Tonight Mike and I went to the members preview of the Modern Wing. It’s visually stunning inside and out, with some great views of Millennium Park. We spent most of our time in the early 20th century European section, and didn’t get a chance to see photography, architecture and design, or the most recent paintings. Saving that for later, since I intend to get a lot out of the cost of my membership. I mostly skipped Surrealism. It’s too scary. That, and Futurism. Give me some De Stijl any day. It’s more soothing.
Despite all the grandeur of the space, I couldn’t get away from the feeling that it’s like a huge version of the new Champaign Public Library, or perhaps the CPL is a tiny version of it. If I knew more about architecture, perhaps I could name the style of modern public buildings. Airy, but also brown…