SAN DIEGO — When “Giants” opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego on Saturday, visitors will get a rare peek into the epic personal collection owned by married music and cultural artists Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean) and Alicia Keys.

For the first time on the West Coast, more than 130 pieces — ranging from paintings and portraits to sculptures and installations owned by the Deans — will be on display in La Jolla. The sprawling, two-level exhibition features towering works of art of all media carrying powerful messages by nearly 40 Black artists from Africa, Europe and the United States.

The exhibition begins where it all started for the Deans, showcasing BMX bikes that honor Swizz Beatz’s Bronx youth and a piano Keys played at the start of her prolific career.

The “Giants” theme is echoed throughout the exhibition, both in the names of the artists and the size of the pieces.

“It’s a giant exhibition both in scope, in terms of the museum, but also in the scale of the works and the depth of the ideas and the figures present,” said Amy Crum, associate curator at MCASD.

For communities that haven’t seen themselves represented in a traditional museum before, this exhibition stands as an “invitation,” she said. “The desire for the show, as it was expressed by the Deans, was to make people feel at home, to make them sit a little longer, to invite them.”

The exhibition opens April 18 and runs through Aug. 9. Here are five things you won’t want to miss, but let’s face it, with more than 130 pieces, your must-see list will be longer than ours.

Before ‘Giants’

1. Don’t skip over this intimate glimpse into the early lives of the Deans. When you enter the exhibit, you’ll be greeted by a piano Keys owns. There are turntables and sound equipment. A display of BMX bikes serves as a callback to Swizz Beatz’s time growing up in New York City. Before you immerse yourself in their personal collection, take time to look at these personal pieces.

Oil portraits

2. The show is anchored at the beginning by two giant oil portraits of the Deans by acclaimed artist Kehinde Wiley, the painter behind the 2018 official portrait of former President Barack Obama. You’ll see the vibrant red and blue oil portraits displayed in the section titled “Becoming Giants,” which is themed to the Deans’ early creative beginnings and serves as an introduction to the collectors themselves.

‘Hometown Heroes’

3. After seeing a show called “Neighborhood Visuals” at the Barrio Logan cafe Por Vida, Swizz Beatz purchased all of the art on display. To celebrate the local art community, the Deans asked the museum to create an exhibition that primarily showcases San Diego-based artists. Photos and portraits from photographers Chata, Oscar Cruz and MJ Pimentel highlight the culture and people of the Barrio Logan community in this exhibition called “Hometown Heroes.”

San Diego exclusive

4. An entire museum wall is nearly filled by this monumental 25-foot piece of art, titled “Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe: Les trois femmes noire.” This piece by Mickalene Thomas will be on display in San Diego exclusively for the first time. The scale of this reimagined version of “Le déjeuner sur l’herbe” from 1863 will take your breath away. Have your phone ready, although it may be hard to capture how giant this masterpiece actually is.

A suit?

5. From behind, this piece looks like a mannequin in a silver sequin suit posing on a white platform. But you’ll see the full vision of this mixed-media sculpture called “Soundsuit” when you face it head-on. The suit was created by renowned sculptor Nick Cave, who is known for his surreal works made of unusual materials. It has a monstrous, fuzzy black and brown oval armor that makes up its entire body.

‘Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys’

When: Exhibit opens April 18 and runs through Aug. 9. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays

Where: Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla

Tickets: $25, general; $20, San Diego and Tijuana residents; $15, students, educators and those ages 55 and over

Online: mcasd.org

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