Detroit Institute of Arts

In 1932, Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, accompanied by Frida Kahlo, arrived to create the 'Detroit Industry' murals in the museum's central court. Funded by the Edsel B. Ford Fund, the 27 frescoes depict scenes of Detroit's auto manufacturing industry. Upon their opening in March 1933, the works faced initial criticism, with The Detroit News calling them 'psychologically erroneous' and 'vulgar.' However, Edsel Ford defended the work, predicting it would become a great American treasure. The murals were designated a National Historic Landmark in 2014 and are now visited by over half a million people annually.

The DIA's collection is encyclopedic, featuring ancient artifacts from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, alongside significant Islamic, African, and Asian holdings. Notable acquisitions include a dragon tile relief from the early 20th century and the first Van Gogh painting owned by an American museum, purchased in 1922. The museum also holds a unique collection of puppets, including hand, shadow, and string varieties, displayed in a dedicated gallery opened in 2010. In 1949, the museum was among the first to return a work that had been looted during the Nazi era.

The Detroit Institute of Arts has played a pivotal role in the cultural life of Detroit, surviving financial crises in the 1970s and 1990s through state funding and private support. In 1998, the Founder's Society assumed management of the museum while the city retained ownership. The museum is celebrated for its progressive display methods pioneered by W.R. Valentiner in the 1920s, which organized art by nation and chronology rather than medium, a model so revolutionary it was featured in the 1929 Encyclopædia Britannica. Today, it remains a vital community resource with free general admission for residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties.