
The Art Institute of Chicago
Michigan Avenue Entrance
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60603
Contact:
ticketing@artic.edu
Website:
www.artic.edu
Open hours:
Members Only | Public | |
---|---|---|
Monday | 10-11 a.m. | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. |
Tuesday-Wednesday | Closed | Closed |
Thursday-Friday | 10-11 a.m. | 11 a.m.-9 p.m. |
Saturday-Sunday | 10-11 a.m. | 11 a.m.-6 a.m. |
Plan Your Visit:
www.artic.edu/visit

Buddha Shakyamuni Seated in Meditation (Dhyanamudra)
India, Tamil Nadu, near Nagapattinam
Chola period (circa 855-1279), about 12th century
Granite, 63 × 47 5/16 × 22 3/16 in. (160 x 120.2 x 56.3 cm)
Purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Andrew Brown, 1964.556
Buddha Shakyamuni Seated in Meditation (Dhyanamudra)
India, Tamil Nadu, near Nagapattinam
Chola period (circa 855-1279), about 12th century
Granite, 63 × 47 5/16 × 22 3/16 in. (160 x 120.2 x 56.3 cm)
Purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Andrew Brown, 1964.556

Yeesookyung (Korean, born 1963)
Translated Vase_2015 TVGW 3
2015
Ceramic shards, epoxy, 24K gold leaf
51 3/16 x 41 5/16 x 41 5/16 in. (130 x 105 x 105 cm)
Louise Lutz and Margaret Gentles endowment funds; restricted gift of Gay-Young Cho; Arts of Asia Travel Purchase and Edward Horner Sr. Memorial funds, 2021.248
Yeesookyung (Korean, born 1963)
Translated Vase_2015 TVGW 3
2015
Ceramic shards, epoxy, 24K gold leaf
51 3/16 x 41 5/16 x 41 5/16 in. (130 x 105 x 105 cm)
Louise Lutz and Margaret Gentles endowment funds; restricted gift of Gay-Young Cho; Arts of Asia Travel Purchase and Edward Horner Sr. Memorial funds, 2021.248

Dragon Pendant, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warrring States period (circa 480–221 B.C.)
4th/3rd century B.C.
Jade
3 3/5 × 6 3/5 × 3/10 in. (9.2 × 16.8 × 0.7 cm)
Edward and Louise B. Sonnenschein Collection, 1950.640
Dragon Pendant, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warrring States period (circa 480–221 B.C.)
4th/3rd century B.C.
Jade
3 3/5 × 6 3/5 × 3/10 in. (9.2 × 16.8 × 0.7 cm)
Edward and Louise B. Sonnenschein Collection, 1950.640
Monochromatic Japanese Prints
September 30-April 9, 2023
In its oldest and most basic form, a printed image consists of black ink indirectly applied to paper. In Japan, this method was developed by the 8th century and employed for commercial purposes beginning in the 17th century, with color printing becoming widespread in the 1760s. The early commercial monochromatic prints are known as sumizuri-e—literally, “pictures printed in ink.” Despite their limited palette, these works by designers such as Kaigetsudō Anchi and Okumura Masanobu, who are represented in this display, have a presence and immediacy rarely seen again in Japanese printmaking until the 20th century.
After the development of full-color printing in the mid-18th century, some publishers chose to save money by continuing to use black ink alone to produce illustrated books and single-sheet prints. Other publishers deployed black ink to make a statement about the skill of an artist or to imbue a print with a painterly quality: they produced complex images rendered mostly in shades of gray, as seen in works by Katsukawa Shunchō and Utagawa Hiroshige.
In the 20th century, print designers who recognized the potential of black ink on paper took up the challenge of making compelling images with only the fundamental materials. Artists including Munakata Shikō and Hiratsuka Un’ichi spent virtually their entire careers working almost exclusively in black ink, demonstrating the expressive power of mono-chromatic printing.
The striking works in this exhibition span nearly 250 years and are drawn entirely from the rich holdings of the Art Institute’s Japanese print collection. Monochromatic Japanese Prints is curated by Janice Katz, Roger L. Weston Associate Curator of Japanese Art, the Art Institute of Chicago.
Kingfisher Headdresses from China
May 21, 2022-May 21, 2023
Since ancient times, Chinese poets have praised the plumage of the kingfisher, a bird widely found in the tropical regions of Asia. The brilliant turquoise-blue is not a pigment but results from the way their transparent feathers refract light. By the Song dynasty (960–1278), portraits of empresses showed them wearing headdresses adorned with kingfisher ornaments. Few examples of this fragile artistry have survived, and the earliest ones come from the tomb of the Wanli Emperor (reigned 1572–1620), in which archaeologists found four elaborate kingfisher crowns worn by his empresses.
Goryeo Celadon and Material Culture
January 21, 2pm (CST)
Join ceramic specialist Namwon Jang for a discussion of the Goryeo celadons from the Art Institute’s collection currently on view in the Korean galleries.
The practice of drinking tea was brought to the Korean peninsula from Tang China (618–907) and widely spread in the Goryeo court and Buddhist temples. When ceramicists in the region began making teaware with Goryeo celadon, the objects were not only functional but rare. They acquired new material value and a reputation as objects of taste. In this talk, Jang will discuss how the celadon produced during the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) reflects the material culture of Goryeo society and its international relationships with China and Japan.
The discussion will be held in Korean and live-translated into English.