A brilliant gem of Chicago’s museum scene, LUMA’s Martin D’Arcy Collection, installed in dramatic galleries, is one of the finest collections of medieval, Renaissance and Baroque art in the Midwest. Stunning ivories, enamels and painted sculpture feature among the collection’s most important medieval objects. The Renaissance collection is particularly strong in works specially commissioned to celebrate family events such as marriage and childbirth. Several paintings by masters such as Tintoretto and Bassano are painted on unusual surfaces including copper and marble. Among the treasures from Baroque Europe are a commanding painting by Matthias Stomer, a follower of Caravaggio; a treasure chest by the leading German goldsmith, Wenzel Jamnitzer; a mechanical clock; and a terracotta sculpture by Spain’s first female court sculptor to the King, Luisa Roldán.
                                                            

With the opening of the Loyola University Museum of Art in 2005 LUMA conceived a new mission to explore the relationship between art and spirituality in all faiths and all cultures. The LUMA Collection was developed for new acquisitions of art that address the LUMA mission as a complement to the D'Arcy Collection and includes art and artifacts from antiquities  to the present.  Recent acquisitions have included Neolithic sculpture, contemporary prints, drawings and photographs and textiles.