logo-thedeancollection

Giants

Brooklyn Museum

February 10–July 7, 2024

Nina Chanel Abney
Derrick Adams
Radcliffe Bailey
Ernie Barnes
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jarvis Boyland
Kwame Brathwaite
Jordan Casteel
Nick Cave
Hassan Hajjaj
Barkley L. Hendricks
Arthur Jafa
Titus Kaphar
Jerome Lagarrigue
Deana Lawson
Esther Mahlangu
Meleko Mokgosi
Odili Donald Odita
Toyin Ojih-Odutola
Zohra Opoku
Frida Orupabo
Gordon Parks
Ebony G. Patterson
Deborah Roberts
Tschabalala Self
Jamel Shabazz
Amy Sherald
Malick Sidibé
Lorna Simpson
Sanlé Sory
Vaughn Spann
Henry Taylor
Mickalene Thomas
Hank Willis Thomas
Kehinde Wiley
Qualeasha Wood
Kennedy Yanko
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye
museum-logo
More info

Gordon Parks. Jean-Michel Basquiat. Lorna Simpson. Kehinde Wiley. Nina Chanel Abney. These names loom large in the past and present of art—as do many others in the collection of musical and cultural icons Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean) and Alicia Keys. Expansive in their collecting habits, the Deans, both born and raised in New York, champion a philosophy of “artists supporting artists.” The first major exhibition of the Dean Collection, Giants showcases a focused selection from the couple’s world-class holdings. The Brooklyn Museum’s presentation spotlights works by Black diasporic artists, part of our ongoing efforts to expand the art-historical narrative.

“Giants” refers to several aspects of the Dean Collection: the renown of legendary artists, the impact of canon-expanding contemporary artists, and the monumental works by such creators as Derrick Adams, Arthur Jafa, and Meleko Mokgosi. Immense pieces—including the largest ever by Mokgosi—are paired with standouts such as Parks’s seminal photographs, Wiley’s revolutionary portraits, and Esther Mahlangu’s globe-bridging canvases.

The term also evokes the strength of the bonds between the Deans and the artists they support, and among the artists themselves. Along with examining these links and legacies, the exhibition will encourage “giant conversations” inspired by the works on view—critiquing society and celebrating Blackness.