November 5, 2026
The Giants are in town. And yes, while cultural icons Swizz Beatz (a.k.a. Kasseem Dean) and Alicia Keys were in the building, we also mean the massive artworks in our freshest all-encompassing exhibition. Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys presented by JPMorgan Chase now flows expansively through the entire fourth floor at Newfields, the Penny and Jock Fortune Suite of Contemporary Art.
To close out a packed opening weekend, The Deans visited the Indianapolis Museum of Art, on Sunday, September 20. In an intimate Tobias Theater conversation (with over 500 guests!) presented by Alan and Sally Mills, the art collecting couple’s excitement for the exhibition was palpable. They made real connections while visiting Newfields, even taking surprise audience questions.
Olivia West, our weekend’s emcee (mainly known locally as In-Game Host for the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever) opened with an energetic audience call and response reinforcing the Dean Collection’s mission: “Collect. Protect. Respect.”
Convo Highlights and Red Carpet Recap
Attention to detail
Organized by the Brooklyn Museum, Giants previously traveled to some of the nation's other leading cultural institutions, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the High Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
A ringing endorsement from Beatz is a proud moment for Newfields: “Best show to date…The way that you guys leaned in on the detail was so amazing… We love that people can come and see such elegance and such great representation of these artists in the show.”
One specific detail that makes our show so powerful? Expert lighting, according to the couple. That’s the work of Dan Helrigel, our Preparator, shining bright.
The way that you guys leaned in on the detail was so amazing… We love that people can come and see such elegance and such great representation of these artists in the show.
– Swizz Beatz
Installation view of Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys in the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, September 18, 2026–February 28, 2027. Photographs: Young Swizz Beatz (left) and young Alicia Keys (right). Courtesy of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys.
Our interactive elements in Giants also stood out, weaving an emotional journey for the couple. Their teenage photos are hung in the record listening room, around the time they met outside of Beatz’ high school.
“We met each other at sixteen actually” Keys stated… “Fifteen” Beatz retorted. Regardless, music has always been core to who they are and is integral to Newfields’ presentation of Giants. Look closely, you’ll see a Marvin Gaye album cover featuring artwork from Ernie Barnes, whose painting Pool Hall is being displayed for the first time in a Giants exhibition.
Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys, and Le Monte Booker, Newfields President and CEO, engage with Pool Hall by Ernie Barnes, which is on display for the first time in a Giants exhibition. Installation view of Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys in the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, September 18, 2026–February 28, 2027. Artworks © their respective creators.
Gaye’s music, curated by Beatz, also permeates the entire soundtrack you will hear playing throughout the experience. Beatz describes music and art as “brothers and sisters.” He never looked at these as two different mediums, but rather the same expression.
Installation view of Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys in the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, September 18, 2026–February 28, 2027. Artworks © their respective creators.
The way Newfields’ interpretation space flows from the nostalgic, wood-paneled turntable lounge to a present-day video interview with the Deans today, moved Keys. For her, it was beautiful to play off of those early days—where they never had an inkling that they’d see themselves in Newfields at any point in their lives—with today.
Keys continues, “Then the depth of recording your own personal message to somebody who has inspired you and making record of what you want to bring to your life and leaving with it. That idea that we really can be authors of our forever, like I like to say. To see that come to life with the vision that you guys had and seeing all of the artists totally uplifted…it became very emotional for me today.”
Welcome to the Family
For the Deans, artists in their collection are family. Real relationships with real artists are part of what set their collective collecting ethos apart. We were fortunate to welcome several exhibiting Giants artists to Newfields to celebrate the moment.
Giants grace the red carpet at Newfields (left to right): Kwame Braithwaite, Jr. (son of the late photographer Kwame Braithwaite), Qualeasha Wood, Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys, Jarvis Boyland, and Ebony Patterson.
Keys speaks with enthusiasm about the genuine, authentic connection she feels with the artists, and the mutual investment each makes in the other. “Oftentimes it could feel like a transactional process… and so when you create a friendship, a relationship, a connection point, really a mutual admiration…the understanding of each other… it’s amazing! We celebrate each others’ wins. We talk about things we’re working on, we celebrate together. We go to studios or houses, they come to ours…we break bread, we have meals, we have conversations…our kids know each other. There’s relationship there and it goes deep and it goes wide, and that creates that genuine energy…
“That’s what even pops up off the wall. You feel that…There’s stories behind it that we all have yet to uncover. And we're open to having that relationship together… And that’s what makes it unlike anything else because it really has that at the heart of it.”
A moving tribute to artist Barkley Hendricks
Keys gives a favorite example illustrating the Deans’ collecting philosophy and the depth of connection they share with artists. “So many people know Barkley Hendricks for his figurative work and it’s so gorgeous…” In fact, we have one of Hendricks’ portraits on view in ourAmerican exhibition on Floor 2, Dr. Kool, representing his more well-known portrait style.
When Beatz went to see Hendricks’ wife, she would always say that Barkley would paint these gorgeous landscapes, and it was his favorite, he loved it so much, and Barkley would always ask his wife, "…Did anybody inquire about my landscapes?"
Keys continues, “And so when the opportunity came to be able to have access to his landscapes we were so excited about having them because it felt like what a beautiful way to honor such an incredible human.
The Barkley Hendricks landscapes are displayed together and mark a departure from Barkley’s more typical work. Installation view of Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys in the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, September 18, 2026–February 28, 2027. Artworks: © Barkley L. Hendricks.
Courtesy of the Estate of Barkley L. Hendricks and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
“And then to find out that these were his favorite pieces, and that we were able to collect his landscapes at his wish. It really felt meaningful, and impactful, and important, and it also became so beautiful because nobody has them. This is a singular way to express a connection with an artist like him.”
Beatz adds that they were invited by Hendricks and his wife to Hendricks’ studio to check out these landscapes, and “unfortunately we didn’t get to make that studio visit, he left us. And then out of respect and honor, we bought all of the landscapes to preserve them so they can be seen as a body of work.”
Emcee Olivia West (center) smiles with friends at Sunday’s evening event, An Evening with Giants: Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys presented by Ice Miller LLP.
