Art Institute lions headed to the groomer

The two lions outside the Art Institute of Chicago will be removed next week to be cleaned. The lions are not identical; while the one shown above was meant to have “in an attitude of defiance,” according to its sculptor, the other is “on the prowl.” The cleaning will take about a month. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

The beloved bronze lions flanking the steps of the Art Institute of Chicago will leave their posts for their first deep-cleaning in 21 years.

On Tuesday, they’ll be removed and taken to a facility in Forest Park, where they will be steam-cleaned, then coated with a wax preservative. The whole process will take a little over a month, said Shannon Palmer, an Art Institute spokeswoman.