An exhibition of two of Chicago's great creations will officially open Friday at the Illinois State Museum. The exhibition is called "Kings and Queens: Pinball, Imagists and Chicago." The exhibit runs through Aug. 19.
Many of the world’s greatest pinball machines were produced by Elmhurst's Gottlieb family. Other pinball machines were created in factories throughout Chicago’s North Side.
Chicago artists now known as Imagists noted pinball machines' colors, absurd juxtapositions and flat forms and decided their art would work well with them.
Imagists were also inspired by the city's many colorful storefronts and the popular Riverview Park. The exhibit is a collaboration of Jenny Gibbs of the Elmhurst Art Museum, Robert Sill of the state museum and New York curator Dan Nadel.
