Commissioned by art collector and dealer Peggy Guggenheim for the entry to her New York City apartment in 1943, Mural by Jackson Pollock (American, 1912–1956) is considered one of the iconic paintings of the twentieth century. Now in the collection of the University of Iowa Museum of Art, it represents a transitional moment in Pollock's career, as he moved toward an experimental application of paint. Following extensive study and treatment at the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Conservation Institute, this exhibition presents the newly conserved work alongside findings from the Getty's research.

Mural came to the Getty in July 2012 for study and conservation, providing a rare opportunity to look closely at the painting's material structure, and to explore the paints Pollock used and how they were applied. The study reveals an artist who combined traditional materials and methods of application with more-unconventional ones. It is one of the artist's largest paintings, and the scale of Mural allowed Pollock to develop innovative methods of paint application that would later become the hallmark of his style.

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This project has been generously supported by the J. Paul Getty Museum's Paintings Conservation Council and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.