This afternoon, the Art Institute of Chicago revealed its plan to reopen on July 30, allowing guests to visit its galleries while operating at 25 percent of its usual capacity. Admission will be free to Illinois residents from July 30 through August 3, though anyone interested in a free ticket will still need to make a reservation via the Art Institute's website.
Like most indoor venues, visitors at the Art Institute will be required to wear face coverings and maintain physical distance from other groups within the museum. Initially, the museum will have limited hours, opening from noon–8pm on Thursdays and Fridays, and 10am–6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. The first hour of each day will be reserved for visits by Art Institute members.
Guests will be able to see the "El Greco: Ambition and Defiance" exhibition, which opened one week prior to the Art Institute's closure in March and will now remain on display through October 19. Other exhibitions that have been extended or rescheduled include "Malangatana: Mozambique Modern," "Bauhaus Chicago: Design in the City," "Pure Drawing: Seven Centuries of Art from the Gray Collection" and "Noda Tetsuya: My Life in Print." Additionally, the "Monet and Chicago" exhibition that was set to open in May is now scheduled to open on September 3.
The Art Institute is the latest museum to announce reopening plans in Phase 4 of Chicago's reopening plan, following in the footsteps of The Field Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art, which will reopen to guests on July 24. If you're heading to any of these cultural institutions, don't forget to follow the example of the Art Institute's lions and wear a face mask!
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