THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO

The Art Institute of Chicago is the second largest art museum in the United States, after New York's Metropolitan Museum. Like all museums of international stature, it's impossible to explore everything in a single visit. However, its surface area is more accessible than that of the labyrinthine Louvre or Hermitage, so you can get a good overview on your first visit. Originally, the museum was located in the Fine Arts Building, a few blocks to the south. But within 14 years of its opening, the need for a larger structure became apparent, especially as Chicago was preparing to host the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. After lengthy negotiations with the city, the new Art Institute opened its doors on December 8, 1893, in the building we know today, easily recognizable by the two bronze lions guarding its Michigan Avenue entrance. The museum has continued to expand ever since. Today, it houses one of the world's richest and most diverse collections, spanning almost 5,000 years of history, from antiquity to contemporary art. Its latest major extension, the Modern Wing, was inaugurated in 2009. Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, who also designed the Centre Pompidou in Paris, this luminous wing overlooks Millennium Park, to which it is linked by the Nichols Bridgeway.

If you've got an hour to spare, here's a route through the museum's must-see works:

After ticket control, go straight up to the second floor, where some of the most beautiful rooms are located. Start with the galleries devoted to European art before 1900, particularly Impressionism (rooms 225, 226, 201, 240 to 243). This section is one of the jewels in the museum's crown: Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Pissarro, Bonnard, Toulouse-Lautrec... all vying with each other to sublimate the play of light and color. Don't miss the famous pointillist painting Un dimanche après-midi à l'île de la Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat, one of the museum's icons.

Continue your visit on the same floor with the modern American art collections (1900-1950) in rooms 261 to 265 and 271 to 273. Here you'll see Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, a mysterious night scene in a New York bar, and Grant Wood's world-famous American Gothic, an austere portrait of a farmer and his daughter in 1930s rural America.

Then head to the third floor, to rooms 389 to 399, devoted to modern European art (1900-1950). Here you'll find Picasso, Dalí, Magritte, and the famous abstract canvases of Mondrian, whose geometric compositions so inspired modern architecture, particularly in Chicago. And don't miss Giacometti's wiry, poetic sculptures.

Then go back down one floor to discover works of contemporary art after 1960. Don't miss Carrie Mae Weems' black-and-white photographic series featuring a woman in her kitchen, an intimate reflection on identity and social roles. You'll also see Andy Warhol's superb portrait of Elizabeth Taylor, works by Jackson Pollock, Donald Judd's minimalist installations and Robert Rauschenberg's daring assemblages.

Other must-sees

Return to the second floor to admire works by James McNeill Whistler, in particular Nocturne: Blue and Gold - Southampton Water, a tribute to the misty atmosphere and density of the air. If you still have some energy left, take a tour of the rooms devoted to American decorative arts (rooms 158 and 159, on the second floor), or the photography collections (rooms 1 to 4, on the first floor).

In the south wing of the museum, don't miss The Fountain of the Great Lakes, an allegorical work depicting five women, each holding a shell. Water flows from shell to shell, reflecting the natural flow of water between the five North American Great Lakes: from Lake Superior to Lake Ontario.

The unusual collection

The Thorne Miniature Rooms collection is fascinating. It comprises 68 miniatures of European, American and Asian home interiors, from the 15th to the early 20th century, reproduced at 1/12 scale. Attention to detail, perspective and the finesse of the materials used make these scenes incredibly authentic. Their creator, Narcissa Niblack Thorne (1882-1966), was passionate about history and crafts.

For children

The Art Institute offers an interactive room for younger visitors. On a touch screen, children choose a theme and then select works from the museum. A few minutes later, they leave with a personalized booklet bearing their first name, a fun and educational souvenir to awaken their artistic side.

The museum offers a free application with a Google Maps-style interactive map. It makes it easy to find your way around the museum, and also offers audio tours (in English only).

Finally, a little trivia: the historic Route 66 officially begins in front of the museum, on Adams Street, a stone's throw from Grant Park.