Alicia Keys, the 17-time Grammy-winning singer, and her husband, rapper and producer Swizz Beatz, are bringing their exhibition “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys” to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Curated by Kimberli Gant from the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the exhibition features nearly 100 pieces by artists from the global Black diaspora.
After stops in Brooklyn and Atlanta, the show opens in Minneapolis this Saturday.
This timing is significant as it coincides with the upcoming fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s death and amidst cuts in funding to organizations supporting marginalized artists under the Trump administration.
Keys, who shares a connection to Prince through music and has spoken about the local healing following Floyd’s death, was inspired to bring this exhibit to Minneapolis. The show includes large-scale works by artists like Kehinde Wiley, Nick Cave, Jamel Shabazz, Gordon Parks, and Ebony G. Patterson. Casey Riley, Mia’s curator of photography, noted that the exhibition reflects the Deans’ personal values and commitment to supporting living artists.
Keys emphasized in the exhibition catalog that the collection aims to build a vibrant community where artists are acknowledged and respected. Like an album, the artworks collectively tell a larger story, most notably in Meleko Mokgosi’s multi-panel piece on Botswana’s cultural history. Keys compares this experience to her album Here, meant to be enjoyed in its entirety, just as Mokgosi’s piece demands to be seen as a whole.
The exhibit culminates with a theme of “On the shoulders of giants,” encouraging pride in one’s heritage and the impact of those who came before. The Deans aim to create a space where viewers feel a sense of belonging and connection to the art. “The more work out there that represents the youth and the people, the more great artists we can discover,” Swizz Beatz added.
The exhibition celebrates cultural genius, historical presence, and pride in identity through bold, large-scale works.
