Modernist 20th Century 
18 May 2003
Modernist 20th Century 
355

Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan

Ornamental Stencil from the Chicago Stock Exchange

USA, 1894
oil stencil on canvas mounted on linen 54 h × 64 w in (137 × 163 cm)
estimate: $25,000–35,000
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This oil on canvas fragment originates from the large ceiling coffers of the main Trading Room of the Chicago Stock Exchange Building. Created using 18 colors, the stencil illustrates Sullivan's high decorative style, and features nine complete circles, nine semi-circles and two quarter circles of the pattern. Sullivan developed the pattern in general terms as a field of repeated quatrefoils allowing the eye to take in the span of the ceiling in a glance. This minimized the large area of the ceiling and assisted in framing the other areas of decoration in the space. The Chicago Stock Exchange was demolished in 1970 but the Trading Room was rescued and installed at the Art Institute of Chicago. Only a few elements of the Trading Room remained after the installation in the museum and the fragments are very rare. Literature: The Trading Room: Louis Sullivan and the Chicago Stock Exchange, Vinici, 1989.
provenance: Art Institute Of Chicago; Private Collection, Chicago

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Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan

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During their partnership, Dankmar Adler and Louis H. Sullivan created some of the ground breaking and influential buildings of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Adler specialized in the engineering side of the business, which allowed Sullivan to work primarily as the designer on their projects. Together they completed many notable structures including the famous Wainwright Building (St. Louis, 1891), the Schiller Building (Chicago, 1891) and the James Charnley House (Chicago, 1891–1892). However, it was the Chicago Stock Exchange, built at the height of the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, that was undoubtedly the magnum opus of their career. The interior of the building was decorated with lavish organic designs inspired by the flora and fauna of the prairie landscape exemplary of their uniquely Midwestern style of Art Nouveau. Although the partnership ended in 1895, Adler and Sullivan forever changed the architectural landscape of Chicago with more than 180 buildings designed during the 15 years they worked together.

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