ARTropolis: World-Class Art ... and that Spears Sculpture

By Olivia Leigh in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 27, 2007 8:30PM

While we love art, we’re not huge fans of the occasionally pricey admission costs to get into museums and exhibits.

Fortunately, ARTropolis is all about letting the public see some of the most important new artwork on the cheap. For just $15, you’ll gain access to the two main shows, Art Chicago and the Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair, as well as three satellite exhibits showcasing work from independent and emerging artists.

Art Chicago will host 132 influential gallerists, with thousands of works on display and for sale (we won’t guarantee the affordability of the art itself). A number of seminars and special exhibits are also slated, including New InSight, a curated exhibition of graduate students from the top MFA programs around the country, including the School of the Art Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago and University of Illinois at Champaign.

If furniture and design are more to your fancy, make sure you check out the tenth annual Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair, where 100 of the world’s top dealers will be showing off their finest interior pieces, with everything from Asian antiquities to trendy mid-century modern furniture up for grabs.

The Artists Project, the Inuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art, and the Bridge Art Fair run concurrently with the two major shows, and offer you the chance to see hot emerging artists before they become too hot for their own good. For the celebrity-obsessed readers, the infamous Britney Spears birthing sculpture is making the rounds at the Bridge Art Fair, affording all of us the chance to see that she is finally no longer a girl, but a woman.

Fashion shows, house tours and dance performances are also part of the festivities, although most require (pricey) special tickets. But if you’re always on the hunt for deal, skip ordering that large pizza tonight; instead, shell out three Abe Lincolns and see thousands of pieces of the hottest artwork in the world.

ARTropolis running now through Monday, April 30, at The Merchandise Mart. Tickets are $15 and can be purchase here.