The Miró's Chicago Sculpture, Chicago, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

Miró's Chicago is a large abstract sculpture by the Catalan artist Joan Miró, standing in the Loop in downtown Chicago. Unveiled in 1981 and also known as The Sun, the Moon and One Star, it is built from steel, wire mesh, concrete, bronze and ceramic tiles. It is one of the city's best-known pieces of public art, set among office towers.

The story behind it

Joan Miró was famous for paintings and sculptures that drew on the subconscious, and this work carries that dreamlike spirit into the middle of a business district. It was unveiled in 1981 directly south of the Untitled Picasso, so two major modern artworks now face each other across the Loop's streets.

The sculpture stands between the Cook County Administration Building and the First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple. Both buildings cast shadows over it, and the small plaza has long been a place where office workers stop to eat lunch. The title refers to the sun, moon and star shapes that Miró worked into the figure.

What to look for

• The mix of materials is the first thing to notice: rough concrete and metal sit beside bright ceramic tiles and bronze.
• Look for the sun, moon and star motifs hidden in the swelling, playful shapes of the figure.
• Walk around it slowly, because the silhouette changes completely from each side and the colors catch the light differently.
• Notice the setting, with the tall Chicago Temple and the Administration Building framing the sculpture and making it look even more surreal.

Tips for your visit

• It stands in an open public plaza, so you can see it from the street at any time without going inside anywhere.
• Ten to fifteen minutes is enough for the sculpture itself, longer if you stop for lunch nearby.
• Daylight shows the ceramic colors best, and midday is when the plaza is liveliest with office workers on break.
• The Untitled Picasso is very close, so see both works in one stop and pair them with the other Loop landmarks around them.

See it on a quest

The quest Chicago Loop Highlights: Battle the Supernatural passes this sculpture on foot as one stop of a longer route through the Loop. The app tells you about each place as you reach it and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you, so you look at Miró's figure far more closely than you would walking past. You can start any time, with no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers the whole group.