The Detroit Institute of Arts
5200 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48202
313-833-78900
The Detroit Institute of Arts was first founded in 1885 and has been in its current location since 1927. According to the DIA website, the collection is among the Top Six in the U.S. The DIA features a large diversity of artwork including European, American, Modern, African, Asian and Native American art.
As an example of the featured artwork, one can see paintings by Cezanne, van Gogh, Gauguin, Picasso, Bruegel the Elder and Rembrandt.
In my opinion, the most significant piece of artwork at the DIA are the Diego Rivera Detroit Industry Murals Commissioned by Wilhelm Valentiner, the artwork features 27 panels depicting industry at the Ford Motor Company's Rouge complex. Edsel Ford, Henry Ford's son, who was a great supporter of the arts, contributed $20,000 (over $300,000 in 2014 USD) to this project. The panels were painted using the fresco process and took 8 months to complete between 1932 - 1933, during the height of the Depression.
Because of Rivera's political views, plus it was commissioned during the Depression, the mural was a very controversial piece of art. Without going into details, one can review the history of the mural at this site: Wikipedia
Edsel Ford (Grey Suit) and Wilhelm Valentiner (Dark Suit)
This site has a very good analysis of the mural: Detroit Industry Mural
For residents of the Tri-County area (Macomb, Oakland and Wayne) admission to the DIA is free although a nominal donation is encouraged. The museum hours are shown on their website. They are opened from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.
Parking is available either on Woodward Avenue or at various local lots: DIA Parking
Going to the DIA is nice afternoon event any time during the year. It is interesting wandering the 100 galleries.
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