Collection
The MCA's permanent collection includes more than 2,500 artworks that span media and movements from the 1920s to the present. Although not on permanent display, works from the collection appear regularly in our many rotating exhibitions. The entire collection, with images and descriptions, is now available online. Explore it by artist, title, or creation date. Images in this section are published for educational use under the umbrella of the Fair Use doctrine.
The D.Daskalopoulos Collection Gift
Joseph Beuys, <em>Celtic + ~~~~em, 1971. Film (super 8), ten photographs, glass bottle with gelatin and beeswax, in cloth-covered box, stamped with brown paint. Edition 6 of 100. 15 3/4 × 19 2/3 in. (each photograph); 6 1/2 × 3 in. (bottle); 7 1/2 in. (diameter, film case); 16 1/4 × 20 1/4 × 4 1/2 in. (box closed); 36 1/2 × 20 1/4 × 4 1/2 in. (box open). Gift of the D.Daskalopoulos Collection donated jointly to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 2022.146.
Photo: Shelby Ragsdale, © MCA Chicago.The D.Daskalopoulos Collection Gift, presented to the MCA and Guggenheim in 2022, represents a remarkable body of over 100 artworks in a wide range of media.
Featured Work
Howardena Pindell, American, b. 1943
Untitled #20 (Dutch Wives Circled and Squared), 1978
Mixed media on canvas
86 × 110 in. (218.4 × 279.4 cm)
Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Gift of Albert A. Robin by exchange, 2014.15
On this page you’ll find a rotating selection of works from the permanent collection, chosen by members of our community, including curators but also teachers, artists, and staff members. They tell us about a work that has recently caught their eye and why, sharing their reflections on what they see and what you might look for.
Reproduction requests
A colorful glimpse of the MCA's original building at 237 East Ontario Street
Photo: Nathan Keay © MCA ChicagoThe Rights and Images department is currently accepting image and media requests for research and publication. Images available include artworks in the MCA’s permanent collection, archival materials, and installation views of past MCA exhibitions.
Publications
The MCA tells stories about the museum’s exhibitions, programs, and history in many ways and through various media, both print and digital. This section of the site indexes our publications and productions, and invites you to explore them.
Video Still