Art Institute of Chicago’s Norman Rockwell Acquisition

This is the first time the museum has owned an artwork that depicts one of their hometown’s baseball teams.

A detail of "The Dugout," 1948, by Norman Rockwell. Gift of The Honorable Bruce V. Rauner and Diana M. Rauner, Art Institute of Chicago. Copyright SEPS licensed by Curtis Licensing

On Feb. 10, 2026, the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) announced a home run of an acquisition: The museum’s first painting by American artist Norman Rockwell entered their collection as a gift from Illinois’s former Governor Bruce Rauner and his wife Diana Rauner. The oil and gouache on canvas titled “The Dugout” is one of the most recognizable sports images of the 20th century. It was last sold publicly at a Christie’s auction in 2009 for $662,500.

This artwork was inspired by a baseball doubleheader that the artist attended in Boston on May 23, 1948, between the Boston Braves and the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs were swept, losing both games that day. Rockwell, a master of narrative, juxtaposed the dismayed Cubs in their dugout with jubilant Braves fans behind them.