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A bronze lion outside the Art Institute of Chicago on Michigan Avenue

No. 48 Top 100 Most Visited Art Museums 2025 · 1,503,406 visitors in 2025

Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States · City guide: Chicago

One of America's great encyclopedic museums: Nighthawks, American Gothic and a world-class Impressionist collection.

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Photo: Raed Mansour from Chicago, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

The Art Institute of Chicago is No. 48 in The Art Newspaper's survey of the world's most visited art museums, with 1,503,406 visitors in 2025, up 14% on 2024. Founded in 1879, it moved in 1893 into its building on Michigan Avenue, guarded by two bronze lions.

Its collection spans 5,000 years of art from around the world and is especially strong in Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting and American art. The Modern Wing, designed by Renzo Piano, opened in 2009 next to Millennium Park.

Inside the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago
Inside the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. Photo: GualdimG, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Best time to visit

Weekday mornings are the quietest. Check the official website for hours.

Highlights & collections

  • 1

    A Sunday on La Grande Jatte

    Georges Seurat's pointillist masterpiece of 1884–86.

  • 2

    Nighthawks

    Edward Hopper's late-night diner scene of 1942.

  • 3

    American Gothic

    Grant Wood's famous 1930 portrait of a farmer and his daughter.

  • 4

    Impressionists

    Monet's Stacks of Wheat series, Van Gogh's The Bedroom and works by Renoir and Caillebotte.

  • 5

    Thorne Miniature Rooms

    Sixty-eight tiny, detailed model rooms of European and American interiors.

  • 6

    America Windows

    Marc Chagall's luminous blue stained-glass windows.

Getting there

The museum is at 111 South Michigan Avenue, beside Millennium Park. The nearest 'L' station is Adams/Wabash.

Visiting tips

Tickets & hours
Buy tickets online or at the museum. Check the official website for prices and hours.
Time needed
Three hours or more for the highlights.
Currency
US dollar (USD). Cards and phone payments are accepted almost everywhere. Tipping is customary: around 18–20% in sit-down restaurants and a dollar or two per drink in bars.
Visa & entry
Citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries (including the UK, most EU countries, Australia and Japan) need an approved ESTA before they travel; most other visitors need a visa. Canadian citizens generally need neither for a short visit. Apply only on the official site esta.cbp.dhs.gov and check travel.state.gov for the current rules.

Official information: Art Institute of Chicago (official website). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.

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