Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

Founded in 1967 by a group of collectors who wanted Chicago to have a home for the art of its own time, the Museum of Contemporary Art made an early statement in 1969 when Christo wrapped its original building in tarpaulin. Since 1996 it has occupied a building by the German architect Josef Paul Kleihues, a limestone and aluminium block raised above a broad flight of steps just off Michigan Avenue, with a sculpture garden at the back.

The galleries focus on art made since the mid-twentieth century. The collection is strong in Surrealism, Minimalism and Conceptual art and includes works by artists such as Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, Bruce Nauman, Cindy Sherman and Jeff Koons. Chicago artists, notably the Imagists of the 1960s and 1970s, are well represented. Much of the space goes to changing exhibitions, and the museum also has a theatre for performance, music and dance, which suits visitors drawn to living artists and new work.