The Art Institute of Chicago received the largest financial gift in its 145-year history this month. Aaron I. Fleischman and Dr. Lin Lougheed, a married philanthropist couple, have donated $75 million to the heralded art institution. This capital will go toward a comprehensive master plan for its campus by Barozzi Veiga, a Barcelona office.
The last major upgrade at the Art Institute of Chicago was realized in 2009 when Renzo Piano completed its Modern Wing. Ten years later, in 2019, Barozzi Veiga presented an expansion plan for the museum. That vision ideated enhancements to existing spaces, but also an exploration of how to maximize the entire campus.
Looking ahead, the $75 million gift will go toward new galleries that will contain 19th-century, modern, and contemporary artworks. These galleries will be located inside a new wing called the Aaron I. Fleischman and Lin Lougheed Building, named after the donors.
Fleischman and Lougheed currently live in Florida, but they were born in Highland Park, Illinois; and Ottumwa, Iowa, respectively. Fleischman has been a trustee of the Art Institute for almost 15 years.
“Lin and I are excited about naming a new building that will create additional space for visitors to see more of the collection than they have ever been able to see before, and for the museum to tell a more complete story of modern and contemporary art,” Fleischman said in a statement.
Fleischman continued: “Touring the collections on view and in storage I came to believe that more of the museum‘s extraordinary collection needed to be available to visitors and presented in world-class architecture.”
“It’s exciting to be part of Barozzi Veiga’s long-term plan for the Art Institute,” Lougheed said. “The future building plans will add to Chicago’s reputation as the center of innovative architecture.”