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

Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys opens with a quote from Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys that sets the mood for the exhibition: “By the artists, for the artists, with the people.” This is the philosophy that guides the two creatives in their approach to collecting for over two-decades; Support fellow artists, respect the artistic process, create a community. The exhibition includes 130 works of art by 37 Black American and diasporic artists, which is only a fraction of the couple’s extensive collection, and it feels like a landmark exhibition in its in-depth presentation of leading Black artistic voices from the past several decades.

It is undeniable that part of the allure of Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys is the opportunity to learn more about the couple’s vision as art collectors, and to see up close some of the artworks and artists they have been drawn to over the years. But the exhibition goes much deeper than that. “Giants was originally conceived of as a way to engage communities who had not seen themselves represented by museums historically, whether on the wall, as artists or as patrons,” explains Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego associate curator or Amy Krum. It is the first major exhibition from the Dean collection, and it was curated by Kimberli Gant for the Brooklyn Museum. The MCASD is the only west coast venue for the exhibition and the museum has seen record-breaking attendance.

The exhibition spans two floors of the museum and features a bespoke playlist that includes many local San Diego musicians. Walls are brightly coloured and there are various quotes scattered about to remind viewers of the mission and vision of this collection. The exhibition is divided into three categories, opening with ‘Becoming Giants,’ a reference to the couple’s introduction to collecting as well as to their own hugely successful (giant) careers. The first room features a display of BMX bikes, a set of turntables and sound mixers, a nod to Mr. Dean’s upbringing in the Bronx. Also on display is a Yamaha piano that Alicia Keys used very early in her career. This room is grounded by two large-scale portraits of the Dean’s by Kehinde Wiley that seem to radiate with their creative energy.

Most of the works are by living artists, but the next section, ‘On the Shoulders of Giants,’ includes several pieces by artist’s who are from an older generation.  “Photography is a strength of the show and is one of Swizz’s favourite mediums,” explains Krum, and in this section, a large installation of photographs by Gordon Parks stands out, as do photographs. by Malik Sidibé and Kwame Barthwaite that show the intergenerational connection between past and present. ‘Giant Conversations’ is the third section of the exhibition, which begins upstairs with works “that celebrate Blackness” that looks at joy, recreation, celebration, such as Derrick Adams’ Floater 74, (2018), a selection of Jamel Shabazz’s photographs of Black New Yorkers in the 1980s, and Ebony Patterson’s maximalist installation “… they were just hanging out you know … talking about … (… when they grow up …)”. ‘Giant Conversations’ continues downstairs, with work rooted in social critique and themes of protest, resistance, poverty, violence, or gender inequality, and features artists such as Meleko Mokgosi, Hank Willis Thomas, Nick Cave, Henry Taylor and Toyin Ojih Odutola, among others.

‘Giant’ takes on a double meaning in the exhibition through several large-scale pieces. The Museum of Contemporary Art debuted a stunning 25-foot painting by Mickalene Thomas titled Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe: Les trois femmes noires, 2010, a recent acquisition by the Dean’s that is Thomas’s reimagination of Eduoard Manet’s Dejenuer Sur L’Herbe. Downstairs is Arthur Jafa’s massive installation of an over 8,000 pound monster truck tire suspended from a gantry, that took a rigging team of 12 people to install, dominates the space.

“Hometown Heroes” is an exhibition within the exhibition that includes work by three photographers from the Dean Collection and three artists form the museum collection. It was inspired by a visit that Swizz Beatz made to Por Vida, a San Diego Gallery, ahead of the opening, where he saw an exhibition by Oscar Cruz and MJ Pimentel. Captivated by the show, he bought the whole series and asked the museum if there was a way to incorporate it into the exhibition. “Hometown Heroes” includes this series of work as well as pieces by Chata, Andrea Chung, Esteban Cabeza de Baca and Fox Maxy. It’s a great way to weave in a connection to the San Diego art community. This show is open through November.

“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,” state the Dean’s in a prominent quote in the exhibition. As artists themselves, the Dean’s understand the complexity and nuances around art-making of any genre. It’s not only about the idea but it’s about having the support, freedom and confidence to get it out into the world despite pushback or fears. Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys inspires us to think bigger to be bold and to remember the importance of looking to art as a voice within our everyday lives.

An exhibition catalogue published by Phaidon has been released for the occasion. Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys was on view through August 9th. Its next venue is at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields.

MCASD

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