Oakton's Koehnline Museum features 'Pillar of Fire' sculptor

Celebrate the works of the sculptor most noted for the Chicago landmark "Pillar of Fire," a 33-foot-high, abstract bronze sculpture marking the origin of the 1871 Chicago Fire, starting Thursday, July 10, at Oakton's Koehnline Museum of Art, 1600 East Golf Road, Des Plaines.

"Egon Weiner: Pillar of Human Emotions" will feature sculptures from the museum's collection, as well as recently discovered bonze, metal, and wooden pieces.

Enjoy a public reception on opening night, from 5-8 p.m. This free exhibition runs through Friday, Sept. 19.

Born and trained in Vienna, sculptor Egon Weiner (1906-1987) came to the United States in 1938, to escape Nazi persecution and served as professor of sculpture and life drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1945-1971). He supported artists to take risks and reveal "the expression of that fire that burns in all of us." Weiner also is noted for sculpting the emotional busts of architects Frank Lloyd Wright, Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, as well as novelist Ernest Hemingway.

The Koehnline Museum of Art is currently operating under its summer hours; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday; The museum's regular hours; 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday resume Aug. 11.

For information, call (847) 635-2633, or visit www.oakton.edu/museum.