Organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Skyscraper: Art and Architecture Against Gravity explores the proliferation of contemporary artworks around the form, technology, myth, and image of the skyscraper, in the city that is widely known as the birthplace of this architectural type. This exhibition includes a wide-ranging sampling of art from around the world and across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries to explore this enduring fascination. It also features new commissions, an engaging array of education programs, and a catalogue.

Michael Darling, James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator, joined the MCA in July 2010 after an international search. Darling is formerly curator of modern and contemporary art at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) and has also worked as an independent writer and curator, contributing essays on art, architecture, and design to publications including Frieze, Art Issues, Flash Art, and LA Weekly. He received his MA and PhD in art and architectural history from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Darling frequently serves as a panelist, lecturer, and guest curator on contemporary art and architecture. Darling has organized many design and architecture projects prior to Skyscraper including The Architecture of R. M. Schindler (2001), and monographic exhibitions of Roy Mackin (2003) and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec (2004)—all at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Among his writings on these topics was an essay for the Vitra Design Museum monograph George Nelson: Architect, Writer, Designer, Teacher (2008).

The mission of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), founded in 1967, is to be an innovative and compelling center of contemporary art where the public can directly experience the work and ideas of living artists and understand the historical, social, and cultural context of the art of our time. The MCA boldly interweaves exhibitions, performances, collections, and education programs to excite, challenge, and illuminate our visitors and to provide insight into the creative process.The MCA aspires to engage a broad and diverse audience; create a sense of community; and be a place for contemplation, stimulation, and discussion about contemporary art and culture.