Galleries & design · W Superior & W Huron Sts between Wells and Franklin
River North
Superior, Huron and Wells Streets.
River North, just west of Michigan Avenue and north of the river, holds the city's long-running gallery district around Superior, Huron and Wells streets, plus theMART's design showrooms. It suits art buyers, design shoppers and anyone pairing gallery-hopping with dinner.
Galleries · Design showrooms · Gallery walks
Photo: erikccooper · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- In our directory
- 23 shopseach one verified
- Where
- W Superior & W Huron Sts between Wells and FranklinGalleries & design
- Right now
- Typical hours9am–5pm
- Getting here
- CTA Brown/Purple Line: ChicagoAt Chicago and Franklin, a short walk to the galleries
The directory
23 shops, all in one place.
Tap a shop or a dot on the map to see it.
Galleries10 places
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Women-owned gallery of contemporary art jewelry and objects by studio makers from around the world, in River North for about 30 years and open seven days.
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Wells Street gallery in River North for 25 years, showing mostly modern painting that mixes abstract and figurative work. Openings fall on the first Friday of alternate months.
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Superior Street gallery showing contemporary work by established and emerging artists, with a focus on figurative pieces, hyperrealist painting and handmade studio furniture. Hosts talks and events.
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Gallery for Modernism, Abstract Expressionism, post-war and contemporary art, with works by Keith Haring, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist and Sam Gilliam. Upstairs main gallery hosts seasonal shows.
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Wells Street gallery with a strong photography program alongside painting, works on paper, sculpture and digital art, drawing artists from the U.S., Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
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Huron Street gallery representing contemporary artists across many genres. Fall 2026 shows include Neil Goodman's sculpture and a new David Kroll exhibition opening Nov 6.
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Exhibition space on Ohio Street pairing rotating art shows with talks and workshops. Its current show, Structure in Stature, runs Oct 16 to Nov 20, 2026; open afternoons Wednesday to Saturday.
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Gallery in a converted turn-of-the-century greystone showing contemporary international artists alongside primary and secondary works by major 20th-century American and European artists.
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Gallery inside theMART founded in 2000, specializing in 19th- and early 20th-century American and European Impressionist and Modern paintings, drawings and sculpture, including Moholy-Nagy and John Storrs.
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Dealer in 19th- and 20th-century American art, from Chicago Surrealists Gertrude Abercrombie and Julia Thecla to Regionalists, Georgia O'Keeffe and Western works by Remington and Moran.
Home7 places
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theMART showroom for Middleby Residential's appliance brands: AGA, La Cornue, Viking, Lynx, EVO, Marvel and U-Line ranges, grills and refrigeration under one roof.
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Dacor's professional-grade kitchen appliance showroom inside theMART; visitors can book a cooking demonstration and a guided tour of the ranges and ovens.
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Closet and storage design showroom at theMART with built systems on display; staff book free in-home design consultations for homeowners.
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Architectural hardware for the home in traditional, contemporary and period styles; Katonah also runs a separate lighting and furniture showroom in theMART's Suite 6-170.
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Showroom for THE GALLEY's kitchen workstations, the long sink units designed for prepping, cooking, serving and cleanup in one place, in theMART's Suite 163.
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Natural stone showroom in theMART with cut-stone veneer panels and large-format stone displays; open Saturdays 10am–3pm as well as weekdays.
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Engineered hardwood and luxury vinyl flooring showroom in theMART; planks can be ordered in custom colors, widths and lengths.
Design4 places
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Cabinetry showroom in theMART for handmade kitchen and home cabinets built in the U.S. in a British furniture tradition. Open Saturdays as well as weekdays.
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Tile showroom in theMART with ceramic, glass, stone and porcelain designs for kitchens and baths. Open Saturdays, so it works for homeowners as well as the design trade.
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Showroom in theMART for Bosch home appliances from the European kitchen brand. Shares Suite 108 with Gaggenau and stays open until 6pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
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Showroom in theMART for antique and new flooring in limestone, French oak and terra cotta, plus antique fireplaces and garden pieces. Open Saturday mornings.
Beauty1 place
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Beauty shop at Clark St near Kinzie selling skincare, makeup and beauty products, with in-store shopping, curbside pickup and ship-to-home; open daily.
Furniture1 place
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theMART showroom for a lifestyle group of German-made design brands known for their styling and built-in technology; open Saturdays as well as weekdays.
No shops in that category here yet.
Insider guide
Shopping River North.
The story
River North is the gallery district just west of Michigan Avenue and north of the river. Most galleries cluster on W Superior and W Huron streets between Wells and Franklin. More sit on Wells, Wabash and Dearborn, and theMART (222 Merchandise Mart Plaza) holds design showrooms and a dealer of its own.
It suits art buyers, design shoppers and anyone pairing gallery-hopping with dinner. The shops here are almost all galleries and showrooms. Bluemercury River North (356 N Clark St) is the one beauty stop, for skincare and makeup.
A Little History
The name is young. Developer Albert Friedman coined River North in 1974, when this was a run-down warehouse district and he was buying and restoring its buildings. Within a few years photographers, ad agencies and art galleries had moved into the cheap loft space, and the gallery district was born.
What to Expect
On Superior, Rosenthal Fine Art (210 W Superior) shows Modernism and post-war work by Keith Haring, Claes Oldenburg and Sam Gilliam. Gallery VICTOR (300 W Superior) focuses on figurative and hyperrealist painting and handmade studio furniture. Mongerson Gallery (405 W Superior, Suite 612) deals in 19th- and 20th-century American art, from Gertrude Abercrombie to Georgia O'Keeffe. Around the corner, Zolla/Lieberman (325 W Huron) has Neil Goodman's sculpture this fall and a David Kroll show opening Nov 6. Forum 301 (301 W Ohio) runs Structure in Stature from Oct 16 to Nov 20, 2026.
On Wells, Addington Gallery (704 N Wells) shows modern painting, abstract and figurative, and Hilton Contemporary (716 N Wells) has a strong photography program. Pistachios (716 N Wabash) is a women-owned gallery of contemporary art jewelry and objects. Alan Koppel Gallery (806 N Dearborn) fills a converted greystone with 20th-century and contemporary work. At theMART, Richard Norton Gallery (Suite 14-119) sells Impressionist and Modern paintings. The first-floor showrooms are Christopher Peacock (cabinetry), Artistic Tile, the Bosch Experience & Design Center and Exquisite Surfaces (antique flooring and fireplaces).
Best Time to Visit
Plan for Tuesday to Saturday. Most galleries are closed Sunday and many on Monday. On a Monday, try Hilton Contemporary (Monday to Saturday) and Rosenthal Fine Art (Monday to Friday). Alan Koppel is weekdays only, and Forum 301 opens only in the afternoon, Wednesday to Saturday. Pistachios opens Sunday noon–5pm. theMART showrooms keep 9am–5pm weekdays and 10am–3pm Saturday, and Bosch stays to 6pm Wednesday and Thursday. Watch for the River North Gallery Walk and Open House. The 2026 editions ran on Saturday afternoons, Jan 17 and Apr 11, with artist talks and receptions. Addington holds its openings on the first Friday of January, March, May, July, September and November.
If You Only Have an Hour
On a Tuesday to Saturday, start at Rosenthal Fine Art (210 W Superior) and walk west to Gallery VICTOR (300 W Superior). Cut over to Zolla/Lieberman (325 W Huron), then finish on Wells at Hilton Contemporary (716) and Addington Gallery (704).
Where to Eat
Mr. Beef (666 N Orleans St) has served Italian beef sandwiches since 1963. It is cash-only and closes at 4pm, so make it lunch. Rick Bayless's Frontera Grill (445 N Clark St) is the dinner pick for enchiladas or moles, and his Xoco next door does tortas and churros with hot chocolate. On Wells, Lou Malnati's (439 N Wells) serves deep-dish, Zarella (531 N Wells) does tavern-style thin pies, and Petite Edith (868 N Wells) is French, with an off-menu raclette burger. Doma Cafe (946 N Orleans St) is a quiet Croatian café for ćevapi.
This week
In River North this week.
Typical hours
Most shops keep the hours below.
Hours vary by individual store. Always check with specific retailers.
Eat, drink, stay
Between shops, close by.
Top restaurants nearby
All of Eat →- Mr. BeefItalian beef sandwiches · Cash-only counter serving Italian beef sandwiches since 1963, open until 4pm, so plan it as a lunch stop.
- Frontera GrillBib GourmandMexican · Rick Bayless's Mexican restaurant, open since 1987; order the enchiladas, tacos, carne asada or one of the moles.
- Lou Malnati's Pizzeria (River North)Chicago deep-dish pizza · Deep-dish pizza with a buttery crust, tangy tomatoes, mozzarella and seasoned sausage, from a family the listing calls the oldest name in Chicago pizza.
- XocoMexican · Casual Rick Bayless counter next to Frontera for a torta, tortilla soup, or churros with hot chocolate.
- Doma CafeCroatian café · Quiet Croatian café where you can sit and work; order the ćevapi or the breakfast sandwich.
- ZarellaPizza · Pizza restaurant on Wells St serving both tavern-style thin pies and its larger artisan-style pizzas.
- Petite EdithFrench · French restaurant on Wells with a strong wine list; order the pain au fromage, curried shrimp and off-menu raclette burger.
Ratings are the scores saved in our directory and are not live. Check the listing for the current score.
Getting here
Parking and transit.
- PParkingStreet parking is metered and scarce, so most visitors come by train. The Red Line's Grand and Chicago stations serve the east side, and the Brown and Purple Line Chicago station sits at Chicago and Franklin.
- SCTA Brown/Purple Line: ChicagoAt Chicago and Franklin, a short walk to the galleriesCTA fare
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