Jill Mulleady paintings at Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago is pleased to announce Jill Mulleady: The Passenger, on view September 19, 2026 through January 18, 2027. The exhibition is Mulleady’s first solo show at a major museum, bringing together approximately 20 paintings the artist has created in the last five years, including many new works that have never been seen before.

Referencing art-historical, cinematic, and literary sources, Mulleady’s paintings can haunt the viewer long after their first encounter. Some portray characters from film, literature, and popular culture, while others are more enigmatic, representing threat and danger. The strange and disquieting works may imply narratives, but they refuse tidy resolutions. Her imagery actively pulls from various painting traditions—from romanticism and realism to expressionism—recasting genres and canonical images for the present.

Mulleady uses a variety of methods and incorporates unorthodox materials to achieve fragile, luminous surfaces that feel thin yet deep, and hold tension between flatness and depth. Not limited to canvas or linen, she employs a range of supports, including glass and velvet, to manipulate light and create varying degrees of transparency and opacity. 

“Jill Mulleady is pushing boundaries in every way, from the materials she uses to the subject matter she captures,” said Giampaolo Bianconi, Dittmer Associate Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art. “This exhibition invites visitors to experience her incredible skill, her unique approach, and material experimentation, while also engaging with emotional scenes that capture life in a remarkable but relatable way.”

In her work, Mulleady readily combines cultural and historical references with her own memories, experiences, and observations. Her staged paintings are particularly resonant within the Art Institute galleries, as they connect with many works in the collection that have informed the artist. Titled The Passenger, the show explores the limits of autonomy and questions whether our thoughts and desires originate from within or are shaped and reshaped by the world in which we live. The artist identifies a “passenger” as an archetypal figure who traverses time and space in a state of reverie. 

Jill Mulleady: The Passenger is curated by Giampaolo Bianconi, Dittmer Associate Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art.