GSD Alumni and Friends
On May 15, more than 40 alumni and friends of the GSD walked through the splendid, light-filled addition to the Chicago Art Institute designed by Prizker Prize winner Renzo Piano. Billed as “A Piano Lesson,” the the program included a presentation by the architect about the addition’s innovative design following comments by GSD Dean Mohsen Mostafavi and Chicago Art Institute Director James Cuno.
The Modern Wing, which opened to the public on May 16, is the largest expansion in the Art Institute’s 130-year history. The building increases the institution’s space by 35 percent to one million square feet, making the Art Institute the second largest art museum in the US after the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
Renzo Piano speaks about the new addition he designed at the Chicago Art Institute.
Hannah Peters, Associate Dean of External Relations, and Maria Smithburg, MLA ’85.
Alex Krieger, Professor in Practice of Urban Design, with Graham Gund, MArch ’68, MAUD ’69.
GSD alumni and friends tour the new Modern Wing.
Renzo Piano, left, chats with Angelica Rudenstine, Dean Mohsen Mostafavi, Emily Pulitzer, and former Harvard University President Neil Rudenstine.
Photos by Jim Iska.