CHICAGO, IL.- The Art Institute of Chicago announces Strange Realities: The Symbolist Imagination on view October 4, 2025 through January 5, 2026. The exhibition is drawn from the Art Institute of Chicago’s rich and historic collection of drawings and prints, including the largest collection in America of the French artists Odilon Redon and Paul Gauguin. The exhibition features more than 85 works that capture the beauty and strangeness of a mysterious generation of artists.

Symbolism began as a literary movement in France in the 1880s and later expanded to visual art in Belgium, Germany, Norway, and elsewhere. The movement was a reaction against rationalism, materialism, and Impressionism’s focus on the external world. The exhibition showcases how Symbolist artists sought instead to represent the unseeable—ideas and emotions. These artists shared a general cynicism about the late 19th-century’s moral decline, technological advancements brought about by rapid industrialization, and the rural flight to urban centers. In response, some looked to the past for inspiration, focusing on mythological and religious subjects, while others envisioned a future by creating idyllic worlds.

“Symbolism is a fascinating but largely unknown art movement. It is full of strange and mysterious imagery that echoes the anxieties and interests of our own time,” said Jay A. Clarke, Rothman Family Curator, Prints and Drawings. “This is an opportunity to escape into these unique and mesmerizing works, and experience unmatched collections by these artists.”

The show includes works on paper by iconic Symbolist artists including Norwegian Edvard Munch, as well as lesser-known figures like the Austrian Emilie Mediz-Pelikan, the Belgian Léon Spilliaert, and the French Gustav Adolf Mossa.

Strange Realities: The Symbolist Imagination is curated by Jay A. Clarke, Rothman Family Curator, Prints and Drawings, and Jamie Vaught-Karasek, collection manager, Photography and Media.