Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys

Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys traces the evolution of an ambitious collection built by musical and cultural icons Kasseem Dean (aka Swizz Beatz) and Alicia Keys over two decades. The exhibition showcases a focused selection of approximately 130 objects from the couple's world-class holdings, spotlighting works by Black diasporic artists in an ongoing effort to expand the art-historical narrative. The "giants" of the art world featured in the exhibition include Gordon Parks, Amy Sherald, Nick Cave, Mickalene Thomas, Barkley Hendricks, Deborah Roberts, and Kehinde Wiley. Bringing the Dean Collection to the IMA is especially fitting as several of these artists are also represented among the museum's holdings.

"Giants" refers to several aspects of the Dean Collection: the renown of legendary artists, the impact of canon-expanding contemporary artists, and the monumental works by such creators as Derrick Adams, Arthur Jafa, and Meleko Mokgosi. The collection spans multiple generations, invites examinations of the links between the artists, and encourages "giant conversations" inspired by the works on view—critiquing society and celebrating Blackness.

"On the Shoulders of Giants," the exhibition's first section, features work by legendary artists who have left an indelible mark on the world. Esther Mahlangu's large, colorful abstract paintings reimagine the long-standing tradition of South African Ndebele house painting. The legacy of street photography is exemplified in the works of Gordon Parks and Jamel Shabazz, who documented moments of self-presentation and pride, as well as everyday life and sociopolitical milestones. Along with artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Barkley L. Hendricks, and Ernie Barnes, they not only captured the moment in which they lived but also laid the foundation for future generations of artists.

"Giant Conversations" explores how artists have critiqued the world around them. Lorna Simpson's Tense (1991) considers Black women's self-representation within an environment where others often define that representation. Nick Cave's textured sculptures examine how Black people, particularly men, must assume costumes to conceal and protect themselves against violence. Other artists such as Jerome Lagarrigue and Henry Taylor present issues of protest and lack of visibility due to homelessness. Works on view also celebrate the beauty, resilience, connection, and joyousness within Black communities across the globe. Over a dozen photographs by Jamel Shabazz honor the everyday people walking the streets of New York from the 1980s to the present. Defying stereotypical depictions of his country by the West, Hassan Hajjaj captures Morocco's female henna artists in one photograph on view. Amy Sherald’s large-scale diptych portrays Baltimore, Maryland, dirt bike culture and the joyful freedom that comes with riding—a passion Swizz shares as a collector of BMX bikes.

"Giant Presence" offers an impressive finale. Nina Chanel Abney's Catfish (2017) is a visual provocation about sexual and financial exchange between individuals in a colorful, almost cartoonish, setting. With his nearly eight-foot-tall Big Wheel I (2018) wrapped in chains, Arthur Jafa evokes the exploitation of both the black body and the African continent through mining. Paintings by Titus Kaphar and Meleko Mokgosi also use scale to emphasize powerful themes that resonate across history.

Organized by the Brooklyn Museum, Giants is curated by Kimberli Gant, Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art, and Indira A. Abiskaroon, Curatorial Assistant, Modern and Contemporary Art, Brooklyn Museum.

Belinda Tate, The Melvin and Bren Simon Director of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, is the Coordinating Curator for presentation at Newfields, which is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue published by Phaidon.