free ✨ See the current installation through March 2nd.

We had talented artists of all ages at our collage-themed Family Day this past Saturday! Inspired by twentieth-century c...
12/19/2024

We had talented artists of all ages at our collage-themed Family Day this past Saturday! Inspired by twentieth-century collages, on view now in the Smart's The 50th exhibition.

Next Family Day will be January 11th from 1-4 PM. Learn about the exquisite ways that artists create! Then, enjoy making projects inspired by the "Exquisite Co**se" method, which encourages families to draw, write, assemble, and create together.

TODAY! Family Day: Cut, Cut, Paste from 1 PM - 4 PM is an chance for all families and kids of all ages to drop by and cr...
12/14/2024

TODAY! Family Day: Cut, Cut, Paste from 1 PM - 4 PM is an chance for all families and kids of all ages to drop by and create a collage based on work on-view at The Smart ✂️ 🎨

Take a look at the artwork creations from previous family days in the past year—what work of art will you make today?

A spotlight on our wall of Chicago Imagists as part of The 50th: An Anniversary Exhibition, now on view. The Smart has a...
12/11/2024

A spotlight on our wall of Chicago Imagists as part of The 50th: An Anniversary Exhibition, now on view. The Smart has a long history with these artists—see also an original poster specially made for The Smart Museum's 1987 The Chicago Imagist Print exhibition featuring many artists currently in our galleries such as Barbara Rossi, Art Green, Jim Nutt, and more.

"In the mid-1960s, artists in Chicago became a focus of the art world locally, nationally and internationally. Known collectively as the Chicago Imagists...

Chicago Imagism was neither an art movement defined by a written doctrine nor a single stylistic trend. Its artists were true to personal feelings and centered on the transformation of figurative imagery through abstracted shape, line, and color distortions. Featuring highly finished surfaces and thematic layers, their art embraced both progressive subjective themes and individual personal ideals."

—Richard Born, Graduate Student Curatorial Intern (1973–circa 1975); Interim Curator (1979–80); Curator (1980–99; Acting Director 1992–94); Senior Curator (1999–2015); Consulting Curator for Asian Art (2016); Consulting Curator for Special Projects (2016–17)

Photos:
[1] Installation view, "The 50th: An Anniversary Exhibition", 2024.
[2] Roger Brown, Jim Nutt, Art Green, Ed Paschke, Karl Wirsum, Christina Ramberg, Philip Hanson, Gladys Nilsson, Suellen Rocca, Barbara Rossi, The Chicago Imagist Print, 1987, Color offset lithograph. Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, Gift of Amy Gold and Brett Gorvy, 1997.94.

Join us for our upcoming FREE Family Day this Saturday, Dec 14th from 1-4 PM inspired by pieces in our current 50th Anni...
12/09/2024

Join us for our upcoming FREE Family Day this Saturday, Dec 14th from 1-4 PM inspired by pieces in our current 50th Anniversary exhibition.

Explore twentieth-century collages in the work of artists across the globe, including Romare Bearden, Arturo Herrera, Karel Lodr, Hannah Höch and Marie Zoe Greene-Mercier. Then, create your own collages and photomontages using paper, found images, fabric, and more. Drop in; all families and kids of all ages are welcome.

Learn more:
https://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/events/2233/family-day-cut-cut-paste/

Image: Romare Bearden, Farewell in New Orleans (detail), 1975, Cut paper, newsprint, and glossy magazine paper collage. Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, Gift of Elisabeth and William Landes in honor of the
30th Anniversary of the Smart Museum, 2004.4.

12/07/2024

Have you stopped by our 50th Anniversary exhibit yet? Consider this your perfect solution for a free activity to spend a winter afternoon! There's so much to explore immersed in the Smart's five decades of art collecting, from legendary paintings to captivating sculptures.

Stop by Tuesday-Sunday from 10 AM - 4:30 PM. Always free!

Address

5550 S Greenwood Avenue
Chicago, IL
60637

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm
Thursday 10am - 4:30pm
Friday 10am - 4:30pm
Saturday 10am - 4:30pm
Sunday 10am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+17737020200

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The Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago is a site for rigorous inquiry and exchange that encourages the examination of complex issues through the lens of art objects and artistic practice. Through strong community and scholarly partnerships, the Museum incorporates diverse ideas, identities, and experiences into its exhibitions and collections, academic initiatives, and public programming. The Smart first opened in 1974. Admission is always free. Mission The Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago opens the world through art and ideas.