A Guide to Recent Art Pieces Swizz Beatz Has Co-Signed

Image via Complex Original

Date: Oct. 30, 2014

Swizz posted a picture of one of Todd James' pieces admiring his use of color. A little later the same day, he posted an image with the artist announcing that he had purchased some of his work with the caption, "Don't play :)."

Date: Oct. 29, 2014

Swizz reposted a piece by Australian artist CJ Hendry on his Instagram. He stated that it was 100% Dean Collection-approved and noted the impressive fact that Hendry's large scale hyper-realistic drawings were made using only a pen.

Date: Oct. 28, 2014

Swizz has made it clear that he is a fan of Cleon Peterson's work by posting many images of the artist's work on his Instagram in the last couple months. Swizz recently purchased Peterson's The Kiss, a huge graphic piece.

Date: Oct. 21, 2014

Swizz shared this image from the Native American artist's latest exhibition and expressed his enthusiasm for the work.

Date: Oct. 21, 2014

Swizz shared this image of Brett Amory's "Anonymous" series, stating that it is "The Dean Collection-approved." As Amory is currently exhibiting his work in Miami, expect to see Swizz posting about a new Amory purchase around Basel time.

Date: Oct. 18, 2014

Frequent The Dean Collection contributor Doze Green gifted Swizz this piece from 1982. Swizz has been promoting Green's latest exhibition, which opens on November 20 at the Jonathan Levine Gallery, saying that it's a "must-see" on his Instagram.

Date: Oct. 18, 2014

Mosse's surreal photography captures conflict in glorious technicolor, using a variety of methods to inject bold colors into his otherwise harrowing images. Swizz is on the look-out for this piece by Mosse entitled Love is the Drug, saying that he needs to add it to The Dean Collection ASAP. Looking at his track record, we're expecting him to announce his acquisition of a Mosse print any day now.

Date: Oct. 10, 2014

Swizz shared this image of himself in front of his latest Dean Collection purchase. A huge painting by Erik Jones titled Air Candy: Planes, the work features a juxtaposition between a monochromatic, realistic skull and the dazzling, technicolor, and geometric background. Clearly excited about the painting, Swizz posted a photo of Jones working on the piece in preparation for his new show a day before he announced his acquisition of it.

Date: Oct. 11, 2014

Damien Hirst and Swizz Beatz rocked the art world when they announced that they would be collaborating last year. This week, Swizz low-key revealed the fruits of this artistic collaboration in an adorable Instagram photo of his son doing the zombie dance. Last year, Swizz posted photos of him and Hirst working together on some work, but the results have been kept from the public eye until now. Stenciled icons typical of Hirst's work, including guns, skulls, rockets and butterflies built in the style of his iconic spin paintings make up the one of a kind visually arresting piece made by the pair.

Date: Oct. 7, 2014

Last month, Swizz co-signed this dope sculpture by Alexander Mijares. The piece is part of an international collection titled "Make Art Not War" by Mijares, which is a series of sculpted guns in a variety of colors. Swizz highlighted the only gun made out of 24-carat gold.

Date: Oct. 7, 2015

Early in October, Swizz cosigned a piece by future Dean Collection contributor, LA-based Cleon Peterson, titled A Struggle of Will. On his Instagram, Swizz expressed his appreciation for the “movement” and dynamic nature of Peterson's work, which depicts harsh realities of the world in illustrative style using only black, red, and white.

Date: Oct. 7, 2014

Swizz had clearly been eyeing French artist Sandra Chevrier's work, having posted images of her art on his Instagram with the label “#thedeancollection approved” before officially welcoming La Cage Avant Quil Ne Soit Trop Tard to The Dean Collection. He co-signed this triptych that blends realism and pop art. The work has comic icons such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Green Arrow, among others imprinted on the somber face of a woman.

Date: Sept. 30, 2014

In order to deck out his studio, Swizz enlisted past Dean Collection contributor Conor Harrington to work on the space. He has since been a supporter of Harrington's work, posting samples all over his Instagram and attending Harrington's exhibitions. Harrington completed this dope portrait on one of Swizz's studio walls on the last day of a week-long trip to New York, when he also completed murals on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Date: Sept. 29, 2014

Swizz cosigned this piece by prominent street artist D*Face on the heels of his newest and largest exhibition, “Scars and Stripes.” D*Face, who started working as an artist a little over a decade ago, often explores themes of character, iconography, and media within his work. He aims to prompt reflection on “the increasingly bizarre” popular culture that surrounds us. "Scars and Stripes" is an extension of these themes, focusing on the notion of the “American Dream” and the ideas of fame and Hollywood.

Date: Sept. 27, 2014

Late last month, Swizz shared this photo of a work-in-progress commission for The Dean Collection by Michael Vasquez. Vasquez is a Miami-based painter whose work explores the complexities of gang culture and inner city youth. His rich and evocative paintings have been exhibited across America.

Date: Sept. 17, 2014

Hip-hop pioneer and artist Doze Green contributed these two paintings to The Dean Collection early in September. Green, who has been working since the '70s, has roots in street art and is a self-described “modern painter” and “cubist”. His graphic and energetic work blends cubism and other abstract forms with illustration.

Date: Aug. 27, 2014

Swizz is already instilling his passion for the arts in his young son, Kasseem Dean Jr, who at eight years old, has founded a lifestyle brand for creative children aiming to promote the arts and artistic inclinations—Kasseem's Dream. Kasseem helped Swizz find this piece by Skyler Grey to add to The Dean Collection. Los Angeles-based street artist Grey is the youngest artist to be exhibited globally and has fans in The Game, Cassie, and Ashlee Simpson. His work features current pop icons and cartoon characters to represent Grey's own goals and ambitions.

Date: Jan. 2, 2014

Probably one of his biggest purchases, Swizz bought a huge wooden installation titled At This Time by the artist KAWS in January. Swizz and Keys attended the opening of the show where the piece was first shown at Mary Boone Gallery in New York. He decided to take home one of the colossal sculptures a few weeks later. Swizz has been a fan of KAWS' work for years, and he owns many pieces by the artist. This sculpture, in particular, depicts KAWS' signature Companion character shielding his face in his hands. The process of installing it has been well-documented on Swizz's Instagram, and as of October 10, the sculpture is complete.