The DIA: Letting Yourself Go

In a metropolis that has been on the downturn since the late 1960’s — losing more than half its population since its zenith and many buildings falling into disrepair — there is certainly a bright spot livening up this city that has been the victim of unfortunate decay: the Detroit Institute of Arts. Its vast collection of art from various painters, sculptors and the like rivals those of larger and more recognizable galleries. Although even the DIA isn’t safe from the effects of Detroit’s $500 million debt — it was almost shut down as a result — it still serves as a gateway into so many different eras and cultures and the art that defined them.

Among some of the DIA’s many featured works include masterpieces from such prolific and distinguished artists that have certainly made their names known in the art world and beyond — Caravaggio, Titian, Monet, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Warhol, and many more. Collections in the museums range from ancient Greek and Roman artifacts all the way to today’s modern and contemporary art — and everything in between. The life-size sculptures made of stone or ivory; the towering murals depicting Biblical scenes more often than not; the serene still-lifes of fields, forests, and even fruit baskets and flowers in a vase; the straightforward portraits of the painter himself or his acquaintances; artifacts from the daily lives of ancient and modern cultures; and some as simple as a thin white line running through a red background.

 

Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War), Salvador Dalí. Philadelphia Museum of Art: The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950. © Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 2012

I decided to visit during a time in which several temporary traveling exhibits were being featured: the Five Spanish Masterpieces (from Dali, Velazquez, El Greco, Goya, and Picasso), the Vermeer painting Woman Holding a Balance, and a collection of prints from Picasso and Matisse. Each of these works of art, coming from different periods and styles, are breathtaking in their own way: Dali and his grotesque depiction of “the giant” Spain eating away at itself, Picasso’s Blue Period portrayal of an imprisoned woman, Matisse’s simplistic and ambiguous cut-out prints, Vermeer’s image of a woman finding a life of balance… There was so much to absorb in the mere 45 minutes I spent in the temporary exhibits, and even though I only focused on each work for a few minutes, if not a few seconds, I could appreciate the thought and the execution behind them.

 

But even when these exhibits are long gone, there’s still a treasure trove of art in the regular galleries to appreciate. Among my favorites were Henri Matisse’s The Window, a revolutionary work designed to challenge basic laws of perspective; Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Straw Hat, an ordinary but effective contrast against his unstable mental health; John Singleton Copley’s Watson and the Shark, depicting a story of Brook Watson falling overboard and saved from a nearby shark by his crew-mates; Claes Oldenburg’s Giant Three-Way Plug, a wooden sculpture the size of a nightstand depicting an electrical plug with two sockets on its sides.

 

Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664, National Gallery of Art, Widener Collection

It was certainly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view these masterpieces, some of which were loaned to the DIA from various museums across the U.S. and Europe, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and the Prado in Madrid. I feel quite fortunate to be able to view incredible works just a fifteen minute drive away from home that I would have to travel hundreds and even thousands of miles to see otherwise. And although only time can tell what the future brings for the DIA, I hope that that privilege of being able to view classic and modern artworks from your doorstep will survive for years to come.