Pace Gallery Announces Maya Lin, Kiki Smith Installations at Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago
The Facts
On August 7, 2026, Pace Gallery announced that artworks by Maya Lin and Kiki Smith have been installed at the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago. Maya Lin's stone sculptural water feature 'Seeing Through the Universe' is situated on the Ann Dunham Water Terrace, featuring an upright 'oculus' piece that produces mist and a flat 'pebble' piece that fills with water and cascades over. Kiki Smith's bronze sculpture 'Receive' is located in the Hope and Change Lobby, described as celebrating shared connection to the cosmos while offering hope, orientation, and solace. Both works were created in 2026.
The Signal
The installations underscore the gallery's role in facilitating major public commissions for two of its most prominent contemporary artists. The placement of works by Lin, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and Smith in a civic museum context signals a continued trend of artists engaging with institutional spaces that blend art, history, and public discourse. For collectors, these commissions reinforce the market significance of large-scale public works by established artists, often leading to increased institutional interest and secondary-market demand for their studio production.
- Artists: Maya Lin, Kiki Smith
- Galleries: Pace Gallery
- Museums: Obama Presidential Center Museum
- Locations: Chicago
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