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Art Institute of Chicago Installs Norman Rockwell’s 'The Dugout,' Its First Work by the Artist

The oil study now hangs opposite 'American Gothic,' underscoring the museum’s embrace of Chicago’s baseball lore.

Hanging "The Dugout" by Norman Rockwell/Photo: The Art Institute Of Chicago
Norman Rockwell’s painting titled “The Dugout” is installed at the Art Institute on Feb. 10, 2026. The painting was gifted to the museum by former Illinois governor Bruce Rauner and his wife, Diana, who have had it hanging in their home for the past 19 years. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
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Overview

  • The painting was installed on Tuesday, Feb. 10, in the American art galleries (Gallery 263) and is now on public view across from Grant Wood’s 'American Gothic.'
  • Former Illinois governor Bruce Rauner and Diana Rauner donated the work after about ten months of discussions; the museum officially received it in late December 2025.
  • The piece is the museum’s first Rockwell and the only artwork in the collection that depicts the Chicago Cubs.
  • Rockwell’s 1948 image shows dejected Cubs after a doubleheader loss to the Boston Braves, captured as an oil study from staged photographs; the version published on the Sept. 4, 1948 Saturday Evening Post cover was a separate watercolor.
  • Christie’s records a 2009 sale at $662,500 and now estimates a value of $700,000 to $1 million, as curators highlight a broader shift toward collecting illustration and popular imagery.