First there was Van Gogh, and then Frida Kahlo. Now, step inside The Lighthouse Art Space at The Germania Club, and you can immerse yourself in the iconic works of Claude Monet.
"To be honest, this is my favorite of all of them because it's just not Monet," said Richard Ouzounian, a Creative Consultant with Lighthouse Immersive.
"Everybody loves Monet, everybody loves a good water lily," he laughed. "There are 20 artists. What he's doing is giving you a portrait of the entire period. Where did impressionist art come from? What did it mean?"
The groundbreaking show will be held inside Chicago’s Germania Club building, located between the Lincoln Park, Old Town, and Gold Coast neighborhoods.
Designed in 1888, the Germania Club features neoclassical architecture and an elaborate stained glass work that was first exhibited at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
"This venue … is the best, hands down, of the 21 venues we have across North America,” Ouzounian said. “It's such a great, historical building. It's so complicated, there's all these rooms where you can walk in and feel things."
“Immersive Monet and the Impressionists” is a 20,000 square-foot light and sound show that features two-story projections of each artist’s most compelling works.
"This period in art history was a whole social movement. It showed sides of Paris that were never shown before. It's a whole world, and this show takes you into that world. That period of 15–20 years, starting in 1874, when Paris partied. It's when the Moulin Rouge was created, too," smiled Ouzounian.
The images fill each room with color and light, which immerses the viewer in every brushstroke and detail of paintings by Monet, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, and many more.
"I look at it as an ultimate thrill ride ... I just take a deep breath and see these paintings whizzing by you. It's a real upper," he said. "You want to have a good time? You don't have to know anything about art. You want to see something beautiful and feel great, that's what this does."
All three exhibits, including Immersive Van Gogh and Immersive Frida Kahlo, will remain at the space and be presented on alternating days.
“Immersive Monet and the Impressionists” will be on display through Sept. 25, 2022.
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