Art Institute of Chicago
Seurat, Hopper, Van Gogh and American Gothic, behind two bronze lions on Michigan Avenue.
Photo: ajay_suresh · CC BY 2.0
Art Institute of Chicago guide: tickets and residency rates, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Nighthawks, American Gothic, the Thorne Miniature Rooms, the Modern Wing and tips.
What to expect
Founded in 1879, the Art Institute of Chicago is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States, and its Michigan Avenue entrance has been guarded by two bronze lions since 1894.
The collection holds icons of American and European art: Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks and Grant Wood’s American Gothic, along with one of the finest Impressionist collections outside Paris and the Thorne Miniature Rooms, tiny period rooms in astonishing detail.
The Modern Wing, designed by Renzo Piano and opened in 2009, connects by a pedestrian bridge to Millennium Park and its Cloud Gate sculpture.
Adult admission for visitors from outside Illinois is $32; Illinois residents pay less, and children under 14 enter free.
Art Institute: top things to do
- 1A Sunday on La Grande Jatte
- 2Nighthawks
- 3American Gothic
- 4The Thorne Miniature Rooms
Best time to visit
All year; weekday mornings are the quietest.
Insider tips
- Buy timed tickets online.
- Plan three to four hours and pick a few galleries first.
- Walk over the bridge from the Modern Wing to Millennium Park.
Fees, passes and parking
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult admission | $32 per person |
- Federal park passes such as America the Beautiful are not valid here.
- This is the rate for visitors from outside Illinois; Illinois and Chicago residents pay less, and children under 14 are free.
Checked Oct 28, 2026. Official prices
Gas and fast charging nearby
604 gas stations within 20 km
- 0.6 km BP open 24 hours
- 1.4 km BP
- 1.7 km BP
- 2.0 km Citgo
- 2.0 km Mobil
- 2.1 km BP
- 0.8 km Tesla Supercharger Fast chargers (Supercharger)
- 1.8 km Tesla Supercharger Fast chargers (Supercharger)
- 1.9 km EVgo Fast chargers (EVgo)
- 2.7 km Electrify America Fast chargers (Electrify America)
OpenStreetMap data, Oct 28, 2026.
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