Roger Brown Home and Studio

Artist Roger Brown lived and worked in the now-historic building at 1926 North Halsted Street from 1974, shortly after completing a master's degree in fine art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), until 1995. With his partner, architect George Veronda, Brown profoundly renovated and redesigned the eighty-six-year-old property, changing it from a storefront with three apartments into his art studio, residence, and location for which he displayed his extensive art collection; he also executed a landscape plan for the backyard. Brown featured Chicago frequently in his illustrations, but he is best known for playing an influential role in the Imagist art movement, which grew popular during the mid to late twentieth century. His artwork has been included in the permanent collections of lauded museums in New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C. (the Smithsonian), and even the Museum of Modern Art in Vienna, Austria. 

Brown's career began in the late 1960s, but he spent the bulk of his life as an artist in the historic home and studio he purchased and redesigned, having resided there from 1974 until 1995; he moved to California in 1995 and died in 1997. In the studio, Brown developed his signature artistic style, which relied heavily on his interpretations of Chicago's celebrated architecture. Brown had a knack for combining vernacular and popular art forms with his exceptional humor and aesthetic talent. He became part of a group of Chicago artists known as Imagist artists. 

Although aspects of Imagism, notably in literature and poetry, arose in the early twentieth century, its strong association with the visual arts materialized in the late 1960s. Broadly speaking, the artwork consisted of vibrant colors, bold lines, and abstract imagery (often of the human body). However, the term quickly transitioned to describe a small group of Chicago-based artists who exhibited together at the Hyde Park Art Center during the late 1960s into the 1970s. As working artists, Chicago Imagists found inspiration in Chicago's urban environment. As a result, Chicago Imagist artwork stood apart from that found in other cities such as L.A., New York, and Philadelphia. Thus, Imagism, which Brown played a pivotal role in developing, evolved into a significant aspect of Chicago's cultural development during the twentieth century. 

The Chicago Imagist movement eventually spread to places outside the Windy City. One can find Imagist art in major museums worldwide, and its significance has been marked by decades of exhibitions, scholarly articles, books, and films. Brown's work is featured at some of the most prestigious museums, including New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art; Chicago's Art Institute, Museum of Contemporary Art, and History Museum; Boston's Museum of Fine Arts; the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.; and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and the Museum of Modern Art in Vienna, Austria. Brown played a crucial role in advancing the Imagist movement to places outside Chicago. For instance, in 1973, Brown displayed his work at Brazil's Bienal de São Paulo, locations throughout Central America, Galerie Darthea Speyer in Paris, New York, the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and at home at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. Finally, one can commonly find his paintings reproduced in books and periodicals, and his work graced two Time magazine covers.

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago has maintained the property as a house museum and study center according to Brown's wishes. The structure dates back to 1888, but it stands as a living monument to both Brown's work and his transformation of the building into his home and studio in 1974. However, as of 2023, the SAIC notes that "the Roger Brown Study Collection is currently closed for a long-planned renovation project on the first floor." When it re-opens, the building again will honor Brown's vision to have his studio serve as an Artists' Museum of Chicago, featuring a collection of artworks by "Chicago Imagists, non-mainstream artists, folk and indigenous art, objects from material and popular culture, costumes, textiles, furniture, travel souvenirs, and sundry objects," as well as telling the story of Roger Brown's life.

"Chicago Art and Artists in the Archives of American Art: Hyde Park Art Center and Imagism." Smithsonian. Accessed August 3, 2023. https://www.si.edu/spotlight/chicago-art-and-artists/hyde-park-art-center-and-imagism.

"The Chicago Imagists: Study Center." Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. mmoca.org. Accessed August 4, 2023. https://www.mmoca.org/art/chicago-imagists/.

Edwards, Ellen. "Roger Brown Places in the Art." Washington Post. August 12, 1987. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1987/08/12/roger-browns-places-in-the-art/c275f77f-5993-4577-89d6-fbef7dc361cb/. 

Ribstein, Susannah. "Registration Form: Brown, Roger Home and Studio." National Register of Historic Places. archives.gov. 2011. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892523.

"Roger Brown: Biography." The Chicago Imagists. Accessed August 3, 2023. http://chicagoimagists.com/#artists/rogerbrown.