Latest news with #ArtInstituteofChicago
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Chicago museum director stripped mid-air after booze and pills, but still has his million-dollar role
The Art Institute of Chicago's director, James Rondeau, is set to return to his position Monday after being temporarily sidelined due to a bizarre and embarrassing incident on an international flight that saw him reportedly strip naked mid-air. Rondeau, who earns more than $1 million annually as the museum's highest-paid employee, was detained by German authorities on April 18 upon landing in Munich. According to reports, he became intoxicated after consuming alcohol and prescription medication, eventually disrobing in-flight aboard a United Airlines flight from Chicago. The 55-year-old museum chief was taken into custody by German police after the plane touched down, sparking an internal crisis at one of the nation's most respected art institutions. Rondeau later took a voluntary leave of absence while the museum launched an independent investigation into the incident. 'I deeply regret this incident' In a statement released through CBS News, Rondeau expressed remorse for the ordeal, "I deeply regret this incident and the impact it has had on the museum and me and on my colleagues. I have dedicated the past 27 years of my professional career to the Art Institute and I am grateful to have the opportunity to continue furthering its mission." Despite the public embarrassment, the Art Institute has decided to reinstate Rondeau, citing confidence in his leadership. Museum backs director's return "Board leadership of the Art Institute of Chicago has conducted an independent investigation of this incident and is confident in James Rondeau's leadership and ability to continue as the president and director of the museum," a museum spokesperson told CBS News. Rondeau has been with the Art Institute since 1998, when he began as an associate curator. He was appointed president and director in 2016, overseeing the museum's vast collection of more than 300,000 artworks.
Chicago Tribune
26-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: Buckingham Fountain opens
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 26, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1855: Cyrus Bradley was appointed chief of police in Chicago and served in that position until his death in 1856. He later introduced the department's motto: 'At danger's call, we'll promptly fly; and bravely do or bravely die.' 1927: The Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain, one of the largest in the world, was opened and dedicated three months later. The majestic landmark was designed by architect Edward Bennet, who was also the creative mind behind Wacker Drive and the Michigan Avenue (now DuSable) Bridge. French artist Marcel Loyau designed its four seahorses, which represent the four states that border Lake Michigan. Kate Buckingham donated the fountain to the city in honor of her late brother, Clarence. She established a $300,000 trust fund, administered by the Art Institute of Chicago, to ensure that taxpayers would not have to pay for the fountain's upkeep. This came in handy in 1994 when the fountain underwent a $2.8 million restoration. The fountain's basin is constructed with pink marble from Georgia and was inspired by the Latona Basin in Louis XIV's gardens of Versailles in France — which is why Marie Antoinette might feel at home there. Inside the fountain, 134 jets powered by three pumps spit out more than 14,000 gallons of water per minute. For many years, the computer that ran the fountain's pumps was located in Atlanta. But during the 1994 renovation, it was moved to a pump house next to the fountain. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
New York Post
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Monumental' NYC ruling on Nazi-looted art tied to inspiration for Joel Grey character in ‘Cabaret'
The Art Institute of Chicago has likely spent more than a million dollars trying to keep its claws on a Nazi-looted drawing in a Manhattan case shaping up to be 'monumental' in the history of stolen works. The school's legal challenge to halt Manhattan prosecutors' pursuit of the swiped art backfired last month, when a judge effectively ruled the district attorney's office could hunt down such looted treasures if they ever pass through New York City — regardless of their current location. 8 This drawing, 'Russian War Prisoner' by Egon Schiele, was part of an art collection looted by the Nazis. Manhattan District Attorney's Office 8 Jewish Viennese cabaret performer and onetime owner Fritz Grünbaum was murdered in the Holocaust. New York Post Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Althea Drysdale's scathing decision against the art Institute came as the establishment has been fighting to keep a drawing by expressionist Egon Schiele titled 'Russian War Prisoner' — likely spending well more in the legal battle than the work's value. Her decision found that Nazi officials stole the work from the Viennese Jewish cabaret performer and art collector Fritz Grünbaum years before he was murdered in the Holocaust. Grünbaum served as an inspiration for Joel Grey's character in Hollywood's Oscar-winning classic 'Cabaret.' The institute did not do its due diligence in determining the work's history of ownership, the judge said. 'This Court cannot conclude that Respondent's inquiries into the provenance of Russian War Prisoner were reasonable,' Drysdale wrote in her decision. But critically, the ruling also found that Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has jurisdiction to recover the art from Chicago because the work was purchased and displayed by a Manhattan gallery in 1956. The DA's office has not traditionally had to go this far in the courts to retrieve such a work. Raymond Dowd, a lawyer and stolen-art expert who is working to return the stolen Grünbaum collection to the collector's descendants, called the judge's decision 'extraordinary. '[Drysdale's] decision is monumental for the world because it says if it passes through New York City, the court will retain jurisdiction, no matter where it goes,' Dowd told The Post. 8 The Art Institute of Chicago sought to curtail the reach of Manhattan prosecutors, likely spending far more in legal fees than the value of the work itself, experts told The Post. Bumble Dee – 'There's billions [of dollars] in Nazi-looted art hidden away,' Dowd said. 'All those people sitting on that stuff are not going to be sleeping as well since Drysdale's decision.' While most institutions holding Nazi-looted work — including 12 other Schiele pieces once owned by Grünbaum — have willingly returned the art, the Chicago museum brought the biggest legal challenge yet to Manhattan prosecutors' art hunt. Experts say the Windy City art house easily blew more than the value of the Schiele drawing, estimated by the DA's office to be $1.25 million, in its challenge. 'The Art Institute fought tooth and nail for well over two years,' Dowd said. 'That's a massive thing to do, an enormous financial investment. They wanted to cut off their jurisdiction. They wanted the DA to stick to New York.' 8 Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has returned 12 Schiele paintings so far to the Grünbaum family, in addition to hunting down numerous other looted artworks. LP Media The work is being seized in place as the museum appeals the decision, the DA's office said, adding it is 'pleased' with the ruling. Drysdale's decision is already 'the talk of the town,' said art lawyer and former prosecutor Georges Lederman to The Post. In addition to expanding the DA's jurisdiction, the court ruled that ownership questions, typically a civil matter, can be brought in criminal court when 'there is evidence of theft,' Lederman said. 8 Grünbaum descendant Judge Timothy Reif (second left) and family members pose at a news conference with the Manhattan DA's Office announcing the return of another Schiele work from Grünbaum's collection. Steven Hirsch 'I think this is a warning to museums and to collectors to dig deeper,' said lawyer Leila Amineddoleh, who also teaches art law. But even in cases where 'the ethics could not be more clear,' Amineddoleh said she worries about the practicalities of such rulings. 8 While imprisoned at the Nazi's Dachau death camp, 'fellow detainees remember Grünbaum employing his trademark wit and defiance to mock his captors and the conditions that he and other prisoners were subjected to,' Judge Drysdale wrote in her decision. New York Post 'We are putting today's standards on prior acquisitions,' Amineddoleh said. 'These involve really complicated factual inquiries for scenarios that took place decades ago with very little paper [record].' But Lederman said, 'If I were an institution, a museum, I'd be very concerned at this point in time.' Bragg's office has recovered 12 out of the 76 Schiele artworks once owned by Grünbaum, an outspoken and unafraid critic of Adolf Hitler. Drysdale's ruling traces the history of 'Russian War Prisoner' from when Grünbaum lent the drawing for exhibits in 1925 and 1928 to his arrest and the seizure of his collection by Nazis in 1938. 8 Bragg's office has made the pursuit of stolen art a major focus, with a massive team of experts devoted to researching suspected looted works. LP Media Grünbaum was then sent to Dachau Concentration Camp, where he was murdered three years later. While the dealer who sold the work to the Institute in the 1960s claimed that Grünbaum's sister-in-law sold the Schiele drawing after the war, Drysdale states in her ruling that no record supports that claim. That dealer, who also claimed Nazi's never seized Grünbaum's collection, was later revealed to be a 'prominent dealer in Nazi-looted art,' Drysdale wrote. 8 Another Schiele work, 'Girl with Black Hair,' was recovered from the Allen Museum of Art at Oberlin College and valued at approximately $1.5 million. LP Media 'Despite these vibrant red flags, it appears as though the Art Institute of Chicago did nothing further to corroborate the account of a man whose credibility had directly been called into question on this very issue,' the judge said in her decision. The art institute told The Post it is 'disappointed with the ruling.' 'There is significant evidence that demonstrates this work was not looted, and previous courts have found that evidence to be credible,' a rep said.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
President of Art Institute of Chicago on leave after alleged incident on United Airlines flight
CHICAGO (WGN) – The president of the Art Institute of Chicago is on voluntary leave from the museum after an alleged incident on a United Airlines flight last month. On Friday, April 18, James Rondeau flew from Chicago to Germany. When the plane landed in Munich, police were called after he had allegedly taken off his clothes, CBS News first reported. Sources for the outlet claimed the incident occurred after Rondeau took prescription medication and drank alcohol. A spokeswoman for the Art Institute confirmed the report and issued the following statement to Nexstar's WGN: 'The Art Institute takes this very seriously and has opened an independent investigation into the incident to gather all available information. And to clarify, James will voluntarily be taking time way from the office while the investigation is completed.' 2 people, a dog dead after small plane crashes in Los Angeles-area neighborhood The Art Institute of Chicago was established in 1879 and houses such works as Edward Hopper's 'Nighthawks,' Grant Wood's 'American Gothic,' and Georges Seurats' 'A Sunday at La Grande Jatte.' Rondeau has been the president and director of the museum since 2016, according to its official website. Both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune estimate his annual salary at over $1 million, citing recent tax records. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
02-05-2025
- Axios
Egon Schiele's "Russian War Prisoner" stays at Art Institute of Chicago, for now
A New York judge ruled recently that Art Institute of Chicago has to surrender a hotly contested artwork that the Nazis allegedly looted, but an appellate judge issued an emergency stay this week, allowing the artwork to stay in Chicago, for now. Catch up quick: Fritz Grünbaum was a Jewish Austrian cabaret singer and art collector who had dozens of works by Egon Schiele, including a piece called "Russian War Prisoner." Grünbaum was murdered at the Dachau concentration camp in Germany, and the Manhattan District Attorney's office alleges Nazis stole his art collection. But AIC says Grünbaum's sister-in-law inherited the collection, and "Russian War Prisoner" was sold to a series of galleries before the museum purchased it in 1966. What they're saying: "There is significant evidence that demonstrates this work was not looted and previous courts have found that evidence to be credible," museum spokesperson Megan Michienzi told Axios in a statement. "We have been granted a stay, allowing the work to remain in our custody while we continue exploring our options for appeal." Zoom in: "Russian War Prisoner" is not currently on display at the museum and is estimated to be worth about $1.25 million. Zoom out: Several museums, including the Museum of Modern Art and Carnegie Museum of Art, as well as private collectors, have returned Schiele works to Grünbaum's heirs after the DA's office tracked them down.
