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Statue grouping of a seated Buddha accompanied by disciples and bodhisattvas. Cave 45, High Tang Dynasty (705–781). Courtesy of the Dunhuang Academy. Photo: Wu Jian

Opening This Month

  Detail of a wall painting of a dancing figure. Cave 85, Late Tang dynasty (848–907). Courtesy of the Dunhuang Academy

Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China's Silk Road

May 7—September 4, 2016 | The Getty Center
The Mogao caves, located near Dunhuang in China's Gobi Desert, comprise nearly 500 Buddhist cave temples, dating from the 4th to the 14th century, decorated with exquisite wall paintings and sculpture. Featuring objects originally from the site—such as rare paintings and manuscripts, as well as three spectacular full-size replica caves—this exhibition celebrates more than 25 years of collaboration between the Getty Conservation Institute and the Dunhuang Academy to preserve this World Heritage Site.

This exhibition is made possible by the support of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, Presenting Sponsor; East West Bank, Lead Corporate Sponsor; Air China Limited, Official Airline; Henry Luce Foundation, Lead Sponsor; yU+co, Dunhuang Foundation, and Blakemore Foundation, Virtual Immersive Experience Sponsors; and the generous support of China COSCO Shipping.

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Tips for visiting »


Extended Summer Hours

 
Beginning May 8, make the most of your summer days with extended weekend hours at the Getty!

Getty Center Extended Hours
Friday and Saturday: 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Sunday: 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.

Getty Villa Extended Hours
Saturday: 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.

Continuing This Month

  Left panel from Pair of Peacocks, 400–600, possibly Emesa, Syria. Stone. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Gift of William Wahler

Roman Mosaics Across the Empire

Through September 12, 2016 | The Getty Villa
Roman decor was unique for the elaborate mosaic floors that transformed entire rooms in spectacular setting of vibrant color, figural imagery, and geometric design. Scenes from classical mythology, daily life, the natural world, and spectacles reflected the cultural ambitions of wealthy patrons. Drawn primarily from the Getty Museum's collection, this exhibition presents the artistry of mosaics, as well as the contexts of their discovery across Rome's expanding empire.

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Check out the online catalogue »







  Thomas, 1987, Robert Mapplethorpe. Gelatin silver print. Jointly acquired by the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, with funds provided by the J. Paul Getty Trust and the David Geffen Foundation. © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation

Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium

Through July 31, 2016 | The Getty Center
Robert Mapplethorpe is one of the most influential artists of the late-20th century. His photography focused on capturing perfection in form and revealed the true beauty of any subject. Showcasing a variety of works from sculptural portraits and elegant floral still lifes to the controversial X Portfolio, this exhibition seamlessly encapsulates Mapplethorpe's complex personality and boundary-pushing style.

Concurrent presentations at the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art highlight different aspects of the artist's practice.

Support for this exhibition and its international tour has been provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Additional support for the Getty's installation has been provided by Sotheby's.

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  An Emperor at Court (detail), about 1460–70. Tempera colors, gold leaf, gold paint, and ink on parchment. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Ms. 68, fol. 14v

Traversing the Globe through Illuminated Manuscripts

Through June 26, 2016 | The Getty Center
Journey across Europe, Asia, and Africa through the pages of illuminated manuscripts in this exhibition. These highly prized objects allow us to glimpse, admire, and study a world gone by, as well as its peoples, different belief systems, and an interconnected global history of human thought and ideas about art.

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Closing This Month

Woven Gold: Tapestries of Louis XIV
Through May 1, 2016 | The Getty Center

Noir: The Romance of Black in 19th-Century French Drawings and Prints
Through May 15, 2016 | The Getty Center

Performances

  Detail of a wall painting from Cave 285 of a celestial musician. Image courtesy Dunhaung Academy. Photo: Wu Jian

East and West of Dunhuang: Music Carried on the Wind

Friday, May 20, 7:30 p.m. | The Getty Center
Experience a musical journey through the cultures that came together to shape the Dunhuang caves and that are illustrated in the wall paintings. Musical traditions from China, India, the Middle East, and Central Asia will bring the Silk Road vibrantly to life. Presented in collaboration with the World Music Center at UCLA and the UCLA Confucius Institute. Free; advance ticket required.

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  jennylee. Photo: Mia Kirby

Saturdays Off the 405: jennylee

Saturday, May 21, 6:00 p.m. | The Getty Center
Saturdays Off the 405 kicks off the 2016 season with jennylee, best known as one-fourth of LA-based rockers Warpaint. Jennylee brings her solo project's alluring mix of epic dream-pop that toys with elements of 80's goth and New Wave-tinged dance beats to the Getty. Free; no ticket required.

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Film + Conversation

  Chris Burden with Metropolis II, 2010. Photo: Joshua White

BURDEN

Tuesday, May 31, 7:00 p.m. | The Getty Center
Art on Screen presents the Los Angeles premiere of BURDEN (2015, 87 min.), a probing portrait of artist Chris Burden (1946–2015), whose radical performances, monumental installations, and provocative videos consistently pushed the limits and nature of contemporary art. Following the screening, the film's directors Timothy Marrinan and Richard Dewey will join the Getty Research Institute's Rani Singh in a conversation. Free; advance ticket required.

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Talks

  My Guilty Hand, Henri Guérard, before 1888. Hand print in black ink on light brown wove paper. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Graphic Arts Council Fund. Image: www.lacma.org

What Does Blackness Mean?

Sunday, May 1, 2:00 p.m. | The Getty Center
How has the meaning of blackness changed over time? Organized and presented by Zócalo Public Square, this panel with John Harvey, author of The Story of Black; Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, professor of art history at Harvard; and Katrin Trautwein, founder of paint company kt.COLOR, considers these and related questions about a color that evokes a complicated set of emotions and associations. Free; advance ticket required.

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  Madame Seurat, the Artist's Mother, about 1882–83, Georges Seurat. Conté crayon on laid paper. The J. Paul Getty Museum

Sonnets and Sonatas Presents: Let There Be Night!

Saturday, May 7, 7:30 p.m. | The Getty Center
This talk and concert explores how artists, poets, and composers give form to darkness and night. Musical performances by students and faculty from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music include works by Chopin, Debussy, Schubert, and Saint-Saëns. Free; advance ticket required.

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  Eric Cline. Photo: Blink Films

The Villa Council Presents:
1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed

Sunday, May 22, 3:00 p.m. | The Getty Villa
Historian and archaeologist Eric Cline discusses the themes of his Pulitzer Prize–nominated book 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed and takes a closer look at why Mediterranean societies of the Late Bronze Age—with their complex cosmopolitan and globalized world-systems—came to a dramatic halt. Free; advance ticket required.

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  Lisa Lyon, 1982, Robert Mapplethorpe. Gelatin silver print. Promised Gift of The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation to the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. © The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation

Mapplethorpe's Extravagance

Wednesday, May 25, 7:00 p.m. | The Getty Center
Robert Mapplethorpe combined a sense of luxuriant decoration with cosmopolitan, cutting-edge sexuality. Richard Meyer, professor of art history at Stanford, links Mapplethorpe's extravagance to the flamboyant visual pleasures of the physique magazines on which his earliest work drew, the photographs he and Sam Wagstaff collected, and the posh interior of his Manhattan loft. Free; advance ticket required.




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For a complete list of daily activities at the Getty Center and Getty Villa, please see our event calendar »

From The Getty Store

 

50% Off Select Getty Publications

Through May 15, 2016
Ever wonder what Cézanne did in his free time? Or how museums conserve contemporary art and color photographs? Or what makes Man Ray one of the most inventive and exciting artists of the 20th century? Shop our spring book sale and find out! Offer valid online and in our Center and Villa stores until May 15.

Shop the sale »









Community Partner Event

  SIlk Road Ensemble

The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma at the Hollywood Bowl

The Hollywood Bowl and the Getty are partnering to give Getty360 enewsletter subscribers a special offer. To celebrate the opening of Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China's Silk Road, you have early access to the concert "The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma" on August 21 at the Hollywood Bowl.

Use code "GETTY" to get tickets before they go on sale to the general public on May 1.

Get tickets »



Highlights at a Glance—May 2016

Opening This Month

Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China's Silk Road (May 7—Sept. 4, 2016)

Continuing This Month

Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium (Through July 31)
The Thrill of the Chase: The Wagstaff Collection of Photographs (Through July 31)
Traversing the Globe through Illuminated Manuscripts (Through June 26)

Closing This Month

Noir: The Romance of Black in 19th-Century French Drawings and Prints (Through May 15)
Woven Gold: Tapestries of Louis XIV (Through May 1)

Hot Tickets

Talk: What Does Blackness Mean? (May 1)
Talk: Sonnets and Sonatas Presents (May 7)
Performance: Dunhuang: Music Carried on the Wind (May 20)
Performance: Saturdays Off the 405 (May 21)


Continuing This Month

Roman Mosaics Across the Empire (Through Sept. 12)

Hot Tickets

Talk: 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed (May 22)

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