"Serial Killer: The Exhibition" opens September 5 at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios and features the "world's largest private collection of authentic serial killer artifacts."
It spans more than 26,000 feet and 40 galleries and brings together original letters, legal records, psychiatric reports, personal belongings, artwork and case-related materials connected to approximately 150 serial killers.
The exhibition has sold out in cities like Milan, Rome, London, Paris and Berlin. Chicago is its second U.S. stop after appearing in Atlanta.
Organizers said in a press release that the Chicago edition "marks a major evolution of the international exhibition, pairing more than 2,100 authentic artifacts with a new locally focused exploration of the cases that left a lasting imprint on the city's history, criminal investigation and collective memory."
It will focus on local true crime, from H.H. Holmes and the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition to John Wayne Gacy and the crimes that impacted communities in the Chicago area.
New to the exhibit are three original paintings by Gacy, personally given to his attorney, Karen Conti. They've never before been displayed to the public.
Organizers say the "Chicago-focused narratives examine not only the offenders, but also the investigative, cultural and human consequences of cases that remain embedded in the city's history."
The exhibit features a "dedicated victim-centered perspective" and includes photographs, testimonies and spaces for reflection to recognize the impact case had on the families of those who died and their communities.
"The exhibition's purpose is not to sell shock, but to encourage informed understanding and remembrance," said exhibit organizers.
The exhibit opens Labor Day weekend and will be open throughout the Fall. More information and ticket sales can be found on the exhibit's website.
