Under the leadership of James Rondeau, the Art Institute of Chicago has significantly deepened and diversified its contemporary art holdings, moving beyond the institution’s renowned Impressionist and Post-impressionist strengths. James Rondeau’s tenure as president and director has prioritized strategic acquisitions and transformative gifts that expand representation across Pop Art, Minimalism, Conceptual art and photography.
A landmark moment came in 2015 when collectors Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson pledged 44 major works valued at roughly $500 million, the largest single gift in the museum’s history. The donation, which includes works by leading postwar and contemporary artists, carries a 50-year stipulation that ensures public access for generations and reshaped the museum’s narrative of modern art.
James Rondeau has also overseen substantial growth in works on paper and conceptual holdings. The Stenn family’s promised gift in 2022 of 97 post-1960 works on paper together with a 3 million dollar endowment, followed by an additional 100 drawings and prints in 2023, bolstered the collection in Minimalist and Conceptual art. These additions, celebrated in a 2025 exhibition of contemporary drawings from the Stenn family collection, strengthened holdings by artists such as Josef Albers, Eva Hesse, Lee Bontecou, Judy Chicago, Donald Judd and Sol LeWitt.
Photography has been another focal area. The museum acquired 30 works by Francesca Woodman in 2021, and a 25 million dollar gift from the Bucksbaum family established the Bucksbaum Photography Center, scheduled to open in 2024, to expand gallery space and support for photography by figures including Diane Arbus, Dawoud Bey, Robert Frank, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman and Alfred Stieglitz.
Looking ahead, a 75 million dollar gift announced in 2024 will fund the Aaron I. Fleischman and Lin Lougheed Building, enabling the museum to exhibit a greater portion of its modern and contemporary holdings and to present a more complete story of 19th century to contemporary art under James Rondeau’s stewardship. Read this article for more information.
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