Exhibitions

Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo were an explosive couple. He carried a pistol. She carried a flask. He romanticized Detroit. She rejected it. But what they shared was a belief in communism, a thirst for tequila and a passion for each other. Discover how they left their mark on Detroit. And how Detroit left its mark on their art. Exclusively on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit brings together nearly 70 works of art that depict the evolution of these two extraordinary artists’ careers, including eight of Rivera’s epic preparatory drawings for the Detroit Industry murals and 23 pieces by Kahlo, whose work has never before been shown at the DIA. Photography is not permitted in the special exhibition galleries.

New York street artist Caledonia "Callie" Curry, known as Swoon, has installed a 400 lb. 20-foot tall installation titled Thalassa in the Detroit Institute of Arts' Woodward Lobby. Thalassa is on view from Sept. 24, 2016 through June 24, 2017.

The Edible Monument includes about 140 prints, rare books and serving manuals from the Getty Research Institute collection and private collections. The artworks illustrate in lush detail the delectable monuments and sculptures made of food that were an integral part of street festivals as well as court and civic banquets in Europe in the 16th to 19th centuries. The exhibition has been organized by the Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles.

The annual Detroit Public Schools Student Exhibition features hundreds of imaginative works created by Detroit Public Schools Community District students in grades K-12, ranging from paintings, prints, drawings, photography, ceramics, videos, jewelry and more. 

Explore powerful artworks by African American artists who formed collectives during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. These collectives, made up of artists working together in distinct groups, created art specifically for African American audiences that asserted black identity and racial justice.

In celebration of Dia de Muertos, the Detroit Institute of Arts, in partnership with Detroit's Mexican Consulate, invite you to explore a community exhibition of ofrenda altars

This intimate exhibition focuses on the DIA’s only painting by Claude Monet — Rounded Flower Bed (Corbeille de fleurs), formerly known as Gladioli and recently retitled based on new research. 

One ticket sends you on two artistic adventures -- Church: A Painter's Pilgrimage and Monet: Framing Life. Travel to distinct places and time in history to experience the world as these two artists did.

The DIA's new Japan Gallery explores the ways works can define a space as special, inspiring both stillness and movement in those who encounter the art.

Making Home: Contemporary Works from the DIA presents a range of works by artists from the DIA’s collections of Prints, Drawings and Photographs and Contemporary art that are concerned with idealistic representations of home. Around 50 works in a variety of media both affirm common symbols of domestic space and question popular ideas of home as a symbol of comfort, belonging and permanency.

Take a step back in time and celebrate the great American pastime of baseball at Play Ball! Baseball at the DIA, featuring items from the Michigan-based E. Powell Miller collection and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

This annual exhibition features hundreds of imaginative works created by Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) students in grades K-12, ranging from paintings, prints, drawings, photography, ceramics, videos, jewelry and more. 

Take a unique journey into the Star Wars™ universe as characters are brought to life through a dramatic presentation of more than 60 original costumes. Star Wars™ and the Power of Costume will closely examine the captivating process of costume design for iconic outfits featured in the first seven films of the Star Wars saga—from Queen Amidala’s lavish gowns to Darth Vader’s imposing black armor.

This second installation of the Out of the Crate: New Gifts & Purchases gallery re-opens with some of the museum’s newest acquisitions, chosen by Director Salvador Salort-Pons. This gallery provides a look into the art acquisition process.

Repetition, Rhythm, and Vocab  presents  Detroit artists Carole Harris and Allie McGhee together in homage to the harmony of their improvisational languages and to the city in which they found their voices.

Discover works of art created by participants in the DIA’s Community Group Program, a partnership between the museum and human service agencies in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.