When entering the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, guests will be greeted by the 17-foot-high, 7,000-pound "Big Wheel 1" by Arthur Jafa.
It is a large tire from a strip-mining truck, wrapped in chains, that represents the changing economic landscape for the Black middle class. But it is also symbolic of how historical chains of oppression have been used to break through barriers.
Its sheer size also foreshadows what is in the highly anticipated "Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys," which opens Saturday in Richmond.
The exhibition features more than 130 large-scale pieces by 36 artists from the personal collection of music producer Kasseem Dean, better known as Swizz Beatz, and his wife, R&B singer Alicia Keys. The two were in Richmond Tuesday night as a welcome to the show.
"Giants" debuted at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 2024 and was curated by Kimberli Gant, its curator of modern and contemporary art, and a former curator at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk.
Of the artists on view, 16 are in the VMFA permanent collection, including Nick Cave, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Amy Sherald. Other artists in the exhibition include Barkley Hendrick, Mickalene Thomas and Deborah Roberts. Kehinde Wiley's sculpture “Rumors of War” was installed on the museum campus in 2019, and Valerie Cassel Oliver, VMFA's curator of modern and contemporary art, said "Giants" is an extension of a visual conversation VMFA started years ago.
“These are works by artists that people in our community would know,” Oliver said. “We have what we call a collection connection which bridges the work from the exhibition to the permanent collection, which is already on view on our second floor.”
"Giants" occupies the lower galleries, roughly 12,000 square feet. It is only a portion of the Deans' collection. In a video interview with the Gant, the couple explained that they started acquiring art simply because they were "collecting from the heart."
"When you look at art, no matter what part of the world it is, we don't look at the artist," Kasseem Dean said. "My first thing is, how did this person make something so beautiful?"
But their strategy became more intentional: They sought out Black and Brown artists because “our own community wasn’t collecting these giants,” he said.
The scale of the pieces emphasizes the immense impact of the artists' work and, as Keys said in the video, reminds people not to "shrink ourselves down to a certain distilled version," to make others feel comfortable. But to live the best and biggest version of ourselves, or to awaken the giant within.
It was also curated with the driving ethos of “artists supporting artists,” Oliver said, and the exhibition and its catalogue are divided into five categories: "Becoming Giants," which follows the Deans’ narrative and journey. His production credits include Beyonce’s hits “Upgrade U” and “Ring The Alarm,” and Keys has won 17 Grammys, including for her 2001 debut single “Fallin” and her 2003 album “The Diary of Alicia Keys.” The exhibition features pieces that reflect the couple, such as Dean's childhood DJ turntables and one of Keys' pianos.
The section "On the Shoulders of Giants" honors icons, such as photojournalist Kwame Brathwaite, photographer Gordon Parks and renowned South African artist Esther Mahlangu, who established a foundation for contemporary artists.
"Giant Conversations" is divided into two themes that celebrate Black culture and critique societal harms, such as racism. "Giant Presence" examines the work's massive presence, literal and figurative.
The show coincides with this year's recognition of famous Black Virginia artists who are giants in their field. The music industry honored Richmond R&B musician D’Angelo after he died from pancreatic cancer in October.
Virginia Beach recently hosted a weekend of celebrations, including the renaming of a street in honor of native and music producer Timbaland, also known as Timothy Mosley. Producer Pharrell Williams was knighted by France in the summer, the country's highest honor, for his work in the global arts community.
“Joy is an act of resistance. Persevering throughout it all and doing so with grace and extraordinary expression is also an act of resistance,” Oliver said. “I think more now than ever we need to see that and be enveloped by that. It’s food for the soul and we will need it to sustain ourselves moving forward.”
Oliver has mounted several exhibitions, such as the acclaimed 2021 VMFA show “The Dirty South,” an ode to what it means to come from the southern U.S.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have a platform to provide artists with different ways that free them up to explore the fullness of themselves,” Oliver said. “And not what someone wants to prescribe what Black art looks like.”
Oliver has worked as a curator for 25 years, eight in Richmond and 17 in Houston. She’s worked with many of the artists featured in the "Giants" exhibition and feels a kinship.
“It’s beautiful to see their evolution as artists in the field,” Oliver said. "I think people will be awed from the minute they walk in to the minute they walk out. It’s a striking collection.”
"Giants" will be on view through March 1, 2026. While admission to the museum is free, the exhibition requires a fee for non-members. General adult admission is $12 with discounts for students, groups and patrons 65 and older. Visit vmfa.museum for tickets and more information.