Uncommon Accumulation: The Mark and Judy Bednar Collection of Chicago Imagism

This catalog celebrates the nearly 100 Chicago Imagist works of art which were gifted or promised to MMoCA by Mark and Judy Bednar of Chicago. This incredible gift complements the museum’s existing collection of Chicago Imagism through its inclusion of artworks produced early on in the careers of Roger Brown, Robert Lostutter, Gladys Nilsson, Jim Nutt, Ed Paschke, Christina Ramberg, Barbara Rossi, Karl Wirsum, and Ray Yoshida. “Chicago Imagist” has become shorthand for the typified Chicago style—figurative, boldly colored, precisely rendered works that embrace humor and the outrageous. As former students of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Imagists passed by iconic paintings and the extraordinary collection of Surrealism on display at the Art Institute on their way to classes. While they were absorbing the images exhibited on the walls of the museum, they were also encouraged by their professors to visit the Field Museum of Natural History, the Oriental Institute, storefront window displays, and flea markets for inspiration and visual fodder.