The Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) recently acquired its first work by the beloved US illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)—his 1948 painting of dejected Chicago Cubs players following a double-header drubbing by the Boston Braves.
The Dugout is the largest and most elaborate study in oil that Rockwell made for one of his most recognisable Saturday Evening Post covers. The image is partly credited with popularising the team’s reputation as the “lovable losers”—in fact by the time Rockwell’s image appeared on newsstands, the Cubs had fallen to last place in the national league, where they would remain at season’s end.
The Dugout was donated to the AIC by former Illinois governor Bruce Rauner and his wife Diana Rauner, and is already on view in the gallery that houses some of the museum’s most famous works—alongside Grant Wood’s American Gothic (1930), Ivan Albright’s Picture of Dorian Gray (1943-44), José Clemente Orozco’s Zapata (1930) and others.
“We are so thrilled to provide our visitors with an opportunity to experience this quintessential American artist, known for capturing relatable facets of American society from politics to social rituals and in this case, America’s favourite pastime, baseball,” says Sarah Kelly Oehler, the chair and curator of the arts of the Americas and vice president of curatorial strategy at the museum.
Tom Ricketts, the executive chair of the Cubs, adds: “It is fitting the Art Institute honour The Dugout, a classic tribute to America’s pastime featuring our beloved Cubs, especially as we celebrate our 150-year anniversary as a national league franchise.” So go see The Dugout—and go, Cubs, go!