Detroit Institute of Arts

I visited Detroit several weeks ago, because I wanted to check out the Detroit Institute of Art, which is well-known for its murals by Diego Rivera. I was surprised by the abundance and quality the Institute had in its overall collection. It had a very strong selection American artworks, including pieces from the Hudson River School, and very strong Medieval and Renaissance collections as well. 

The a true highlight of the museum, Rivera's murals, are stunning and exhilarating. I was floored at how well the murals configured within the atrium space at the museum. Rivera's take on industrial progress and the city of Detroit reflect his beliefs of Marxism and critical views on capitalism. Rivera tried to encompass all aspects of industry, from complex mass manufacturing to the human cost of fast-paced production lines that diminished the individual. 

The Institute also had an extremely strong European collection that included many master painters and sculptors. It's always fun encountering familiar works of art at different stages and scales, such as Carpeaux's Ugolino and His Sons (pictured below).

I had a wonderful time at the Detroit Institute of Arts and I hope to make it back sometime next year. 

A portrait by Thomas Eakins

A landscape by Renoir

A model for one side panel for the Arc de Trimoph in Paris.

Henry Fuseli's The Nightmare

See The Met's finished Ugolino: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/67.250/