Chicago (The Art Institvte of)

On a recent voyage to Chicago, I made it my first priority to see The Art Institvte of Chicago (they tastefully used the latin 'v' rather than english 'u'), and was astounded at such a place. I was instantly transformed into a glaze-eyed baby following a trail in and out of all the rooms and wings, more than ready to devote all my time there to wandering the place, delaying lunch as long as possible. A recently added Modern Wing by the Italian architect Renzo Piano (see the Centre Pompidou, Paris), was astonishing. True to form, it was high ceilinged with natural light coming in from the upper levels to bathe all the lower galleries which were accessed through huge glass doors. The upstairs level had a view of all of Millennium Park across the street. The old stone building was reminiscent of the museums in Europe; attention to detail, a realization of the necessity of a specific environment for the contemplation of art, and the simple fact that a beautiful building puts everyone in a good mood.