OK, this is IMPORTANT NEWS! This news ought to separate the real art lovers from those who just wanted to see a name exhibit.

I checked a few weeks ago at The Art Institute information desk and was told that there should be no problem for non-members to see for free the new Matisse: Radical Invention exhibit at the Institute. But just now (3 PM on March 17th), I received a very helpful Tweet from The Art Institute that this was not the case. We are NOT allowed free access to the new Matisse exhibit on March 25th, as can be read here: http://tr.im/Sgtj....

For me, this is absolutely not bad news because while I like Henri Matisse, he was not my favorite artist, nor even my favorite Post-Impressionist (that would be another Henri, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec). I will therefore turn this bad news into AWESOME news by changing our Meetup to see the Modern European exhibit in the Modern Wing, to see Dali, Magritte, Tanguy, Miro, and Ernst (again). I am just mentioning the surrealists here and leaving out the Picassos, Chagalls, and Legers. Honestly, it would take us weeks of visiting The Art Institute to properly appreciate that exhibit alone (much less the Modern Wing, much less the whole of the Institute), so do not be surprised if I make Modern European by itself multiple Meetups. In any case, we will forego paying $18 for Matisse and kick off Art Museum Weeknights with the Modern European exhibit at the Institute, http://bit.ly/arDj5x....

Even though this Meetup will now be in the Modern Wing, let us meet anyway at the bench next to the MAIN LOBBY ENTRANCE INTO THE MAIN MUSEUM SHOP; see http://bit.ly/9VWzM9.... The Museum Shop is to your right as you enter The Art Institute from Michigan Avenue. If you get there on time, there is no way you can miss this train, but the train leaves the station at 6 PM.

For beverages afterwards, a little bird suggested Park Grille, the Gage, or Rhapsody.

To conclude, I had not planned to bring over 20 people to The Art Institute, so there are absolutely no hard feelings if you change your RSVP. But this being an opportunity to see Dali and Magritte, I might rib you for doing so privately sometime.

For those of you keeping score, this is the first installment of our Art Museum Weeknights Series.