The voices of Black artists take center stage this season at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where the collection of Kasseem Dean, known as Swizz Beatz, and Alicia Keys, comes to life in “Giants.” Visitors will encounter work that celebrates creativity, resilience and the legacies that shape contemporary art. 

The exhibition opens Nov. 22 and runs through March 1, featuring nearly 40 contemporary Black artists and about 130 works including paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations and early non-art collectibles such as albums, BMX bikes and musical equipment. Many of the pieces reflect the Deans’ commitment to supporting living artists and preserving Black culture. The couple have collected the works over more than 20 years. 

“‘Giants,’ which highlights exceptional works of art by contemporary Black artists, is significant and timely,” said VMFA Director and CEO Alex Nyerges. “We are delighted to share works from the Deans’ important collection with our community and with visitors beyond Virginia.” 

Organized around three themes, the exhibition offers both historical context and social commentary. “On the Shoulders of Giants” features elder artists such as Esther Mahlangu, whose abstract paintings honor South African Ndebele traditions, and photographers Kwame Brathwaite, Malick Sidibé and Gordon Parks. “Giant Conversations” examines societal critique and protest through works including Hank Willis Thomas’ “Strike” (2018) and Nick Cave’s sculptures on the protective “costumes” Black men wear. “Giant Presence” presents large-scale works such as Arthur Jafa’s “Big Wheel 1” (2018), Nina Chanel Abney’s “Catfish”” (2017) and monumental paintings by Titus Kaphar and Meleko Mokgosi. 

“In a moment when there is an attempt to suppress diverse narratives in art and culture, ‘Giants’ underscores the significance of artists to tell their stories, celebrate life, build upon our creative vitality and resist erasure,” said Valerie Cassel Oliver, the VMFA’s Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and coordinating curator of “Giants.” 

Several works by artists such as Derrick Adams, Radcliffe Bailey, Nick Cave, Odili Donald Odita, Gordon Parks, Deborah Roberts and Mickalene Thomas will also be displayed in VMFA’s 21st-century art gallery during the exhibition run. 

Tickets for “Giants” go on sale Sept. 8. For more information, visit vmfa.museum.