Bright colors, dramatic gestures and a compelling sense of realism reign supreme amongst the pieces housed in the Baroque Gallery at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts—and its newest addition seems hardly an exception. It depicts two men, fallen, eyes staring, the face of a jagged rock surrounding them and a sea of puffy clouds growing stormy above them. Its narrative is strong, its every detail has been carefully considered, its frame oozes opulence. If it walks like a duck, right?

Wrong. This painting, “Santos Dumont—The Father of Aviation II” by Kehinde Wiley’s, talks contemporary (it was painted in 2009). And more is on its way.

On April 16, the M.I.A.’s Target Gallery will be swarming with pieces from the 1960s to today. From the masters (Andy Warhol, David Hockney) to the emerging (Wiley and others), the exhibition will feature more than 75 pieces acquired from artists, galleries and personal collections all over the world. It’s called “Until Now: Collecting the New (1960–2010),” and it’s the institute’s first-ever survey of contemporary art.

“Part of contemporary criticism and curation is to step back and create a framework through which we can understand our lives,” says Elizabeth Armstrong, Assistant Director for Exhibitions and Programs and Curator of Contemporary Art at M.I.A. “We made this show because art, at its best, asks us to explore and reflect on some of the most important questions of our time, both personal or social … allowing us to experience ourselves and our world in a new way.”

So why the Wiley painting in the Baroque Gallery? In addition to the survey, the M.I.A. is introducing a series of 12 “Art Remixes”—works juxtaposed against portions of the Institute’s permanent collection. Other remixes will include a Cindy Sherman photograph in the 18th- and 19th-century European portrait gallery and a Willie Cole sculpture (spoiler: it’s made of women’s shoes) amongst the museum’s African pieces.

“Until Now” and “Art ReMix” are only the beginning of the contemporary art at the M.I.A. “Minneapolis is a strong art community,” says Armstrong. “We have many different ways in which art is presented, created and preserved, and having the institute join in the contemporary art scene gives the Twin Cities a greater selection and more ways to think about contemporary art.” Upcoming M.I.A. initiatives are an artists-in-residence program and a series of other contemporary exhibitions, including “More Real?” which will bring in the work or several international young artists to explore the impact of hyperreality and simulation on contemporary art and culture.

“The M.I.A. is great because we have all of this historical art we can use to illuminate the contemporary,” says Armstrong, “We can literally have  [the contemporary] talking to works of the past.”

Until Now: Collecting the New (1960–2010)
Friday April, 16 – Sunday, August 1

Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Target Gallery
2400 3rd Ave. S., Mpls.
612.870.3000