Group Exhibition
Group Exhibition
Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys
A landmark touring group exhibition of more than 130 works from the Dean Collection of musicians Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean) and Alicia Keys, featuring Dr Esther Mahlangu's 'Ndebele Abstract' (2017) among 36 Black artists from Africa, Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean.
Venue
Brooklyn Museum (touring)
Location
New York, USA
Dates
2024 – 2026 (touring)
Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys
Organised by the Brooklyn Museum and curated by Kimberli Gant and Indira A. Abiskaroon, Giants is the first major exhibition of the Dean Collection — the personal holdings of musicians, songwriters, and producers Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean) and Alicia Keys. Expansive in its collecting habits, the collection is guided by a philosophy of "by the artist, for the artist, with the people" and a shared conviction that "all artists are giants."
The exhibition gathers more than 130 works by 36 Black artists from Africa, Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean, among them Derrick Adams, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kwame Brathwaite, Nick Cave, Barkley Hendricks, Arthur Jafa, Titus Kaphar, Dr Esther Mahlangu, Meleko Mokgosi, Odili Donald Odita, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Gordon Parks, Ebony G. Patterson, Deborah Roberts, Jamel Shabazz, Amy Sherald, Mickalene Thomas, and Kehinde Wiley.
Dr Esther Mahlangu is represented by Ndebele Abstract (2017), an acrylic on canvas from the Dean Collection.
"We need to be our most giant selves: to think our most giant thoughts, express ourselves in the biggest way possible, and give ourselves permission to be giants." — Alicia Keys
Tour venues
- Brooklyn Museum, New York — 10 February – 7 July 2024
- High Museum of Art, Atlanta — 13 September 2024 – 19 January 2025
- Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) — 18 April – 9 August 2025
- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), Richmond — 22 November 2025 – 1 March 2026