Exhibition: The Medieval World at our Fingertips: Manuscript Illuminations from the Collection of Sandra Hindman, Art Institute of Chicago (27 Jan – 28 May 2018)

The Art Institute of Chicago, Allerton Galleries, January 27^th to May 28^th

The Art Institute of Chicago will exhibit this impressive and broad-ranging collection of approximately thirty exquisite fragments, which was assembled over a lifetime by medieval manuscript scholar and long-time Chicagoan, Sandra Hindman.

She has generously given approximately one third of her collection to the Art Institute.  The exhibition celebrates her recent gift while also documenting her own journey as an innovative and imaginative teacher and collector.

As James Rondeau, President, and Eloise W. Martin Director of the Art Institute of Chicago states, “I am delighted to celebrate Professor Hindman’s important gifts of medieval manuscript illuminations to the Art Institute on the occasion of The Medieval World at Our Fingertips: Manuscript Illuminations from the Collection of Sandra Hindman. These new additions arrive just over a century after the first such works entered the museum in 1915. It is encouraging to witness this vibrant renewal of the tradition of patronage that established our holdings of medieval art, particularly manuscripts and illuminations.” He goes on to say “Professor Hindman’s gifts of seven important illuminations constitute a profound addition to our small but remarkable collection in this field.” Full exhibition details available here

A sumptuously illustrated full-color publication by Christopher de Hamel, published by Harvey Miller/Brepols will accompany this exhibition. Introduction by James Marrow and catalogue by Matthew Westerby. The catalogue is available for order from Brepols here.

The publisher Elly Miller notes “What distinguishes this volume from the usual exhibition catalogue is the original format in which the book has been conceived: it is presented in a series of short essays on each of the exhibited miniatures, with the inclusion of many explanatory and related illustrations, to provide the reader with a more general and informative guide to the understanding of the historical, social and cultural circumstances that influenced medieval art, and for the appreciation of the art of illumination in particular.”