An Internationally-recognized Art Collection Within A Private Art Museum Setting

As its philanthropic and civic engagement activities display the Club's commitment to community and country, so does the Union League Club's support of local art institutions and its own art collection epitomize its commitment to culture.

The Club supported the establishment of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum and the Harold Washington Library. It also built one of the most comprehensive private collections of American art.

This outstanding, museum-quality collection is one of the first thing one notices about the Union League Club: art is everywhere! Some work is familiar – Monet's Apple Trees in Blossom – while others may be less familiar – Sabraw's Chroma S4 Chimaera, David Anthony Geary's Back of the Bus for Now, and Roger Brown's Cathedrals in Space, for example.

The collection lines the walls of each floor and is found in each meeting and dining room. Even staff offices feature outstanding pieces of the collection. Sculpture finds prominence in the lobby and other vantage points. So pervasive is the collection within the Club that one feels a part of a living museum.

And quite the collection it is, comprised of nearly 800 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs and decorative art, almost a third of which were created by women. Begun with Club member J.M. Thacher's donation of Ross Turner's The Cologne Cathedral in 1886, the collection embraces a diversity of style, geography and chronology. American art, particularly Midwestern art of the twentieth century, forms the nucleus. European art is also featured, with the Monet among the most prized pieces.

Beginning in 1890, a portion of members' dues were designated for an acquisition fund, which ensured that the collection would grow over the decades. In 1891 a Club art committee was formed to both solicit donations and make acquisitions for the collection. In the early 20th century, a decision was made to focus on Midwestern art, especially that of Chicago artists, reflective of the Club's role in the City. In 1998, the Club established a Distinguished Artists Program, honoring local artists.

The vibrancy of the collection engages all members and encourages them to be excited about art; prior knowledge about art is not required!