Fountains, Monuments, Sculptures & Statues

Chicago's parks are the settings for a world-class collection of nearly 200 fountains, monuments, and sculptures. These range from historic sculptures of famous people including Abraham Lincoln, Alexander von Humboldt, and William Shakespeare to some of the nation's most exciting new works of art such as Agora in Grant Park and Millennium Park's Cloudgate, dubbed "The Bean." Some of the lesser known artworks are like hidden treasures in the parks. An example is the Darius and Girenas Memorial, a sleek Art Deco style monument in Marquette Park dedicated to two Lithuanian-American pilots who died during an attempt to fly from New York to Lithuania in 1933. Other artworks, such as the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain or the Lions in front of the Art Institute, are so well-known and appreciated that they have become symbols of Chicago. Some of America's most beloved artists have contributed to Chicago's park system. Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of the presidential memorial in Mount Rushmore created Lincoln Park's John Peter Altgeld and General Philip Henry Sheridan monuments. Daniel Chester French, the artist of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. produced several Chicago sculptures including The Statue of the Republic in Jackson Park.

You can learn more about the Chicago Park District's remarkable collection of permanent public art through this web-based guide. If you find inaccuracies, please feel free to contact us and we will do our best to update this information.

Please note: The Chicago Park District owns and holds copyright to all of the photography unless otherwise noted. Most of the historic photos are from the Chicago Park District Special Collections (CPD Special Collections).Content here.