Here’s a roundup of free days at Chicago-area museums, zoos and other cultural institutions. Plus 15 places that are always free.

The Art Institute of Chicago added more than 1,000 artworks to its already-massive collection in 2025, including a rare 17th-century textile from India and a “razor-sharp” German oil portrait by ...

After being closed for refurbishment since January 2024, the Art Institute of Chicago’s 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century European design galleries will reopen Friday with a new configuration that allows ...

Vincent van Gogh, "Factories at Clichy" (1887), Saint Louis Art Museum (image courtesy Art Institute of Chicago) CHICAGO — As much as we rightfully worship at the altar of Vincent van Gogh, he has ...

Art Steve McQueen at the Art Institute of Chicago or How To Install Moving Images At the Art Institute of Chicago’s Steve McQueen exhibition, I saw something unusual: museum-goers spending time — ...

But in part because of the dominance of the New York art scene and biases about so-called regional art, the group has faced ...

Since it was acquired in 1964, Gustave Caillebotte’s “Paris Street; Rainy Day” has become all but synonymous with the Art Institute. It appears in the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and in ...

Gift Article 10 Remaining As a subscriber, you have 10 articles to gift each month. Gifting allows recipients to access the article for free. The Art Institute of Chicago announced plans for a $50 ...

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