Next weekend we'll be headed to Chicago for a bit of modern-meets-renaissance culture. First, we'll hit the Farnsworth House on Friday. As you may well know, this masterpiece is a residential work built by Mies van der Rohe near Fox River in Illinois in 1951. Like Philip Johnson's Glass House, its glass-meets-steel construction pushes modern minimalism to its limits. If it can be excluded, it is. If it is unnecessary or obstructs the view without functional purpose, it is eliminated or re-imagined. In construction like this, structures (like the I-beams and vertical supports of a building) become part of the intended design. You cannot hide the supports, so they must become part of the strategic design.

As one might guess, the home also boasts myriad pieces from the Barcelona collection. Seeing the images, it is easy to see where Ludwig drew his inspiration for the chaise and other pieces in the collection. They occupy very little vertical space and still allows you take in the breathtaking views beyond the glass walls. It will be a treat to see these elements all together in context. We spend so much time right now mixing pieces from various periods, but Farnsworth is almost like a time capsule allowing us to get a frozen view of this influential period of design.

Next, we're off to see Lorenzo Ghiberti's baptistry doors at the Art Institute of Chicago. The doors, better known as the Gates of Paradise, are touring the States just this once, and then will return to Florence forever. The exhibit at Chicago ends in October, so we're making certain we see it while there is still time. I've written at length about this renaissance masterpiece before, so I won't bore you with my art history lesson. After Chicago, they'll make a final stop in New York and then head back to Italy. But see these doors if you can, they are not to be missed.

If it gives you any indication as to their beauty and craftsmanship, it was Michelangelo himself who gave them the name 'gates of paradise' when he passed by the baptistry. It will be a joy to see the doors lovingly restored to a state that nears their original beauty. Michelangelo himself would be proud.