painting

Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys

/ Bonnie Newman Davis

Courtesy Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Courtesy Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys is coming to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Nov. 22, 2025-March 1, 2026. The exhibition from the collection of musical and cultural icons Swizz Beatz (Kassem Dean) and Alicia Keys is expansive and features over 130 works of art by 40 Black artists from Africa, Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean.

Among the artists featured are Derrick Adams, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kwame Brathwaite, Nick Cave, Barkley Hendricks, Arthur Jafa, Titus Kaphar, Esther Mahlangu, Meleko Mokgosi, Odili Donald Odita, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Gordon Parks, Ebony G. Patterson, Deborah Roberts, Jamel Shabazz, Amy Sherald, Mickalene Thomas, and Kehinde Wiley.

These celebrated “giants” are expanding the art canon of greats in a big, bold way. They include legendary photographers, iconic contemporary artists, as well as emerging artists. And among the art on view are monumental works that tower in scale and thought. Giants is also a nod to the collectors’ passion for lifting up the human spirit:

“We need to be our most giant selves: to think our most giant thoughts, express ourselves in the biggest way possible, and give ourselves permission to be giants.”
—Alicia Keys

As artists who strive to support other artists and collect from the heart, Keys and Beatz are guided by an outward intention that regards their family of acquired works as “by the artist, for the artist, with the people.”

Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys is organized by Kimberli Gant, Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art, and Indira A. Abiskaroon, Curatorial Assistant, Modern and Contemporary Art, Brooklyn Museum. The coordinating curator at VMFA is Valerie Cassel Oliver, the Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.

The exhibition is organized by the Brooklyn Museum.

When/Where

November 22, 2025 — March 1, 2026

Altria Group Gallery, NewMarket GalleryTickets

Presale for VMFA Members
Available beginning August 24. Not a member? Join now to take advantage of the exclusive presale and see all ticketed exhibitions for free.

Get Presale Tickets

General Public Tickets
Available beginning September 8.

Don’t miss Lucinda McDermott’s Award Winning One-Woman Show “O’Keeffe”!

/ Bonnie Newman Davis

Lucinda McDermott performs in her one-woman play “O’Keeffe Jan. 25-26, 2025 at Richmond Triangle Players theater. Ticket information and time is here.

Reviews of Lucinda’s stage portrayal of Georgia O’Keeffe:

“McDermott’s one-woman play gets to the very heart of one of the enduring questions surrounding the art and life of Georgia O’Keeffe: how much credit does Alfred Stieglitz deserve for the critical and commercial success of his foremost protégé? It is a question that McDermott has O’Keeffe pose from beyond the grave, with all the insight and wit of a woman brought truly to life, both as an artist and as a captivating personality.” -Ariel Plotek, Curator of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

Georgia O’Keeffe has summoned an audience to help answer the question, “Was it me or was it Stieglitz?” We journey with O’Keeffe from 1915 when she tears up her work to date, and starts over in black and white to discover her own style. She revisits key moments in her life to reveal hidden truths, but the shadow of manager and husband Alfred Stieglitz looms heavy over her. Was it his nude photographs of her that enticed the art world to her, or was it her own excellence of craft? Would she have been noticed if he hadn’t exhibited her? Georgia rejects claims by the male dominated art world about what drives her art, but when a Stieglitz affair gets too intense, and a very public commission collapses, her world falls apart. Georgia rallies, determined to survive and paint again, but some difficult decisions must be made. In the end, the truth that lies deep in Georgia’s heart is revealed— and it’s as devastating as it is honest. O’Keeffe! is a revealing critically acclaimed drama about the beloved and complex American icon.

*Newly Revised Script and production* Written and performed by Lucinda McDermott. Directed by Jan Powell with soundscape by Jon Piro.

© 2021 Lucinda McDermott

“Powerful, funny, emotional, dramatic and very high quality. . .The audience was riveted to every word from beginning to end and gave Ms. McDermott a well-earned standing ovation! . . .Ms. McDermott established a connection with audience members right from the beginning and kept them in the palm of her hand for the entire show. . . . The emotional and the ultimately uplifting performance left a lasting impression on our community! . . .Ms. McDermott arrived early for load in and rehearsal and her set up was very smooth. Minimal set & props enhanced the actor’s storytelling without distracting from her work. She was very specific about her technical requirements, but also flexible to work with. I would encourage any venue to book this performance!”

-Elizabeth Bracey, Managing Director, Franklin Performing Arts Center

Concert/Performance Description

“O’Keeffe!” is designed to be presented in a variety of settings ranging from state-of-the-art theatres to galleries or other open spaces. Preference is for a professional sound system with stage lighting, however, we can be flexible in most circumstances. Please contact artist for specifics.