The personal art collection of singer and musician Alicia Keys and music producer Swizz Beatz is making its way to Indianapolis.
“Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Kasseem ‘Swizz Beatz’ Dean and Alicia Keys” will open at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields Sept. 19. The exhibit will take up the whole fourth floor, formerly the home of The Lume, which closed in February.
“Giants,” which debuted at the Brooklyn Museum in 2024, has stopped at museums around the country, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Minneapolis Institute of Art and most recently at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
And much like the exhibition title itself, the artwork in the collection is massive.
Keys is a 17-time Grammy award winner and Dean has produced for some of the biggest artists in music like Jay-Z, DMX, Whitney Houston and Beyoncé.
The celebrity power couple, who married in 2010, began collecting art in 2014. Now, the Dean Collection contains over 1,000 artworks by Black contemporary artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Civil Rights Movement photographer Gordon Parks, and painters Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley, known for their portraits of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
Others include 90-year-old South African artist Esther Mahlangu and Titus Kaphar, 50, a filmmaker and painter.
“Beginning a relationship with artists that are at different times in their life, it’s a beautiful thing,” Keys told GQ.
In a 2025 interview with PBS, Dean said he became interested in art as a child.
“Growing up from the Bronx and seeing art everywhere, waking up, coming from school, going to school, seeing graffiti on the walls, it always felt like something that we live with naturally, just like music,” Dean said.
“Giants” also includes Keys and Dean’s personal musical equipment — her piano and his drum machine.
Art collecting is a passion and commitment to supporting artists for Keys and Dean. It’s why they are choosing to share their personal collection with the world.
“I think it would be selfish for us to have all of this beauty sitting in some storage somewhere or hanging only in a home, when you can share it with the world,” Dean told PBS.
“Giants” will close in February 2027. Opening weekend events and ticket information will be announced later.
The exhibition is organized by the Brooklyn Museum.
“Bringing ‘Giants’ to Indianapolis reflects Newfields’ commitment to presenting the most compelling artists and cultural voices of our time,” LeMonte G. Booker Sr., president and CEO of Newfields said in a statement.
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Mirror Indy reporter Mesgana Waiss covers arts and culture. Contact her at 317-667-2643 or mesgana.waiss@mirrorindy.org.
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