Arts Club of Chicago facts for kids
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| Established | 1916 (current location since April 4, 1997) |
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| Location | 201 E. Ontario Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611 United States |
The Arts Club of Chicago is a special place in Chicago. It's a private club but also a public art gallery. You can find it in the Near North Side area, close to the famous Magnificent Mile.
The club shows amazing international contemporary art, which means art from our time. It was started in 1916. People wanted to bring new and exciting art to Chicago. The club was known for supporting Modernist art from the very beginning. It aimed to show new and cutting-edge works, not just art by already famous artists.
The Arts Club was the first place in the United States to show art by Pablo Picasso. An exhibition by Jean Dubuffet in 1951 also had a big impact. It influenced the Imagist art movement later on. Another important show featured Le Ballet Mecanique by Fernand Léger.
In 1997, the club moved to its current home at 201 E. Ontario Street. This move caused some talk because the club tore down its old interior. That space was designed by a famous architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. They only saved the main staircase and moved it to the new building. The new space is much bigger, about 19,000 square feet (1,765 m2).
Contents
What the Arts Club Does
The main goal of The Arts Club was to support high standards in art. They wanted to have galleries to show art. They also wanted to help art lovers and artists meet each other. The club was founded after "The Armory Show" in 1913. That show displayed new art that many people in Chicago didn't understand.
So, the club's founders wanted to show the city new art, music, and ideas. The Arts Club was designed to be a place for art shows and social gatherings. It aimed to encourage interesting discussions about all kinds of art. The club still focuses on showing art "in the making." It's a key place in Chicago for showing avant-garde (very new and experimental) art.
The club usually creates its own exhibitions. They don't often show traveling exhibits put together by others. This helps them focus on truly unique and cutting-edge art.
History of the Arts Club
The Arts Club started in 1916. Its first mention in the Chicago Tribune was on March 16, 1916. At first, they had office space in the Fine Arts Building. This space was too small for their plans.
In 1918, Rue Winterbotham Carpenter became the club's president. She moved the club to 610 South Michigan Avenue. Their first art show there included portraits by famous artists like Whistler and Renoir. By 1922, the club needed even more space. They used extra space at the Art Institute of Chicago until 1927.
In 1924, the club moved to the north tower of the Wrigley Building. One of their first shows there was a big exhibition of sculptures and drawings by Brâncuși. This show was set up by the artist Marcel Duchamp. Rue Carpenter passed away in 1931. Mrs. Charles Goodspeed became president in 1932. The club moved to a larger space within the Wrigley Building in 1936.
After 1940, Rue Winterbotham Carpenter's niece, Rue Winterbotham Shaw, became president. In 1947, the club had to reduce its activities for four years. They lost their lease at the Wrigley Building. In 1951, they moved to 109 East Ontario. This new space was specially designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. He designed the gallery, dining room, and lecture hall. The gallery was built around Brâncuși's sculpture, The Golden Bird. The staircase he designed was famous for its simple beauty.
New Building in the 1990s
In the 1990s, the Arts Club was located near many art dealers. But the club didn't own the land where its famous Mies van der Rohe building stood. They had a long-term lease. In 1990, the owner of the land decided to sell it. The Arts Club tried to buy the land, but it was very expensive. A developer bought the property to build a movie complex and shopping center.
Facing the loss of their home, the Arts Club decided to sell one of its most valuable artworks. They sold Brâncuși's The Golden Bird to the Art Institute of Chicago. To buy the sculpture, the Art Institute sold some of its less important Impressionist paintings. While they looked for a new home, the club met in space loaned by another club, The Casino.
The new building, designed by John Vinci, is 19,000 square feet (1,765 m2). It cost $9 million for the land, building, and design. The outside of the building is made of buff brick with black granite windowsills. The building has furniture from the club's early days and also Mies van der Rohe designs. Many parts of the new building honor Mies van der Rohe's style.
A key feature of the building is its atrium. This allows natural light into the main galleries and dining areas. Another important part is the restored Mies van der Rohe steel staircase. It leads to the second floor. The building uses colors like saffron, black, gray, scarlet, and white. These colors were also in the old building. There's also a 1,600 square foot (149 m2) outdoor garden. The building can seat 200 people for events.
Art Collection
The Arts Club's collection includes art bought from its exhibitions. It also has artworks donated by members and artists. The collection features works by famous artists such as Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, and Pablo Picasso. More recently, the club has bought art by Malcolm Morley, Alex Katz, and Peter Doig.
The club also keeps a collection of documents, like letters with artists, at the Newberry Library. You can learn more about the club's collection in a book called The Arts Club of Chicago: The Collection 1916–1996. It was written by Sophia Shaw, whose grandmother was a past president of the club.
Collection Highlights
Here are some notable artworks in the club's private collection:
- Red Petals, a sculpture made of steel and other metals, 1942, by Alexander Calder.
- Main Staircase for The Arts Club of Chicago, made of steel and travertine marble, 1948–1951, by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
- Untitled, a charcoal drawing on paper, 1922, by Henri Matisse.
- Personage and Birds in Front of the Sun, an ink and gouache drawing, 1942, by Joan Miró.
- This Thing is Made to Perpetuate My Memory, an ink and gouache painting, 1915, by Francis Picabia.
- Head of a Woman, a chalk drawing, 1922, by Pablo Picasso.
Exhibitions, Performances, and Lectures
Before the Museum of Modern Art opened in 1929, The Arts Club was a leading place to see modern art in the United States. No other institution in the US, especially not in New York, would show European modernism. By renting space at the Art Institute of Chicago's building, the Arts Club could hold shows in Chicago's most respected museum.
The club has shown art by many famous 20th-century visual artists. Many controversial artists had their first solo shows in the US or Midwest at the club. These include Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí, Jean Dubuffet, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.
Many artists and performers have also given talks at the club. These include dancers like Martha Graham, singers like Kathleen Battle, and musicians like Leonard Bernstein and Igor Stravinsky. Famous poets like W. H. Auden and Gertrude Stein have also visited.
One of the most important exhibitions was Picasso's first solo show in the United States. It was called Original Drawings by Pablo Picasso and ran from March 20 to April 22, 1923. The Arts Club held it at the Art Institute of Chicago. (Picasso's work had been shown in a group show in New York in 1911). In the 1930s, they hosted Isamu Noguchi when he was known as a sculptor. In 1970, they hosted Varujan Boghosian, a sculptor known for his work about the legend of Orpheus.
Club Locations
The current location is the club's seventh home. However, it's the first building the club has ever owned. Here is a list of where the club has been over the years:
The first home in the Fine Arts Building had no space for exhibitions. The club couldn't put on its first show until December 18, when it moved to a new place with exhibition space. The club's early galleries weren't big enough. So, they agreed to manage a series of shows at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1922 to 1927.
| Name | Street Address | Years | Architect/Interior Designer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Arts Building | 401 S. Michigan Avenue | 1916–18 | Arthur Heun/Rue Winterbotham Carpenter |
| 610 S. Michigan Avenue | 1918–24 | Arthur Heun/Rue Winterbotham Carpenter | |
| Wrigley Building (north tower) | 410 N. Michigan Avenue | 1924–36 | Arthur Heun/Rue Winterbotham Carpenter |
| Wrigley Building (south tower) | 410 N. Michigan Avenue | 1936–47 | Arthur Heun/Elizabeth "Bobsy" Goodspeed Chapman |
| 109 E. Ontario Street | 1951–95 | Ludwig Mies van der Rohe | |
| 222 W. Superior Street | 1995–97 | ||
| 201 E. Ontario Street | 1997– | Vinci/Hamp Architects, Inc. |
Club Leadership
The club has had eleven presidents since it started:
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| Mrs. Robert McGann | 1916–1918 |
| Rue Winterbotham Carpenter | 1918–1931 |
| Elizabeth "Bobsy" Goodspeed | 1932–1940 |
| Mrs. William B. Hale | 1940 |
| Rue Winterbotham Shaw | 1940–1979 |
| Mrs. Roger Barnett | 1979 |
| James Phinney Baxter IV | 1979–1981 |
| Stanley M. Freehling | 1981–2005 |
| Marilynn B. Alsdorf | 2006–2011 |
| Sophia Shaw | 2011–2013 |
| Helyn Goldenberg | 2013–2017 |
| Dale Pinkert | 2017–2020 |
| Laura Washington | 2020–present |
Membership Dues
The Arts Club has a special system for membership fees, called "dues." It was set up when the club first started and is still used today. Professional members, like artists, pay lower dues than other members. This helps make sure that artists and performers are always a key part of The Arts Club.
