The heart of a great museum is its collection and The Detroit Institute of Arts is proud to claim one of the largest, most significant art collections in the nation. From the first painting donated in 1883 to the most recent acquisition, the DIA's collection of over 60,000 works is encyclopedic: its collections span the globe from ancient Egyptian works to contemporary art. Works by American artists began to be collected immediately following the museum's founding and today the collection is a strong survey of American history, with acknowledged masterpieces of painting, sculpture, furniture and decorative arts from the 18th century, 19th century, and 20th century, with contemporary American art in all media also being collected.