THE AMERICA WINDOWS

A warm friendship developed between Eleanor and William Wood-Prince and Vava and Marc Chagall during work on the Four Seasons. When the artist visited Chicago for the mosaic's inauguration, he was moved by the city's enthusiasm and the Art Institute's support for his work. He learned that the museum was also planning an expansion and that the Auxiliary Board of the Art Institute of Chicago hoped to fund a gallery in his honor. In response, Chagall offered to produce a set of stained-glass windows for the gallery.

Over the course of nearly three years, in collaboration with museum staff, key members of the Auxiliary Board, and Mayor Richard J. Daley's office, the artist determined that the windows would commemorate America's bicentennial and celebrate freedom in the arts.