One of my favorite ways to spend a day in Chicago is strolling along Michigan Avenue, wandering through the shops, and eventually making my way to the Art Institute. It's a place that never loses its magic, a world-renowned museum cherished by visitors from around the world and locals as well. It always makes me happy to see a long line waiting for the doors to open and seeing people's faces light up when they enter.
On this visit, I stepped into the museum to meet someone who has devoted more than four decades to sharing its treasures with the world: Gloria Groom.
Gloria is the Chair and Winton Green Curator of Painting and Sculpture of Europe and Executive Director of Initiatives in France. Her distinguished career has earned international recognition, including being named a Chevalier Légion d’honneur by the French government in 2016 for her contributions to French art and culture.
We settled into Gloria’s book-lined office, where every shelf reflected a lifetime devoted to art. As I looked around, one book immediately caught my eye, a volume on Édouard Vuillard, one of Gloria’s favorite artists. It felt like the perfect place to begin our conversation.
Rather than ask about the past, I first wanted to know what she was looking forward to next.
Gloria spoke with great enthusiasm about an upcoming exhibition, scheduled for June of next year, featuring the work of the great Danish Golden Age painter Vilhelm Hammershøi. Preparing a major exhibition is an enormous undertaking. The museum recently acquired one of his paintings, making the exhibition especially exciting.
As a proud Dane myself, this exhibition holds special meaning for me. Hammershøi has long been one of my favorite Danish artists. Whenever I return to Denmark, I make time to visit the Statens Museum for Kunst (The National Gallery of Denmark) which is home to the world’s largest collection of Hammershøi paintings. His quiet interiors and subtle light have a remarkable ability to make time seem to stand still.
Gloria’s colleague, Andrea Morgan, joined us and shared the exhibition layouts and planning materials, giving me a behind-the-scenes glimpse into just how much work goes into creating an exhibition long before the public ever walks through the doors. Seeing the process made me appreciate her dedication even more.
Our shared admiration for Hammershøi made the conversation especially meaningful.
When we started talking about the theme of my series, favorite things, Gloria’s answers came easily, and each one gave me a sweet glimpse into her life outside the museum.
At the very top of the list was her family: her husband, her two sons, and her new daughter-in-law.
She also loves speaking French. Having lived in France for three years in her youth. French, she said, has become a part of who she is.
More recently, she has been learning Italian simply because it makes her smile. She described it as such a joyful language that every lesson is something she genuinely looks forward to.
She also enjoys running, listening to podcasts, and filling her days with music. Lately, Phantom of the Opera is at the top of her playlist.
But perhaps her greatest favorite thing is something many of us rarely experience. Every day, she goes to work surrounded by beauty.
Gloria has dedicated her career to preserving, studying, and sharing some of the world’s greatest works of art. While visitors may only spend a few hours wandering the galleries, Gloria has spent a lifetime helping those masterpieces tell their stories.
I left the museum feeling grateful, not only for the opportunity to reconnect with someone whose work has influenced generations of visitors, but also for the reminder that behind every exhibition are passionate people whose favorite thing is making art accessible to all of us.
Sometimes the greatest works of art are not only the paintings on the walls, but also the people who dedicate their lives to bringing them to the world.
