After premiering at the Brooklyn Museum earlier this year, the art collection of Grammy-winning singer Alicia Keys and Kasseem Dean, the Grammy-winning rapper and producer known as Swizz Beatz, will continue to travel as part of the exhibition “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys” at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta from September 13, 2024 through January 19, 2025.
The married duo’s collection champions the work of Black artists.
The show highlights approximately 115 objects, with 98 major artworks by artists from the Dean Collection, which includes pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Arthur Jafa, Esther Mahlangu, Amy Sherald, Lorna Simpson, and Kehinde Wiley. The collection also boasts the most works by Gordon Parks held in private hands.
“Our mission has always been about making art accessible to everyone and showcasing these GIANT artists. We realized quickly that meant this collection had to travel to communities across the country and the world. We are so pleased that Atlanta and the High Museum of Art is the first stop on the GIANT tour,” the Deans said in a statement.
“ATL is an important part of my story since I went to Stone Mountain High, Redan High and Open Campus. I started DJing parties as a kid at Atrium and Club Flavors too! So, bringing Giants to the High is an Art homecoming for me!” Kasseem Dean continued.
Divided into different sections, the show will highlight the couple’s creative efforts and aspects of how the collection was brought together. “On the Shoulders of Giants,” for example, showcases the work of artists who “have left an indelible mark on the world,” while “Giant Conversations” will explore Black social issues. Another section, “Giant Presence,” displays monumental artworks from the collection, among them, Nina Chanel Abney’s Catfish (2017).
Two ARTnews Top 200 Collectors, the native New Yorkers have long been passionate about supporting Black creatives. “There are far too many artists of all kinds—musicians, painters, sculptors, dancers—who have unfortunately contributed so much to the culture and have died with nothing,” Keys previously told ARTnews. “As artists [ourselves], we care about living artists and the just due that we receive.”
