Reimagine Modern Art

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Detroit Institute of Arts is reinstalling its modern art galleries. Reimagine Modern Art, opening in fall 2026, highlights artists and designers working in Europe and the Americas from the mid-19th century through the mid-20th century. Sweeping and often turbulent change in this period set the stage for new ways of seeing, thinking, and creating.

Against this backdrop, artists and designers experimented boldly. They pushed the boundaries of content, materials, form, and technique in an effort to make sense of a rapidly changing world. Some embraced emerging technologies, while others turned to traditional craft. Their work ranges from representation to abstraction, from sharp social critique to explorations of growing consumer culture. Though their approaches varied, these artists shared a drive to explore radical new ways of expressing ideas and experiences that helped define modern art.

Our understanding of the modern world—and of the art that reflects it—has transformed dramatically since the DIA last reinstalled its modern collections in 2007. In the years since, the museum’s holdings have grown substantially through acquisitions and generous gifts. This reinstallation provides fresh contexts for beloved masterworks and introduces new stories with recently acquired works and objects drawn from storage. Together, they offer a more expansive and inclusive view of the creative energies that fueled the modern era and continue to resonate today.