John Singer Sargent. “Street in Venice,” 1882. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of the Avalon Foundation.

Chicago museums and collectors played a critical role in the life of an American artist with an international profile. We take a look at the spectacular paintings of John Singer Sargent.

Charles White. “Trenton Six,” 1949. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX. (© The Charles White Archives Inc.)

On the 100th anniversary of his birth, Charles White is being recognized with the first major retrospective of his work since 1982. 

Ivan Albright. “Portrait of Mary Block,” 1955-‘57. Gift of Mary and Leigh Block. (© The Art Institute of Chicago)

By all accounts, Ivan Albright was a lighthearted fellow – but in the mid-20th century, the Chicago artist painted some very dark pictures.

El Lissitzky. “Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge,” 1920. Ne boltai! Collection.

An exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago features the artistic outpouring of Russian artists after the October Revolution of 1917, the coup that brought the Soviet Union into being more than a century ago.

Actor Dion Johnstone portrays Ira Aldridge in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of “Red Velvet.” (Photo by Liz Lauren)

Exploring the connection between a controversial painting at the Art Institute and the new play “Red Velvet” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

The Christmas season is the only time to see a rare Nativity scene that blends both spiritual and earthly pursuits. We go for a look.

Paul Gauguin. Portrait of the Artist with the Yellow Christ, 1890–91. Musée d’Orsay, Paris, acquired by the national museums with the participation of Philippe Meyer and a Japanese sponsorship coordinated by the newspaper Nikkei, 1994.

A new exhibit at the Art Institute showcases the little-known woodworking and ceramics of artist Paul Gauguin.

A Museum Hack tour in progress at the Art Institute of Chicago. (Courtesy of Museum Hack)

Museum Hack’s offbeat tours of the Art Institute of Chicago aim to engage the next generation of museum-goers. “Your job is fun first, education along the way,” says one tour guide.

James McNeill Whistler. “Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Portrait of the Artist's Mother),” 1871. Musée d'Orsay, Paris, RF 699. © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY.

We visit the Art Institute of Chicago to find out more about the 19th century oil painting “Arrangement in Grey and Black, Number One” – commonly known as “Whistler’s Mother.” 

“Armor for Man and Horse,” about 1520 with modern costume. South German, Nuremberg. The Art Institute of Chicago, George F. Harding Collection.

The Art Institute of Chicago unveils new galleries of medieval and Renaissance art – including the re-installation of the popular arms and armor collection. We get a sneak peek.

(Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago)

Beginning Monday, city residents under the age of 18 will no longer be required to pay the $14 admission fee at the museum in Grant Park thanks to a gift from a pair of Kansas donors.

László Moholy-Nagy. A 19, 1927. Hattula Moholy-Nagy, Ann Arbor, Michigan. © 2016 Hattula Moholy-Nagy/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Bold paintings from the 1920s, plus photographs and industrial design: A new show looks at an international artist who made a big impression in Chicago.

A look into the world of art glass paperweights as we preview an upcoming auction from a very famous collection.

Grant Wood, “American Gothic,” 1930. (Friends of American Art Collection. The Art Institute of Chicago)

It has been said that the Great Depression was the best thing that ever happened to American artists. A new exhibition looks at how artists of the 1930s applied their diverse visions to the American dream during this time of immense change.

Left: Aaron Siskind. Gloucester 16 1944, 1944. (The Art Institute of Chicago, The Mary and Leigh Block). Right: Aaron Siskind. Jerome 21 1949, 1949. (The Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Aaron Siskind)

From New York to Chicago, the influential photographer and teacher focused on “the drama of objects.”

Mouth painter Antonio Davis at the 2015 Art in Motion fundraiser. (Jeffrey Ross Photography)

The 14th annual Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago fundraiser features artwork by 23 of their patients, including art by two mouth painters who will show off their skills during Thursday's opening reception.