Minneapolis Institute of Art ‘Giants’ exhibition exceeds attendance goals

Swizz Beatz’s bikes and Kehinde Wiley’s portraits of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz have left the Minneapolis Institute of Art. But the impact the groundbreaking exhibition “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys” had on the Twin Cities is still reverberating.

“This powerful exhibition was a testament to the impact of great art and Mia’s mission in action: bringing exceptional art to the public and creating inclusive experiences that resonate across our community,” Mia Director and President Katie Luber said. “We’re proud to have shared this extraordinary collection with our audiences in Minneapolis.”

“Giants” closed on July 13 after an 18-week run, attracting a total of 57,134 visitors and surpassing attendance goals by 27%. The show brought in Mia’s most diverse audience for an exhibition, as evidenced by the show’s run and the opening night party.

“Giants” debuted in February 2024 at the Brooklyn Museum in New York, and then traveled to the High Museum in Atlanta in September of last year before coming to Minneapolis in March.

“This particular contemporary exhibition for us has been one of our largest that we’ve had throughout our history,” Mia’s Head of Marketing and Communications Rob Bedeaux said. “Typically what we’ve seen in the past, European art has always been a super big thing here as well as anything that speaks to Minnesota i.e. like the Vikings, but otherwise European art has been our big exhibition. It was really nice to see a contemporary exhibition do so well for us.”

The total attendance numbers for an exhibition don’t tell the whole story, because exhibition run times vary.

“Giants” was open for 18 weeks, averaging 3,174 visitors per week.

“Botticelli and Renaissance Florence: Masterworks from the Uffizi” ran for 12 weeks, from Oct. 16, 2022-Jan. 8, 2023, and brought in 82,712 visitors. That’s an average of 6,893 visitors per week.

“[Botticelli] was our first blockbuster after the pandemic so people were excited to get back out to do anything,” Bedeaux said.

The pandemic drastically changed Mia’s approach to attracting visitors. People’s habits have changed, and museums are still adjusting.

“Post-COVID, as people started working from home and spent a lot more time at home, it’s been harder to entice people out into the public and do shared events in public spaces,” he said. “So really, it’s competing with all of the other entertainment venues, as well as people’s couches.”

In the pre-pandemic days, the exhibition “Egypt’s Sunken Cities” — which ran for 23 weeks, from Nov. 4, 2018-April 14, 2019 — brought in 154,108 visitors, averaging 6,700 visitors per week.