Forget New York, New Orleans or Chicago! Detroit in Michigan has the best art museum in the USA. The Detroit Institute of Arts, or DIA for short, was voted the best art museum of the year by the readers of USA Today. The DIA has a collection of around 65,000 works, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive art collections in the United States. Art from all over the world is shown in over 100 galleries. Among them is the Center for African American Art, one of the first collections dedicated to African American art. One of the most famous attractions in the building is the Rivera Court.
The Detroit Industry Murals by Mexican artist Diego Rivera surround the light-flooded Rivera courtyard. The frescoes were created between 1932 and 1933. The Rivera Court consists of 27 panels and shows, among other things, car production at the Ford Motor Company. Diego Rivera also dealt with the subjects of medicine and the production of weapons of war. He considered the Detroit Industry Murals to be his most successful work.
The DIA brings art outdoors with Inside-Out
The Detroit Institute of Art is exhibiting reproductions of masterpieces from its collection in public spaces. The Inside/Out program has been in place since 2012. It is a clever way of drawing people’s attention to the extensive art collection in Detroit and encouraging them to visit. Mackinac Island is 500 kilometers away. Every year, more than half a million visitors stroll along Cadotte Avenue and are treated to the world’s longest veranda at the Grand Hotel as well as Old Italian Masters.
Congratulations DIA!
Congratulations on first place to the DIA! It’s a fantastic museum and a very spacious one at that. If you’re feeling peckish despite your hunger for art, you can fortify yourself with freshly prepared soups, bowls and sandwiches at Café DIA. The restaurant is also known as Detroit’s largest living room and is located in the beautiful Kresge Court. DIA is located on Woodward Avenue and is accessible via the free QLine streetcar from downtown Detroit.
Not to be topped!
USA Today is the highest-circulation daily newspaper in the USA and compiles numerous top ten lists, including the best city park, the best main street and the best riverwalk in the USA. First, a panel of editorial experts nominates ten candidates. The top ten are then determined by the readership of USA Today in a public vote. The DIA in Detroit once again came out on top against museums such as the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore.
USA Today is currently holding a vote for the best Riverwalk. The Chicago Riverwalk is also in the running. If you’ve never walked along it, you can take a spin in our report Chicago Riverwalk & Pedway . Detroit is the largest city in the state of Michigan and has a rich cultural scene and an eventful past. Click here for more highlights from Detroit and the new attractions of a city in transition.
The research was supported by Visit Detroit
