Chicago - Art deco Elevator Doors

I have never seen so many exquisite elevator doors as I did in Chicago.  It could be because I was looking out for them, but it certainly didn't take a lot of effort to end up with the batch below...

Now these don't look art deco but exceptional nonetheless -

and see how impressive a whole bank of them looked!

Chicago - Stained Glass Museum

We hardly ever go near ferris wheels any more although they are very photogenic.  We wouldn't have gone to the Navy Pier with its ferris wheel if it were not also the home of the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows - another must see freebie in Chicago.  You can see some of my faves below.

Tiffany panels 

St. Cecilia playing the organ 1937 above and King David playing the harp below -
art deco designs by Conrad Schmitt Studio in Wisconsin

One of a pair of panels designed by Louis Sullivan 1889-90

A pair of very Wright windows

The two panels below are excellent examples of Wright's brilliant use of both the plane and the diagonal for which he was famous.  These were from the Oscar Steffens House.  1909

Designed by George Grant Elmslie 1920  - use of the disc is very similar to Wright designs

Another Tiffany

Navy Pier building

And the ferris wheel of course!

Chicago - the awesome Chicago Art Institute

Like many other large museums, the Art Institute of Chicago could take you days to go through.  We spent two half days here on a 5 day visit to Chicago and barely skimmed the surface.  There were many impressionist works but the modern art collection is impressive.  What I'd found most fascinating though was the collection of 68 exquisitely decorated rooms of miniature period furniture in the Thorne Room in the basement.  I could spend hours going through each window case - they are great fodder for the imagination!  Below are some of my favourite pieces at the Institute.

Renoir's The Wave

Degas Dancers

The Captive Slave by English painter John Philip Simpson, 1827.  This was a very bold statement at the time as it was six years before the Slavery Abolition Act was passed by the British Parliament.  Ira Aldridge, the free-born son of  a New York lay preacher who posed for the picture would go on to an important career on the London stage.

Unmistakable Frank Lloyd Wright hanging here and there

The famous Jackson Pollock drip, pour and splash...

I love this!  Gerhard Richter's Woman descending the stairs

Don't forget to turn around and look outside the wall to wall windows in the new wing to catch another perspective on the magnificent Chicago towers (they might be behind blinds if you visit in late afternoon)

Neat design - a collapsible stool

A granite buddha from the 12th century

and here are some of the miniature rooms...

http://www.artic.edu/http://www.artic.edu/

Chicago - Frank Lloyd Wright

One of the highlights of our Chicago trip was the visit to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, about 20 minutes from downtown Chicago on the train.  It was very easy to get to on public transit and there is no need to take a bus tour.  You would want to walk to the house anyway when you get to Oak Park because there are a lot of houses in the neighbourhood that was designed by Wright.  The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust provides a self-guided tour that includes a list of houses with street numbers so you can do a walking tour of the historic district.  Some of the houses have very obvious Wright design elements but a few of them were quite common, on the outside at least.

The Studio Tour had to be booked in advance as there were limited tours in a day and it had to be guided.   The rooms are not very big relative to the size of the group and no pictures were allowed at the time of our visit.  But they will now allow photography for a $5 fee, worth paying if you are a  photographer.  The Wright house had a lot of interesting nooks and crannies but the highlight for me were the windows, both in the house and in the studio.

The visit to Wright's Unity Temple was a wide open self-guided tour and it was quite fun.  I could take all the photos I wanted and even got a stint on the pulpit!  I love the windows and the lighting.  The Church has set opening hours so check it as you walk by on your way to the Wright Home and Studio to make sure you don't miss it.

Entrance to the Home and Studio

Lots of these amazing windows

The approach to the octagonal study

The walkway to the studio

Some Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes in Oak Park

The Unity Temple - the solid wall on the lower level was meant to cut out noise

Entrance doors to the Temple

Inside the temple 

Inside windows atop the church hall

Next post:  the last one on Chicagot - the Stained Glass Museum on Navy Pier