Monet and Chicago

In 1903, the Art Institute of Chicago became the first American museum to buy a painting by Claude Monet (1840–1926), beginning a tradition of collecting that has inextricably connected this midwestern city to the French Impressionist master. Tracing Chicago's unique relationship with the artist, this generously illustrated volume not only features well-known works in the Art Institute's holdings, such as the six Stacks of Wheat paintings and four Water Lilies, but also includes works on paper and rarely seen still lifes, landscapes, and photographic material from private Chicago collections. Stunning reproductions of details at actual size, a delightful essay by Adam Gopnik, and a richly illustrated chronology combine to reveal the depth of the city's continuing devotion to an adopted artistic hero.