Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
The building where Frida Kahlo held her first U.S. exhibition and Jeff Koons launched his museum career.
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One of the world's largest contemporary art venues, the MCA runs gallery-style year-round, rotating loans alongside thousands of Post-WWII works. The permanent collection moves from 1940s surrealism through pop art and minimalism — Warhol, Jasper Johns, Cindy Sherman, Kara Walker, Alexander Calder — into 1980s postmodernism and current video and installation. Dance, theater, and music round out the program.
What to look for
- The Josef Paul Kleihues signature staircase climbing to an elevated ground-floor atrium — the architectural centerpiece selected after a 12-month, 200-nomination search
- Full glass east and west facades that frame direct views of the city skyline and Lake Michigan from inside the building
- Historical anchors in the collection: late surrealism and pop art works spanning the 1940s through 1970s
220 East Chicago Avenue in Streeterville, a short walk from Water Tower Place on the Near North Side.
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is one of 37 sights worth the detour in Chicago, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Chicago pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Chicago
- Willis TowerIt held the world's tallest title for nearly 25 years after opening in 1973 — and the Skydeck is still the highest observation deck in the United States.
- Art Institute of ChicagoFour paintings you've seen your whole life — Nighthawks, La Grande Jatte, The Old Guitarist, American Gothic — hang in the same building.
- John Hancock Center (875 N Michigan Ave)A moving platform pivots you 30 degrees outward over the Magnificent Mile — 1,128 feet of nothing beneath your feet.
- Aon CenterWhen it opened in 1973 as "Big Stan," this 83-floor tower was the fourth-tallest building on Earth — and clad entirely in marble.
- United CenterThe Bulls hardwood floor is literally assembled over the Blackhawks ice and taken apart game by game — two teams, one frozen surface, shared by puzzle.
- Soldier FieldThe NFL's oldest stadium lost its National Historic Landmark status because of the renovation meant to save it.