Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, and the Transformative Power of Collecting Black Art
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz at the "Giants" exhibition, Brooklyn Museum, 2024. Photo: John Nacion/WWD via Getty Images.
When we talk about representation in the art world, we often focus on the artists. But there’s another side to the equation—who buys the work, who preserves it, who ensures that the names and stories make it into the record books. In that space, Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz are doing something remarkable.
Known worldwide for their music, activism, and cultural fluency, Keys and Beatz are also two of the most committed collectors of contemporary Black art working today. Their private collection—now over a thousand pieces strong—is more than a display of personal taste. It’s a living archive. A statement that says: Black art isn’t waiting for permission to be seen. It’s already here, and it’s central.
Their collection reads like a roll call of modern Black brilliance: Kehinde Wiley, Gordon Parks, Amy Sherald, Arthur Jafa, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and many others. But they don’t stop with the big names. They actively seek out rising voices and invest in artists early—often before the rest of the market takes notice. And they exhibit the work too. Their 2024 exhibition Giants, which opened at the Brooklyn Museum and later traveled to the High Museum in Atlanta, centered Black artists across generations, making a bold case for Black creative excellence as a foundational force in art history.
Installation view from “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys” at the Brooklyn Museum. Photo: Danny Perez / Courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum.
Sculptural centerpiece from the “Giants” exhibition, highlighting the dynamic use of unconventional materials. Photo: Danny Perez / Courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum.
Swizz Beatz once said that collecting is “not about art on walls—it’s about art in life.” That sentiment runs deep, especially for communities like ours. Just as Keys and Beatz have used their platform to amplify Black artists, we’re committed to preserving and showcasing the rich artistic legacy of the Delta—because every region deserves to see its stories told.
A visitor views a large-scale work at “Giants” at the Brooklyn Museum. The exhibition invited intimate engagement with monumental Black art. Photo: Danny Perez / Courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum.
Here in Monroe, we don’t have to look far for artists whose vision and voice align with that mission. Don Cincone, a celebrated Black artist from our own community, has spent decades creating work that speaks to faith, dignity, and creative resilience. His contributions remind us that world-class talent exists right here in the Delta—and that collecting isn’t about geography, it’s about intention.
What Keys and Beatz are doing isn’t new, but it is gaining new visibility. Historically, figures like the Johnson Publishing Company founders and educator Peggy Cooper Cafritz laid important groundwork as collectors who believed in the value of Black art—long before it was recognized in elite spaces. The difference today is that these efforts are no longer happening in the margins. They’re reshaping the center.
And they invite us to ask: what can we do, right where we are?
Because collecting isn’t only for museums or celebrities. It can start with a print from a local artist, a framed photo that moves you, or a visit to a museum that centers your story. It’s about memory, preservation, and pride. It’s about saying, “This matters—and I want to be part of keeping it alive.”
So how are you preserving the art that speaks to you? Share your stories with us—or visit our exhibit I Found My Thrill: The Fats Domino & Dave Bartholomew Legacy, now at the museum through July 31st, to see how we honor Black creativity right here in Monroe.
