Capturing Louis Sullivan: What Richard Nickel Saw

The Richard H. Driehaus Museum today announced it will extend Capturing Louis Sullivan: What Richard Nickel Saw through May 21, 2023. This is a major exhibition of photographs by Richard Nickel, best known for his role in documenting and preserving the work of the modernist architect Louis Sullivan. Focusing on Adler & Sullivan’s Chicago buildings of the 1880s and early 1890s, the exhibition explores the firm’s architecture through the lens of Nickel’s photography, which provides a detailed record of these buildings and, in particular, Sullivan’s signature ornamentation. The exhibition highlights the integral role Nickel played in preserving Sullivan’s legacy—the photographer’s work is all that remains of many of Adler & Sullivan’s major buildings—while ultimately losing his life in an effort to salvage artifacts during a demolition. It features around forty photographs as well as a selection of over a dozen architectural fragments from The Richard H. Driehaus Collection and loans from other private collectors—many initially saved by Nickel himself. The exhibition is curated by David A. Hanks, and the exhibition’s Presenting Sponsor is Northern Trust.

In response to the popularity of this exhibition, the Museum is expanding its public opening hours to include Wednesdays from 11:00 AM-3:00 PM and is adding more public tour and group tour availability.