A Hermit Gets Naked, Goes Wild

Enough of the American Revolution, at least for a week. Chicago’s on my mind. Forget about Warhol, Lichtenstein, Richter, and Basquiat, artists whose work at last week’s marquee auctions went for tens of millions. All fine but overrated and obscenely overpriced. Looking at the sweep of 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s artists, the era’s real maestro, spark, iconoclast, and wizard has to be Lucas Samaras (1936–2024), whose work is never a big money player. There’s a good Samaras show at the Art Institute of Chicago running until July 1. And next to the Samaras show are the Thorne Rooms, another creative triumph. “There’s no place like home” is a theme that unites them.