The Peninsula Chicago Celebrates EXPO CHICAGO with the Contemporary Art Exhibition Neo Chicago Featuring Highlights from the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection

Neo Chicago is a contemporary art exhibition presented by The Peninsula Chicago featuring highlights from the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection. Curated by Laura Dvorkin and Maynard Monrow (of the BRD Collection) and coinciding with the annual EXPO CHICAGO, this exhibition is a continuation of the collaboration between The Peninsula Chicago, Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, and EXPO CHICAGO, which commenced in 2016. The installation debuts on April 14, 2023 and will be displayed throughout the hotel’s public space through May 2023, as a part of a public art project. This installation is the latest iteration of Art in Resonance, The Peninsula Hotels’ global contemporary art program dedicated to being an originator of culture through its engagement with artists who push the boundaries of their mediums, in works that engage the senses. 

The first exhibition, Whoville focused on Chicago artists and themes within the city’s rich art history. This year’s edition, Neo Chicago, celebrates Chicago’s contemporary art galleries, their commitment to showing world-renowned artists, and DeWoody’s support of these cultural spaces over the past 20+ years. The exhibition also includes a special installation by Ebony Patterson on loan from the collection of Beth Rudin DeWoody’s daughter, Kyle DeWoody.

Beth DeWoody says, “I was thrilled to be a part of Whoville at The Peninsula Hotel in 2016, and I was particularly excited when Tony Karman and the hotel invited me to show my collection again. It’s always wonderful to bring my art to a new audience. Loaning my collection is a meaningful extension of my collecting overall. With the tremendous help of Laura Dvorkin and Maynard Monrow, we came up with the idea to focus on Chicago galleries this year. Chicago is indeed one of my favorite cities. It's a place where extraordinary art is created and first shown to the world.”

About the Exhibition

DeWoody has been acquiring art from the city since the 1980s while Art Chicago was held at Navy Pier. The works in the exhibition mutually display DeWoody’s style of collecting—sometimes playful, sometimes visceral, and always thought-provoking. It is a curated vignette of what one would see at her residence or private art space The Bunker, which opened in 2017. 

The galleries represented in the exhibition (Corbett Vs. Dempsey, Mariane Ibrahim, Shane Campbell Gallery, PATRON Gallery, Monique Meloche Gallery, Kavi Gupta Gallery, and Rhona Hoffman Gallery) are equally an integral part of the art world’s ecosystem, often mounting experimental shows and solo exhibitions of an artist’s work well before they have hit national acclaim. Both DeWoody and these dynamic, contemporary galleries share a passion for supporting today’s international emerging artists.

Neo Chicago features a selection of culturally diverse, intergenerational artists, all of whom have made their mark on the city. Artists Angel Otero and Jimmy Wright have spent their formative years studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, while others have taught in the city or called it their home (McArthur Binion, Celeste Rapone, Laura Davis, Omar Velázquez, Carlos Rolón/Dzine, Claire Zeisler, and Ebony Patterson). It is where artists such as Kennedy Yanko, Kendell Carter, David Antonio Cruz, Ayana V. Jackson, Clotide Jiménez, Samuel Levi Jones, Ryosuke Kumakura, Jason Middlebrook, Adam Pendleton, and Kour Pour exhibited important works. And it was at the Art Institute of Chicago where Amy Sherald presented her most notable painting to date—a portrait of the former First Lady Michelle Obama, commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery. 

The culture of a place is often defined by its “renaissance” period—as if there was only one. Chicago and The Golden Age are no exception. Was it indeed the years of 1890-1930, established by its developments in modern architecture? Or was it even the 1990s “Golden Age” of basketball? Perhaps the work being created and shown in Chicago today (and in its recent years) are yet another Golden Age—the Neo Chicago.

Featured Artists Include

McArthur Binion, Kendell Carter, David Antonio Cruz, Laura Davis, Ayana V. Jackson, Clotilde Jiménez, Samuel Levi Jones, Ryosuke Kumakura, Jason Middlebrook, Angel Otero, Ebony Patterson, Adam Pendleton, Kour Pour, Celeste Rapone, Carlos Rolón/Dzine, Amy Sherald, Arvie Smith, Omar Velázquez, Jimmy Wright, Kennedy Yanko, Claire Zeisler.

Maria Razumich-Zec, Regional Vice President, The Peninsula Hotels and Managing Director of The Peninsula Chicago says, “We are delighted that Ms. DeWoody will showcase pieces from her renowned collection at The Peninsula Chicago. Known for celebrating stimulating art within the hotel, we believe it is our obligation to continue to display works that provoke thought, emotion and dialogue.

 “We are extremely grateful for our extensive partnership with The Peninsula Chicago as both our Official Hotel Sponsor and for their ongoing commitment to presenting international contemporary artworks to coincide with our exposition,” said EXPO CHICAGO President | Director Tony Karman. “Beth Rudin DeWoody is an internationally renowned patron of the arts and featuring works from her extensive collection acquired from Chicago’s galleries is both an insight into the vision of one of the world’s leading collectors and a testament to the extraordinary artistic talent represented by our city’s leading art galleries.”  

Art Programming during Neo Chicago

The exhibition will include artist talks and other events and activations. As programs are confirmed, they will be announced. 

The Peninsula Hotels’ Art in Resonance

The Peninsula Chicago’s desire to provide guests with memorable art experiences aligns with The Peninsula Hotels’ global commitment to promoting the rich and vibrant cultural aspects of the group’s destination cities. 

About Curators Laura Dvorkin and Maynard Monrow

Laura Dvorkin and Maynard Monrow are the co-curators of The Bunker Artspace: Collection of Beth Rudin DeWoody, a private exhibition space for the Collection which opened in 2017 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Dvorkin and Monrow have each been with the Collection for over 12 years.

About Beth Rudin DeWoody

Beth Rudin DeWoody, art collector and curator, resides between Los Angeles, New York City, and West Palm Beach. She is President of The Rudin Family Foundations and Executive Vice President of Rudin Management. Her Board affiliations include the Whitney Museum of American Art, Hammer Museum, The New School, The Glass House, Empowers Africa, New Yorkers for Children, and The New York City Police Foundation. She is an Honorary Trustee at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and on the Photography Steering Committee at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach.

DeWoody has curated numerous exhibitions, and the Collection has been the subject of exhibitions featured at the Rebuild Foundation, Chicago; Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach; Parrish Museum, Southampton; and the Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, among other institutions.

About EXPO CHICAGO

EXPO CHICAGO, The International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art, features leading international galleries alongside the highest quality platform for contemporary art and culture. In 2023, EXPO CHICAGO will host 170 leading international exhibitors at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall. The exposition draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while engaging the region’s contemporary art community and collector base.

EXPO CHICAGO will host the tenth edition of the in-person exposition on April 13—16, 2023 at Navy Pier. Moving forward, the exposition will be presented annually in April, with April 11—14, 2024 as dates for the eleventh edition at Navy Pier. Over the next several months, EXPO CHICAGO will be actively working with global partners and Chicago’s renowned hospitality community to prepare for next year.

About The Peninsula Chicago

The Peninsula Chicago is a Five Star, Five Diamond hotel located on the “Magnificent Mile” at 108 East Superior Street (at Michigan Avenue), within the city’s premier shopping district. The 339-guest room hotel opened in 2001 and features three distinctive restaurants, a rooftop bar, and a world-class spa. For information on The Peninsula Chicago, please visit www.peninsula.com/chicago or call +1 (312) 337 2888 or toll-free at +1 (866) 288 8889. 

About The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH) 

Incorporated in 1866 and listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (00045), HSH is the holding company of a Group which is engaged in the ownership, development and management of prestigious hotel, commercial and residential properties in key locations in Asia, the United States and Europe, as well as the provision of tourism and leisure, club management and other services. The Peninsula Hotels portfolio comprises The Peninsula Hong Kong, The Peninsula Shanghai, The Peninsula Beijing, The Peninsula Tokyo, The Peninsula New York, The Peninsula Chicago, The Peninsula Beverly Hills, The Peninsula London, The Peninsula Paris, The Peninsula Istanbul, The Peninsula Bangkok, and The Peninsula Manila. The property portfolio of the Group includes The Repulse Bay Complex, The Peak Tower and St. John’s Building in Hong Kong; The Landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and 21 avenue Kléber in Paris, France. The clubs and services portfolio of the Group includes The Peak Tram in Hong Kong; Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, California; Peninsula Clubs and Consultancy Services, Peninsula Merchandising, and Tai Pan Laundry in Hong Kong.