Ear on Chicago; Here's the Picture: Art Institute of Chicago

That's the sound of traffic along Michigan Boulevard in Chicago. We're standing at the corner of Michigan and Adams, and we're standing right in front of Chicago's Art Institute. This is the story of that famous institution. To the left and to the right of us are the famous landmarks of Chicago, the Lions. Peter Pollock, who is the man who is in charge of public relations and publicity for the Institute, is going to be our guide for this program and he's standing with us. First of all, Pete, I think before we go anywhere, let's talk about those Lions. How did you get those, and what are they? When the Lions of the work of Edward Kimis, K -E -M -E -Y -S, they were put up in 1895. The building was put up in 1893 as the hall of religion for the world's Colombian exposition of that year, but it was put up deliberately as the Art Institute, with half of the money coming from the sponsors, the board of trustees of the Institute of that time, and the other from the commissioners. Now, the Lions were put up for two years later. They've been the river since, and as you say, they've become the landmark of the

city. K -E -M -E -S was a well -known sculptor of the period. He was an American. He was a dentist, a turned sculptor. And you, I hope, you've taken your brother, your good shoes along, because you've got a long walk ahead of you. As you know, we are two blocks, two leaf arcs and dry from Michigan Boulevard, and we're a block from Monroe to Adams, and from Adams to Jackson. We really are in for a big walk, my friend. Well, I'm certainly ready, Pete, and I'm interested in taking this tour, because I think it's going to make a wonderful story. Let's start. All right, let's go. As I say, let's go. We'll skip just two places. We won't take into the school, which is the largest art school in the world, or the Goodman Theater. I think we'll leave that for some other time, don't you? Yes, we'll come back and do the story of those two places later. I wish you were. Pete, we have walked up the stairs from the entrance now, and walked into a very large room.

I suppose that our listeners can tell that we're in a large room by the hollow sound. Now, in this room are a number of large paintings, and I suppose that this is one of the most important rooms in the museum, because they are in the institute. Let me say, because this is the first one they see when they come in. Yes, this is what we call gallery 50. It's developed mostly to Spanish paintings. It's just behind the masterpiece of the month, which is at the head of the stairs, and by the way, more about this. Here's Mr. Daniel Katnerich, who's director of the art institute, marrying to do Mr. Rich, Mr. Hill. How did you do, Mr. Hill? Nice to know you, sir. Now, may I ask you first of all about the masterpiece of the month, which is the first thing we saw as we came up to stairs? Well, Mr. Hill, we try to put there every month one important object from the art institute. It may be a painting, it may be a piece of sculpture, it might be a great bronze, something to interest the public from our collection. Take an out of our collection, put up there. I salute it. What is the significance of this room? The significance of this room is that it is

probably the greatest room of Spanish painting in the country. We have here works by Al Greco, including this marvelous painting by Al Greco, the assumption of the Virgin, which has frequently been called the greatest Spanish painting outside of Spain. Then we have works by Goya, and works by Velascas, and some of the other great Spanish masters. Now, there are rooms over here in front of me, are off to our right as we look down toward that Louis Sullivan exhibit, and also rooms off to our left. We can't go everywhere, but we would like to visit a few. Where would you suggest we go? Well, I would suggest that we go into the Dutch room, where we'll find masterpieces by Rembrandt and some of the Dutch artists, and stop momentarily in one of the Italian galleries. And then, of course, look at our great French collection, which is perhaps the chief glory of the museum. We passed out of the large room, and I think the background of sound will probably, once again, tell our audience that we've changed atmosphere somewhat. What is this room? This room is

largely given over to Dutch 17th century painting, the great gold and age of painting in Holland. And it includes wonderful pictures by Rembrandt, including the girl at the open half door. Famous portrait of an orphan girl in Amsterdam painted by Rembrandt, works by France Hals, and by Royesdale, and other great Dutch masters. These were among the earliest things acquired by the Art Institute in 1892, 93. Fine, shall we move on? We've come into another room, Mr. Rich. This is another larger room, almost as large as that huge when we were in at the beginning. What is this room? Well, this room is given over to later Italian painting, to Venetian painting, primarily, and to works of the other Italian schools, largely 16th, 17th, and 18th century. Well, very fine, Mr. Rich. May we move on, sir?

The greatest picture in the museum, possibly next to the El Greco, is the painting by Sarah, which you see here, Sunday afternoon on this island in Paris, by ground shot, it was called. It shows a group of people in the sun moving about on this island in Paris, and was painted in 1886, and is one of the great masterpieces of French painting. What value would you put on that painting? Well, we don't actually put financial values on our pictures, but the museum was offered at one time almost $500 ,000 for it. I suppose it's worth more today. Turn it down, definitely. We still have it. Mr. Rich, talking about money a little while ago, you were explaining to us how you procure these paintings through endowments. How do you get money otherwise? Well, this is largely a private institution, Mr. Hill. It gets only a small percentage from the city. We get about 10 % of our total budget of $2 million a year from the city.

We then have to go on to our friends and ask for support. Last year, we raised for our contributors fund about $215 ,000. This year, we're going to have to raise about $250 ,000. So it's a combination of our endowments of what we get from the public and from the city. Mr. Rich, where does the Chicago Art Institute stand in relation to the other art galleries of the nation? Well, it certainly is one of the three most important, Mr. Hill, along with the National Gallery in Washington and with the Metropolitan Museum of New York. Each has its own specialties. We excel in French 19th and 20th century painting. In fact, that sequence of painters from Delacroix through Picasso is probably the greatest in the world, at least experts from France and Paris tell us that all the time. Now, I mentioned very early in our discussion that you have a Louis Sullivan exhibit here. Tell us a little bit about that and then let's walk down and take a look. Well, Louis Sullivan, of course, as you know, was the more or less father of modern

architecture. And this is the centenary of his birth. So we decided it would be not only appropriate, but exciting to arrange an exhibition calling intention of Chicago and, in fact, the whole country to Sullivan's place. Because Sullivan was the first man who really made this guy's grape or into a great building. He was the first person to use steel construction as an architect, rather than as merely as a contractor or a constructor. And his idea that form followed function is the basis of modern architecture. He was also the teacher of Frank Lloyd Wright, and he was the man who started the whole thing in Chicago in the 90s. This exhibition is made up of his original drawings, great blow -ups, photographs of his major buildings in Chicago and in St. Louis and Buffalo and elsewhere. Things of his philosophy because he had a great deal of influence of through his writing as well as through his architecture. This is the first major architectural exhibition the artisthood has done, and we're having a great response to it and great interest in it. Well, you were now in the East Wing

galleries, as you know, and these are the galleries where we hold our temporary exhibitions. Now, the man who invariably will use these galleries once or twice a year is Frederick a sweet curator of American painting. In these galleries, in the last 15 years, he's put on such important exhibitions as the Hudson River School, George Bellos, from Colony to Nation, and Sergeant Whistler and Mary Cassette just recently. Today he's working on the 62nd American exhibition. May I introduce Fred Sweet to you who's here now? Mr. Sweet, tell us something about this 62nd American exhibition. This is an exhibition of contemporary American painting and sculpture, which is entirely invited. That is, I have invited the particular paintings or pieces of sculpture either directly from artists or from private collectors or from the artist's dealers. How long have you been

working on this? Well, I've been working on the exhibition for over a year, takes a long time to assemble such exhibitions. How have you gone about it, Mr. Sweet? Have you traveled throughout the country looking for some of these paintings? Yes, I've traveled a great deal around the country. I was in California last year in Texas, New Mexico. I've been to New York three or four times. Carburet is many exhibitions as I could throughout the country, like the Carnegie exhibition in Pittsburgh, Whitney Museum shows various exhibitions of other museums throughout the country. Now tell us something of the paintings that we'll be here. Well, this will comprise about 100 paintings and about 25 pieces of sculpture entirely by living artists. It will be what, great many of our listeners, my term of very modern show, in the sense it's a very contemporary show, a show very much of our day. I think that reflects very much the what they must up and coming artists are doing at this time.

Yeah, I ask you, Mr. Sweet, why an artist would grant you his painting to put it here in the Art Institute during this exhibition? Well, it's a matter of great prestige for an artist to be shown in one of our exhibitions. After all the Art Institute's American shows are among the very top shows of the country and any artist is very delighted to be included in these exhibitions. Thank you very much, Mr. Sweet, for telling us about the 62nd American exhibition. I'd like to add just one word if I may please. Mrs. Catherine Kuh who selected the Venice Biennale exhibition which was shown this summer in Venice Biennale will bring the 45 pictures to the City of Chicago and show them as part of the 62nd American exhibition which will be held next January through March. We have just walked down the grand staircase of the Art Institute.

Pete, what is this? The Department of Prints and Drawings. Exactly. You can see these two galleries are the some of the most important drawings we have and by the way, here's you Edwards who was the associate curator of Prints and Drawings. Let me introduce you to him. Mr. Edwards is Mr. Hill. Mr. Edwards, you have a very fine first name, may I say. I wish you would tell us something about this Department of Prints and Drawings and first distinguish between the two. The Department of Prints and Drawings is one of the most extensive in the Art Institute and of course the public often confuses the word print with any printed picture but in our sense it means an original impression made from a plate, our block, our lithographic stone which the artist has prepared himself. Now you say this is a very large department. How large is it? The collection it's impossible to estimate exactly the number of prints and drawings in our collection.

It's generally supposed that there are 75 ,000 prints which is the number we usually give. Of course this does not include hundreds of prints which are in books printed from original aquitint plates, wood blocks and etched plates. Well then this is only a part of this exhibition. A very small part as a matter of fact. Yes, we can show in these galleries only a selection from the collection and these exhibitions are made up according to subject matter artists and they're changed from time to time but the public can visit this print study room at any time in the week except on Sunday and Monday and call for any print in the collection and they will be allowed to look at it themselves and make any study of prints and drawings that they're

interested in. Mr. Edwards, how important is our print to the world of art? There are great importance because they are a much more popular medium than painting. A print began to appear in Western Europe in the middle of the 15th century with a spread of the printed book and of knowledge. It was an effort to circulate or to duplicate a work of art. However, the original print is an original work printed from the original plate or block. Well, we've talked a good deal about prints but very little about drawings and that's part of the department too. Tell us something about that. Yes, in the last few years since Mr. Schnee when came Chicago more attention has been given to the collection of drawings and there's a permanent exhibition of drawings called drawings old and new which is held in gallery 12 on the ground floor of the art

institute. Do you have a favorite print, our drawing, Mr. Edwards? Well, it's very hard to name favorites in such a large collection of masterpieces as we have here. Our collection of Rembrandt alone is of a great scope and I suppose if I were to ask to name one I would say the goal wears feel by Rembrandt. Well, we've covered very little ground but still at the same time I think a great deal of ground. We want to thank you very much sir for talking to us. Yes, thank you. Pete Mr. Edwards mentioned Mr. Schnee when who is he? Well, yes, he's one of the foremost authorities in prints and drawings. He is the curator of prints and drawings for the art institute and it's been this about 15, 16 years. Fine, now where do we go next, Pete? Well, we're going to take a walk for just about a block so we can actually work in the Japanese print galleries. There we're going to meet Mr. Margaret Gentles who is the keeper of the Buckingham collection of Japanese prints. Fine, let's go. Well, Pete, we've come a long way

as you are at the Japanese print department. Well, we're in the beginning of the Oriental Department. Mr. Charles Fabin's Kelly who was the curator of the Oriental Department for many years just retired and the keeper of the Buckingham collection of Japanese prints as I told you is Miss Margaret Gentles and she's here now I'm introduced Miss Gentles to you, Mr. Hill. Miss Gentles, tell us something about the Oriental printing. Well, I think first that you might be interested in knowing that we have a magnificent collection of Chinese bronzes and a very famous collection of Chinese pottery and porcelain Chinese paintings and one of the outstanding collections of arcade Chinese jades. All these collections have been given to the art institute by prominent Chicagoans and also our Japanese prints are world famous. Miss Gentles, you have right here in front of us two prints of a Japanese girl. Could you tell us something about these?

Yes, that's a famous tea house waitress who was very noted for her beauty and her wit and she was also a talented poetist. Many of the artists painted her picture and this is a print by Udomaro which we have two impressions. The one on the left is quite faded and the one on the right is much fresher and more pristine in color. This work was done in the towards the end of the 18th century. Why do you have them setting up in this position in this manner here? Well, I think it's rather interesting for people to compare to impressions. The one on the left which we think is the finest because of the condition and color and the one on the left is what people usually find. We try to improve their taste and their eye by comparing so that they can themselves see and learn what we consider a really a wonderful print. I understand that Mr. Charles Lawton comes to this room and sits and looks at prints the same as we are doing from time to time. Quite often he's particularly fond of a famous

artist by the name of Shoraka who worked just for one year. This man created these magnificent portraits of actors and disappeared. No one knows what happened to him or where he came from. And Mr. Lawton of course being connected with the theater is fascinated by this man and his work. Worked for only one year and then completely disappeared. Disappeared. Well now may I ask you how this print is made? I know it's a long story but perhaps you can tell us pretty quickly. Well, a wooden graver who cuts the blocks and then the blocks are sent to a printer. According to the number of colors used you have to have extra blocks. It's a process of course of the artist, the engraver and the printer. Today contemporary artists do all the work themselves very much as European and American artists do. Mr. Charles I wish we had a lot more time to talk to you about this department because it's extremely interesting but we just don't have the time and I want to thank you very much for this brief visit. I enjoy it very much.

Thank you. Pete we're in another gallery. What is it? What is this? I don't know numbers. It's just number 39 but what it means because I've been here for 11 years and I don't know one number from another but this is a gallery devoted to French painting of the 20th century and Mrs. Catherine Kuh is the curator of modern painting and sculptor since the year 1800s making hundred to the present day. You'd certainly call this modern wood. I should say it is and she certainly will perfectly verse to discuss this. You know, let me tell you a few words about her you. She just recently did a book called Art as Many Faces of which is the textbook of many universities and colleges throughout the country. She did a book on Lajé for an exhibition which she did in the art institute and collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She is one of the best -versed persons in contemporary painting both European and American but here she is now my introduce Mrs. Catherine Kuh is to you Hill. Mrs. Kuh how do you do?

I'd like for you to tell me about one particular painting and if you'll allow me I'll choose one. We're standing right next to something which is called Follow the Arrow which apparently was painted in 1919. It's a maze of colors and there is a big red arrow right in the center of the picture and I don't understand it. Well I'd like to explain it but I do want to say one thing I just came in when Pete was introducing me and I heard and what he said sounded like I've been working here since 1800. Now I'm not really that old. That's all I want to say now. I'm not going to ask how old you are. But I'm old but not that old but anyway this painting that you ask about Follow the Arrow from 1919 is by Fernand Lesier French artist who died recently and you're right it is a little difficult to understand because I suppose you'd say it was abstract but it really isn't entirely abstract because if you look at it you'll see a lot of pistons and you'll see

strange rotating discs and lights going on and off. I think the painting is related to the city, the activities of the city, tied in with factory life, machinery and even the strange blatant colors remind one not so much of neon lights as the harsh noise of a city. Is that about, does that explain it at all? I'll accept the entire explanation. You sound as if you enjoy modern art. Well I do of course. I do. I mean I wouldn't be working in this field if I didn't but that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy just as much earlier art. I do. How big is the modern art collection? Here in the art institute. Well why modern do you mean 20th century or do you do you include the 19th century? It is a great deal. Well I think you mentioned the fact that we should talk about from what it was 1880 on. No no I consider I don't really know what modern art means. Some people think it's 20th century. You know what I mean what it includes but I imagine that

you would be talking about very difficult 20th century art when you talk about modern art. We have quite a large collection and I would say without bragging that we have one of the three most important collections of modern art in any museum in America. May I come back someday and take a look at it when we have more time? Absolutely. Delighted to have you. And I hope that you're here to explain some of the paintings to me. Thank you very much Mrs. Koo. Thank you. Thank you for coming. Pete before we leave and I know that we're running out of time I do want to mention the fact something that we haven't discussed and that's the fact that you're the curator of photography. Tell us just briefly a little bit about it. Well it's the youngest department. It's five years old and I've been trying to show one man exhibition since the inception. The great photographers are like great artists. They are masters in the field of the graphic arts and I have been selecting them very carefully so that we have an exciting program every two months. Pete where else shall we go? Well I'm sorry to tell you that we can't interview Myrick Rogers who is the curator of decorative arts

as he's in New York but his department is one of the most important and the Billy it is important is any other department it is huge in size included of the Thorn rooms these are majestic rooms 67 of them minute in size but perfect in relationship. Authentic in every detail and then there are other the whole Garth house et cetera there are so many things back there which are for the house and the home and the castle that I really wish we could have the time to do it. Well perhaps we can come back someday and do a story on that department. Well we can't do that but we can do is let me take you downstairs and show you some of the activities going on the building all that hammering has been going on has been walking through the halls is going on all over the structure and preparation for our new building. Let's go downstairs shall we? Fine let's go. Faith we've come to a rather noisy establishment here. Thank you well here this we're down in the balls of the institute we're building all sorts of walls and storage spaces but the man who really knows all

about this is Alan MacNab who was command the staff just recently as assistant director. Fortunately both an architect and used to be a museum director so we're using it on all counts. There he is Alan MacNab. Probably noisy down here Mr. MacNab. Yes I think it's probably just a little bit too noisy. We can't walk over here a little ways. Now first of all tell me what's going on here. Well actually we are building a storage space into which we are going to put what called displaced material. It's necessary before we put up our new buildings to move large quantities of our collection from one place to another. We are having to surrender storage spaces and therefore provide temporary storage whilst building operations go on. I understand Mr. MacNab that you're also going to build a new building. That is perfectly true we are going to build

a Ferguson Memorial building which will go to the north of the present structure and be about the same height as the present building. Actually there will be five stories. Two are below ground and three above ground. When will that begin? Well that is not actually the first part of our building program. The first part of our building program is the rehabilitation of Blackstone Hall and the opening of nine new galleries into which we'll put our Oriental Collection. That program will go into operation around about the first of February next year and probably be completed in a year. At the end of that time we will commence construction on the Ferguson Memorial building. The entire first phase of our building program will take a little under three years from today. Well Mr. MacNab we've made a complete tour or not a complete tour but at least a tour of the Art Institute

as much as we could get in in a brief period of time. This is the one place where the sounds just don't sound like an Art Institute but they're all very interesting to hear from. Very soon they will sound like an Art Institute again it'll be a bigger and much better Art Institute physically. Thank you very much for talking to us. Well Pete on this noisy point I think we're going to have to conclude our program. Well I'm sorry these kids having their lunch bars in us at tour the museum all the time as you know but here a group of them they brought their lunches and they're sitting now here in the hall having themselves a bite to eat. Well I'm glad we were at least able to hear from them because that's all part of the Art Institute as well. Pete we want to thank you and all of your associates for taking us on this tour. I'm very glad that you were here and I hope the public will come to see all the exhibitions we have. And that's the story of our tour of the Art Institute and this is Hugh Hill speaking.