Detroit Institute of Arts

5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202, USA

Address:	5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Phone:	+1 313-833-7900
Site:	dia.org
Rating:	4.8
Working:	Closed 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 9AM–10PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

Daniel Lenski

Ive been to a number of the worlds great art museums (Met, MOMA, Louvre, Musée dOrsay, Chicago Institute of Art, British Museum, Ashmolean Museum, all the Smithsonians, etc.) but am slightly embarrassed to say that I had never been to the DIA until recently, despite having spent my teenage years in mid-Michigan. Im really glad that I took the opportunity to go on a recent visit home. Simply put: this is a truly great museum. Its collection is huge and varied, yet well-organized and well-curated enough not to feel like a jumble. To pick just one example, I appreciated the very thoughtful curation of the American art wing, with useful explanatory plaques describe the social and political contexts of the works. Notably, works by African-Americans and other minority artists were thoughtfully integrated into the main exhibit, rather than being separated entirely into culturally or thematically distinct exhibits. This gave me a more nuanced appreciation for the complex relationship between art created by minorities and the larger American society and culture. In addition to the diverse and thoughtful collection, I appreciated the accessibility of the DIA. At only $8 for adults (less for Detroit-area residents) its an incredible bargain compared to all those other famous art museums. Museum docents and guards were uniformly friendly and helpful, without hovering excessively, and they were kind to let me leave to feed the parking meter and get lunch, then return with the same ticket. (On a related note, Id recommend "The Potato Place" a couple blocks away for a good cheap way to fuel a day of art exploration.) Basically, an all-around great experience. The financial woes of Detroit havent affected the very high quality of the DIA, from what I could see, and Im sending them a donation for a lot more than $8 to help keep it that way.

Sean Magee

The art is fantastic - great collection of paintings from all historical times. There is probably more abstract and postmodern features than I would like, but thats just a preference of mine. There is still so much to see that I couldnt enjoy it all in one day. The place is clean and well decorated. I feel safe in the museum and in the surrounding sidewalks. However, parking is ridiculous. If youre not lucky enough to get a spot on the street around the building, good luck finding a good place to park. Getting tickets at the entrance is annoying - they have to literally see EVERYONES ID to give each person in your party the tri-county discount. Seriously? Worse yet, the security staff walking around is rude and (I hate saying this) racist. Im walking in the same room where my 65 and 68 year old parents are viewing a painting, nobody else in the room, and a security guy comes in and steps up to my parents and with a threatening voice says "You folks are going to have to stand farther back from the painting or Ill have to escort you out of here." They were about 2.5 feet away from a small detailed painting. I turned and looked at him sideways, and without me saying a word he said "I saw you guys looking at some of the other works too close. Stand back." Wow. Black guy, were a white family, and the only reason I mention that is that he followed us into the next room where there was a black family with one of their kids pointing an inch or two from paintings and he said nothing to them. Nothing. I cant stand racism in any form, and this was exactly that. If you get lucky, get a great parking spot on the street right alongside the museum, and go on a day when the racist, rude security dude isnt there, I could see having a 5-star afternoon. But for us, these things sadly affected our visit.

Shannon M

We spent an incredible day here; I was very impressed with the collection. Time just flew by as we toured the galleries. My one complaint is that we were treated very rudely by museum security. My friend and I had stopped to rest and were sitting on a part of the balcony where we werent supposed to (we didnt know - there were no signs posted) when the security guard came through and brusquely said, "You cant sit there." We then stood aside while a tour group went through and five people sat in exactly the same spot we had just been in. We waited for her to tell those people to move, and she didnt. When we pointed out her inconsistency, she got on her walkie-talkie and reported us to the rest of security staff, who then followed us around like we a #1 security concern (we were "shadowed" for the duration of our third-floor visit.) Meanwhile, screaming groups of loud schoolchildren (and some very loud schoolteachers) were permitted to move through the museum without ever being corrected for their volume or their flash photography. This experience soured our day at the D.I.A.; were three middle-aged people who have never been treated as "troublemakers" in any of the many museums and galleries weve visited over the years. Bottom line: the artwork is well worth a visit, but security could use a brush-up on their people skills.

Alex Niculescu

This has to be one of the best at museums in the country, and certainly the best for the money you pay. Free for County residents, and $12.50 for anyone else, it has 3 entire floors of art and artifacts from as far back as Native American, Greek, and Roman times, into Contemporary art only a few years old. Highlights are the incredible contemporary African American art collection, the contemporary glass art room, the special Dance exhibition for techno week (complete with reproduction of interactive Andy Warhol /Jasper Johns exhibit), contemporary collection overall, especially the sculptures, and of course the massive Diego Rivera fresco, in which you could easily spend an hour. Volunteer docents are extremely helpful and friendly with nest facts and tips for exploring such a vast space. You could literally spend all day here and not quite do everything. The collection is also quite beautiful, a testament to the curatorial abilities of the museum. There were a few times where I was almost brought to tears at the beauty on display (although maybe I just havent appreciated art in a while). Highly recommended.

Marc Tassin

The DIA is a wonderful museum. The atmosphere is open and welcoming, the collection is simply gorgeous, and the people who wok there are wonderful. My daughter loves the Eye Spy challenges in the different rooms, both of my kids LOVE to do the drop in drawing that the museum hosts in the galleries, and theyve long been fans of the daily craft. Its a place that is wonderful to visit alone, with friends, as a couple, or with family. The only reason I didnt give it 5 stars is that after going to a number of the special exhibits, Ive been consistently disappointed. Typically they are just collections of pieces from the museum shown in a special room for an extra fee, movies or videos playing in a dramatic series of displays, or things so specific to a particular interest that they just dont work for the wider audience. Getting a better pulse for what people really want to see, bringing in slightly more mainstream special exhibits, and bringing in pieces we havent already seen would be awesome. BUT I STILL LOVE THE DIA!! I renew my membership every year!

Christian Schneider

Fantástico, obras dos mestres como Caravaggio, Matisse, Tintoretto, Van Gogh e Rembrandt. Como cineasta e diretor de fotografia inspiro-me na pintura, em especial na estética dos movimentos Renascentista, Barroco, neoclassicismo, impressionismo e pós-impressionismo. Encontrar no DIA obras como "Marta e Maria Madalena" (c. 1598), de Caravaggio, e “A Visitação” (c.1640), de Rembrandt, é uma experiências fantástica.