DETROIT, MICHIGAN.- The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) and DaimlerChrysler have partnered on several major exhibitions over the past decades. Thanks to this close collaboration of corporate and cultural organizations, metro Detroiters have been able to see major exhibitions of the work of Vincent van Gogh and Edgar Degas and extraordinary collections of Egyptian art and art from the Vatican. But now, it’s time for something completely different! On the Edge: Contemporary Art from the DaimlerChrysler Collection, on view from October 29, 2003, to January 18, 2004, marks the launch of the international tour of one of the most intriguing corporate art collections in the world. More than 100 works from the collection, including video, installations and car imagery are presented in 11 thematic galleries, which give visitors an opportunity to explore the evolving world of art from the 1950s to today.

“I am absolutely thrilled that the Detroit Institute of Arts is presenting an extensive selection from the DaimlerChrysler Collection as our major fall exhibition,” said Graham W. J. Beal, DIA director. “This exhibition is focused on work of the last 40 years or so and gives heavy emphasis on recent work to stress the unusually wide array of contemporary media—video and installation art, for example—that differentiates this corporate collection from so many others. DaimlerChrysler has given unparalleled support to our exhibition program over the years and it is wonderful to be able to present this fine array of contemporary art that demonstrates the company’s commitment to collecting works by living artists.”

Founded in 1977, the DaimlerChrysler collection has since grown to 1,300 pieces by approximately 300 leading international artists, reflecting some of the most important artistic developments of the century, from concrete and constructive art to minimal and conceptual art. For years the collection has graced DaimlerChrysler conference rooms, dining areas and other business spaces, and now Detroiters can view these works, including car images by Andy Warhol and Robert Longo.

For visitors who shy away from artistic terms like conceptual art—works of art that emphasize ideas and process above formal concerns—and minimalism—an art movement concerned with making art that consists of as few components as possible—the DIA has designed programming to help break down some of the complex ideas involved in On the Edge.

Thanks to the generous support of the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund, On the Edge: Contemporary Art from the DaimlerChrysler Collection is free with museum admission. Recommended admission is $4 for adults and $1 for children. The DIA’s free audio tour, ArtPhone, includes specific stops for On the Edge. Tour wands are available at the Woodward entrance. On the Edge images are available through the DIA Communications and Marketing Department.

This exhibition has been organized by the DaimlerChrysler Collection and the Detroit Institute of Arts and is made possible by a generous grant from the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and the City of Detroit. The DIA is located at 5200 Woodward Avenue in the University Cultural Center. Museum hours are Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m