A Gift to the City of Chicago

A Chicago work of art that is near and dear to my heart is the huge Marc Chagall mosaic located in the Chase Bank Plaza in downtown Chicago.  You see, back in the late 90's when I was working in Chicago, I worked for First Chicago Bank which became Bank One while I was there and later became Chase Bank.  So, this mosaic was right where I could see it every day.

The art work was a gift to the city of Chicago from the Prince Charitable Trust.  It was designed in Chagall's studio in France and then assembled here in 1974.  Chagall was present on September 27, 1974 for the dedication and surprised Mayor Ricard J Daley with a kiss on the cheek at that ceremony.  

The piece is titled "The Four Seasons" and unfortunately, the four seasons of Chicago took a large toll on the piece.  It underwent restoration in 1994 when a large glass canopy was installed over the top of it to help protect it from the elements.  Other than that, it is open to the air.  Anyone walking around in downtown Chicago can enjoy it's beauty.  

The piece has four sides and measures 70 feet long, 14 feet high and 10 feet wide.  The Chase Bank Plaza is located at Dearborn and Monroe in The Chicago Loop.  To put it in perspective that almost everyone will recognize, remember the "Twist and Shout" dance scene in the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"?  That scene is shot right at the plaza with dancers dancing down the steps into the sunken plaza level and there is a brief scene with Cameron and Sloane dancing right in front of the Chagall mosaic.  Honest, look carefully at that scene, you'll see it.