Rembrandt Attribution Challenged at Art Institute, Museum Attendance Data Released, and Chicago Cultural Updates

Art historian Gary Schwartz has proposed that a painting displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago, previously considered a workshop copy, may actually be an authentic work by Rembrandt van Rijn. The piece, titled 'Old Man with a Gold Chain,' is on loan from Sir Francis Newman and hangs alongside the museum's verified version from 1631. The Art Institute maintains its position that the canvas is a replica. In other museum news, The Art Newspaper's annual survey indicates the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York led U.S. institutions with nearly six million visitors, followed by the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. The Art Institute of Chicago saw a fourteen percent increase in attendance. Chicago's Neighbors Art Fair has announced its inaugural roster of galleries, including Elise Seigenthaler, Feia, and Gathering, with the event scheduled for April 8-12. The McAninch Arts Center and Cleve Carney Museum of Art will present 'Walking With Giants,' a free outdoor exhibition featuring large silhouette sculptures of notable American artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Dolly Parton, opening in June. The James Beard Foundation has named Chicago chefs Bailey Sullivan, Norman Fenton, and Jake Potashnick as finalists, with awards to be held at the Lyric Opera on June 15. Translator Izidora Angel, based in Chicago, is shortlisted for the International Booker Prize for her work on 'She Who Remains' by Rene Karabash. The Newberry Library is crowdsourcing transcriptions of handwritten documents through its Newberry Transcribe project. The Harris Theater for Music and Dance has announced its 'Artistic Alchemy' season, featuring performances by the Trisha Brown Dance Company and A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, starting in September.