The Detroit Institute of Arts Museum is among the top six in the nation, containing over 65,000 works of art. The building is 658,000 square feet and home to over 140 galleries, a 1,140-seat auditorium, 333-seat lecture hall, art reference library, and an art conservation department. In its collection are Contemporary, Modern, American, and European art. Some of its most significant pieces of art on display are of African, Asian, Native American, Oceanic, Islamic, and Ancient descent. The museum itself is also a work of art, created by architect Paul Philippe Cret. in the 1920’s.
One of the DIA’s most impressive pieces of art are the “Detroit Industry Murals (1932 – 1933),” a series of frescoes by the Mexican artist Diego Rivera, consisting of 27 panels depicting the hardships of industry at the Ford Motor Company and in Detroit. The 27 panels make up the walls of the interior Rivera Court.
Other well-known pieces in the museum are “Self Portrait with Straw Hat” by Vincent Van Gogh, “Dancers in the Green Room” by Edgar Degas, “Gladioli” by Claude Monet, and a rough sketch of the layout for the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo Buonarroti.
Some of their current exhibitions are Guests of Honor: Armor as Fashion, Highlights from the Modern Collection, Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation. They are also getting ready to reinstall their African American art galleries for the first time since 2007. The museum has been dedicated to collecting African American art since 1943 and even created its own curatorial Center for African American Art in 2000 – the first of its kind in a major U.S. museum. Reimagine African American Art will open on October 18, exploring the art of key historical movements like the Harlem Renaissance, Social Realism, the Civil Rights era, and the Black Arts Movement.
The DIA is closed on Mondays but open Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. General admission tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for seniors and college students, $8 for youth ages 6 to 17, and children 5 and under for free. Guided tours are available daily at no cost with purchase of a GA ticket. A secured parking lot is located behind the Museum on John R St., south of Kirby St. and north of Warren Ave. The DIA is definitely worth a visit if you are visiting this incredible city!