The Renaissance Society was founded in 1915 by a group of University of Chicago faculty, and our name refers to their intention to create a space in which to foster engagement with new ideas in arts and culture.In the early 20th century the Renaissance Society played a key role in bringing European and other avant-garde practices to Chicago through presentations of Henri Matisse, Alexander Calder, Käthe Kollwitz, and Joseph Cornell, among others.

‍

Under the 40-year leadership of Susanne Ghez from 1973 to 2013, the Renaissance Society hosted the Chicago debuts of Bruce Nauman, Joseph Kosuth, and Jenny Holzer; and key solo exhibitions by Mike Kelley, Isa Genzken, Felix Gonzales-Torres, Kara Walker, Kerry James Marshall, Joan Jonas, and Danh Vō. From 2013 to 2020, the Ren redoubled its commitment to commissioning major projects by living artists, such as Mathias Poledna, Irena Haiduk, Peter Wächtler, and Jennifer Packer, among others, championed by former director Solveig Øvstebø.Myriam Ben Salah, who was appointed the next Executive Director and Chief Curator in 2020, is leading multiple new commissions and debut exhibitions for a new generation of artists, expanding the Ren’s legacy of offering artists the time, space, resources, and freedom that are vital for ambitious experimentation and risk-taking.The Renaissance Society is a financially independent nonprofit organization. As an independent affiliate of the University of Chicago, we are both a fully autonomous institution and a dedicated member of the campus community. The university’s financial grants and in-kind contributions constitute roughly 5% of our annual budget, and we fundraise the rest of our operational needs annually.

‍

The Renaissance Society is registered 501(c)(3). We are a member of Mod/Co, UChicago Arts, and we are an independent affiliate of the University of Chicago.