ART

Chicago commuters seem to be big, if stealthy, art fans. They’ve been slicing pictures of Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Red Poppy” from posters advertising an exhibit of her work. Posters of the painting “Red Poppy” have been displayed in many parts of the city to advertise a showing of the artist at the Art Institute of Chicago. But at least 35 of the poppies pictured on 200 posters on rapid-transit platforms are missing, leaving only a white border and the words, “Georgia O’Keeffe, 1887-1986.” A spokesman for Southwestern Bell Corp., which is sponsoring the exhibit, said he considers the thefts a form of flattery for the artist, who was known for her large and precise designs of flowers and the skulls of animals.