The title of the touring exhibition “Giants,” featuring works by Gordon Parks and Jean-Michel Basquit, is a pun.
The musical power couple Alicia Keyes and Swizz Beatz have collected works by those familiar names in art history — “Giants.” And, as evidenced by the collection of statuary, installations, wall-covering paintings, blown-up photos, commissioned self-portraits and historical hip hop musical hardware (pioneer Kool Herc’s sound system), these two like their art BIG.
Vibrant colored paintings in a wide array of artistic styles and “movements” suggest African and African American history and art history in this eclectic collection which screams, “Honey, we’re going to need a higher ceiling” after each purchase.
They are artists and arts supporters and there is nothing here that says “shrinking violet.” Everything practically shouts itself off the walls.
I generally disdain oversized artworks like this, tracing back to my lifelong loathing for the oversized art of Joan Miro. But self-indulgent (Hanging your favorite bikes, Mr. Beatz, as art?) as some of what we see plainly is, there’s an artistic eye in evidence and a mission statement inherent in it…