United States of America

Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States, and it sits right in the middle of the city, flanking the south end of Millennium Park on Michigan Avenue.

The museum was founded in 1879, just eight years after the Great Chicago Fire, and moved into its current Beaux-Arts building in 1893, constructed for the World's Columbian Exposition. The building itself, with its iconic bronze lion statues guarding the entrance, has become one of Chicago's most photographed landmarks.

Inside, the collection spans 5,000 years and includes more than 300,000 works. Some of the most famous pieces in Western art live here: Georges Seurat's "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte," Grant Wood's "American Gothic," and Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks." The Impressionist gallery is one of the finest outside of Paris.

One lesser-known fact: the entire building straddles active railroad tracks. If you're standing in certain galleries, trains are passing directly beneath your feet.

Picasso's "The Old Guitarist" has another secret. X-ray analysis revealed three hidden figures beneath the visible painting: a woman, a child, and a cow, painted over when Picasso reused the canvas during his Blue Period.

If you're on a Questo quest through Chicago's cultural mile, the Art Institute is a stop where you could spend five minutes or five hours and still feel like you missed something.

The Art Institute of Chicago

Founders Wall commemorates the visionary figures who established Chicago and shaped its trajectory from a frontier trading post into a major American city. Located in downtown Chicago, this public monument uses stone and inscriptions to honor the pioneering efforts of early settlers and leaders whose decisions set the city on its path to becoming the 'City that Works.' The wall serves as both a physical landmark and a historical record, featuring names and dates that connect visitors to Chicago's early era. The location itself is historically significant; downtown Chicago's geography and architecture evolved around the decisions made by these early settlers regarding land use, river development, and infrastructure. Founders Wall represents the public's desire to acknowledge and remember the people whose efforts, ambitions, and sometimes mistakes shaped the city's character. In recent years, there has been important dialogue about how Founders Wall remembers Chicago's origins; increasingly, the conversation includes perspectives of Native Americans, African Americans, women, and others whose contributions were historically excluded from official narratives. Standing at Founders Wall invites reflection on how cities remember their past and whose stories get told. With Questo city games, you can explore downtown Chicago discovering how historical figures and their decisions continue to influence the neighborhoods you visit today.

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The Art Institute of Chicago

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