The Art Institute of Chicago has some of the most famous works of art in the world, like American Gothic, one of Vincent van Gogh’s earliest self-portraits, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Nighthawks, The Old Guitarist, Waterlillies by my very favorite artist Claude Monet, and so many others. Along with ancient coins, marble statues from Ancient Greece, and thousands of other incredible works of art, the Art Institute of Chicago is one of the world’s best art museums, and something that can’t be missed on a visit to Chicago.
The Detroit Institute of Arts’ $9 Billion Collection, and How It Was Saved
Home to more than 65,000 works of art, valued around $9 Billion, by famed artists such as Picasso, van Gogh, Monet, Matisse, Georgia O’Keefe, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Breughel, and hundreds more, the Detroit Institute of Arts receives around 1,000,000 visitors each year, making it one of the world’s most visited art museums. With a vast collection of sculptures, paintings, busts, artisanal sterling silver dishes and cutlery, ancient artifacts, photographs, murals, and mixed media works, primarily from Europe has a little bit of everything. When the City of Detroit filed for bankruptcy in 2013, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the impressive cultural and historical markers it houses, was nearly stolen from the people of Detroit and its visitors.
Visiting Newfields Gardens & Sculpture Park
I first visited Newfields in Indianapolis, IN (which is the campus’ new name as of 2017) in 2014 with my husband when it was just the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and again in 2017 for my cousin’s wedding, where they were married in a quaint outdoor ceremony amongst beautiful flowers and plants. Home of an extensive art collection featuring the likes of Roy Lichtenstein, Picasso, Rembrandt, Georgia O’Keefe, and many others, as well as an extensive 152 acre park, Newfields is now more of a public garden and event venue than art museum.