The Lions
Edward Kemeys (1843 to 1907) · 1893, installed 1894
Two bronze lions flank the steps of the Michigan Avenue entrance, and for most Chicagoans they are the museum. They are not a matching pair. The lion on the south side stands in an attitude of defiance, head up and tail curled, while the north lion is on the prowl, head lowered and muscles gathered as if about to spring. The sculptor Edward Kemeys, a self taught artist who had studied animals in the wild in the American West and in zoos, described the poses in exactly those words himself.
Kemeys was the first American sculptor to specialise in animals, and these were modelled in 1893 for the World's Columbian Exposition, when plaster versions stood outside the building that became the Art Institute at the fair's close. The bronzes were cast the following year and unveiled in May 1894, paid for by Florence Lathrop Field, widow of a founder of the Field Museum. Walk around them and look at the way the ribs and shoulders are modelled and at the alert set of the ears; Kemeys was interested in living animals, not in the heraldic lions of European palaces, and these look as if they might get up.
Over the decades the lions have become civic mascots. They wear wreaths at Christmas, and when Chicago teams reach a championship they are fitted with giant helmets or hats, a tradition that began in 1986 when the Bears went to the Super Bowl. They have appeared on souvenirs, in films and in the museum's own logo. A memorable detail is easy to check: the lions face slightly away from each other, so from the top of the steps they seem to be watching both ends of Michigan Avenue at once.
Did You Know? When a Chicago team reaches a final, the lions are dressed in giant team helmets or caps, a tradition that began with the Bears in 1986.
Unlock the Full Guide
Read every room and listen to every work in all museums with premium.