The Museum of Contemporary Art Collection has outstanding examples of visual art from 1945 to the present with a strong focus on surrealism, minimalism, conceptual photography, and work by Chicago-based artists. These highlights from the 2,345 objects in the collection are arranged alphabetically by artist’s last name and range in media from painting, sculpture, and photography to installation and video. Each object is accompanied by an image and a short description. Although not represented here, the MCA also has nearly 2,500 examples in its collection of artists’ books.

Only a small percentage of collection works are on view at any given time and may be found in any of the museum spaces. These works are often used to create rotating thematic exhibitions such as Collection Highlights, annual exhibitions such as Alexander Calder in Focus: Works from the Leonard and Ruth Family Loan, and special installations such as Takashi Murakami’s Jellyfish Eyes on view in the Puck’s cafe in January.

To learn more about the history of the MCA Collection, please read the essay “Life Death Love Hate Pleasure Pain: A Spectrum of Contemporary Art at the MCA, Chicago” by Elizabeth Smith, James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Programs, from the 2002 collection catalogue, Life Death Love Hate Pleasure Pain.