Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade
September 12, 2025 to March 15, 2026
Presented by Driehaus Museum

“Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade is an exhibition illuminating the volume and breadth of Louis C. Tiffany’s vast artistic production.

“From the 1890s to the 1920s, Tiffany Studios created a captivating range of decorative lighting fixtures that embraced the technological shift from oil lamps to electricity and simultaneously met the styles and tastes of nineteenth and twentieth century consumers.

“Drawn from the expansive collections of the Museum and the private art collection of Richard H. Driehaus (now in the Art Exhibition Lending Foundation), the exhibition explores how the artisans at Tiffany Studios used a range of materials— including bronze, enamel, ceramic, and glass—to bring Tiffany’s innovative lighting designs to life.

“Organized by guest curator Alexandra M. Ruggiero, Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade will be on view at the Driehaus Museum, 50 E. Erie Street from September 12, 2025 to March 15, 2026.

“Executive Director of the Driehaus Museum Lisa M. Key says, ‘Many Chicagoans and tourists have seen Tiffany lamps in passing but have not had a chance to encounter them in depth or within a richly contextualized narrative. This is a chance to draw people back to the Driehaus Museum by inviting them to see familiar works in new ways. It is an opportunity for the Museum to highlight a core strength and position as a national leader in the complex storytelling of the Gilded Age and the interpretation of design and decorative arts from this time period. In this case, the exhibition will explore a broader context—from materials, to design considerations and the business of Tiffany Studios —to reframe the traditional narrative of Tiffany lamps.'” (Driehaus Museum)

https://driehausmuseum.org/exhibition/tiffany-lamps