Art Institute: Windows to Chicago

One of my favorite things about the Art Institute of Chicago-- aside from the wonderful artwork, of course-- is the way the museum interacts with the city around it.  I've taken photos in the past which show this from the exterior; I thought I'd try a few shots from inside the building on a recent visit:


Nikon D7000 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/50sec at f4.5, ISO400. © Andy Marfia 2011 All Rights Reserved.

The shot above is from the southeast section.  It's one of my favorite stairways in the Art Institute, here intermixed with the Santa Fe Building and Michigan Ave.  I processed this so the staircase would be predominantly in silhouette, which I think accentuates the basic elements of the scene.


Nikon D7000 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/640sec at f5.6, ISO800. © Andy Marfia 2011 All Rights Reserved.

This next photo is from the Modern Wing and shows some relatively new high rises in the South Loop.


Nikon D7000 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/125sec at f5.6, ISO400. © Andy Marfia 2011 All Rights Reserved.

This third and final shot is from the wing that crosses over the old rail yards, and shows the Aon Center and other buildings to the north.  The white line in this picture is a break in the window shades.