The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is preparing to unveil one of its most significant exhibitions of the year this November. The highly anticipated show, titled "Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys," will showcase an impressive array of contemporary art collected by the Grammy-winning musician Alicia Keys and her husband, renowned music producer Swizz Beatz.
The comprehensive exhibition will feature more than 130 works of art created by 40 prominent Black artists representing diverse backgrounds from Africa, Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean. This extensive collection demonstrates the global reach and influence of Black artistic expression across multiple continents and cultural contexts.
The roster of featured artists reads like a who's who of contemporary Black art, including several internationally acclaimed names. Among the notable artists represented are Derrick Adams, the legendary Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kwame Brathwaite, Nick Cave, Barkley Hendricks, Arthur Jafa, Titus Kaphar, Esther Mahlangu, Meleko Mokgosi, Odili Donald Odita, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and the celebrated photographer Gordon Parks. The exhibition also includes works by Ebony G. Patterson, Deborah Roberts, photographer Jamel Shabazz, Amy Sherald, Mickalene Thomas, and presidential portrait artist Kehinde Wiley.
The exhibition has been carefully organized by the Brooklyn Museum and represents a major cultural event for the Virginia arts community. The show will run from November 22, 2025, through March 1, 2026, giving visitors several months to experience this remarkable collection of contemporary Black art.
Art enthusiasts and museum visitors will have the opportunity to purchase tickets beginning September 8, when they become available to the general public. This exhibition promises to be a significant cultural highlight for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and offers an unprecedented opportunity to view works from one of the most important private collections of contemporary Black art in the United States.
