Allegory of Distillation (detail), 1606. From Claudio de Domenico Celentano di Valle Nove, [Book of Alchemical Formulas] (Naples, 1606), pp. 6–7. Manly Palmer Hall Collection of Alchemical Manuscripts. The Getty Research Institute, 950053, box 22
Opening This Month
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The Material Universe, 1863. From Mungo Ponton, The Material Universe: Its Vastness and Durability (London, 1863), frontispiece. Chromolithograph. The Getty Research Institute, 2990-850
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The Art of Alchemy
October 11, 2016–February 12, 2017 | The Getty Center
Long shrouded in secrecy, alchemy is now recognized as the ancestor of modern chemistry. Alchemists were notorious for attempting to make synthetic gold, but their goals were far more ambitious: to transform and bend nature to the will of an industrious human imagination. Drawing primarily from the collections of the Getty Research Institute and the J. Paul Getty Museum, this exhibition displays the critical impact of this arcane subject on artistic practice and expression from antiquity through modernity.
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Branchini Madonna, 1427, Giovanni di Paolo. Tempera and gold leaf on panel. The Norton Simon Foundation
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The Shimmer of Gold: Giovanni di Paolo in Renaissance Siena
October 11, 2016–January 8, 2017 | The Getty Center
Giovanni di Paolo (about 1399–1482), manuscript illuminator and panel painter, was one of the most distinctive and imaginative artists in Renaissance Siena. He received prestigious commissions over the course of his lengthy career, including the stunning Branchini Altarpiece of 1427. The known parts of the altarpiece—reunited for the first time in modern history—are displayed alongside works on panel and on parchment by Giovanni and his close collaborators and contemporaries.
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Pentecost, about 1030–40. German. Tempera colors, gold leaf, and ink on parchment. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Ms. Ludwig VII 1 (83.MI.90), fol. 47v
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The Alchemy of Color in Medieval Manuscripts
October 11, 2016–January 1, 2017 | The Getty Center
During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the manufacture of pigments and colored inks used for painting and writing manuscripts was part of the science of alchemy. This exhibition examines colorants made from plants, minerals, and metals, as well as medieval recipes for pigments and imitation gold, in a presentation that highlights the Getty's ongoing research into the materials used by book illuminators.
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Three Studies of Women, 1620s, Abraham Bloemaert. Red chalk heightened with white gouache. The J. Paul Getty Museum
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Drawing: The Art of Change
October 4, 2016–January 1, 2017
More than any other medium, drawing conveys the evolution of artistic ideas with great immediacy. Drawing sheets often bear traces—crossed-out lines, repositioned figures, cut and pasted forms—of an artist's change of mind during the creative process. Drawn entirely from the Getty's permanent collection, the works in this exhibition showcase the crucial role revision plays in artistic practice.
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J. Paul Getty in 1964. The Getty Research Institute. Photo by Yousuf Karsh, © The Estate of Yousuf Karsh
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J. Paul Getty Life and Legacy
September 27, 2016–Ongoing | The Getty Center
This permanent display provides insight into the life and legacy of J. Paul Getty, the art collector and businessman who used his fortune to create an institution dedicated to the diffusion of artistic and general knowledge. The installation includes three objects collected personally by Mr. Getty and a digital interactive experience in the form of touch screens that visitors can explore to learn about Getty's art collection, his personal life, business dealings, and establishment of the Trust and the Museum.
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Continuing This Month
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Mornington Crescent - Summer Morning, 2004, Frank Auerbach. Oil on canvas. Tate: Accepted by HM Government in lieu of inheritance tax and allocated to Tate 2015. Photo © Tate, London 2016. Artwork © Frank Auerbach, courtesy Marlborough Fine Art
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London Calling: Bacon, Freud, Kossoff, Andrews, Auerbach, and Kitaj
Through November 13, 2016 | The Getty Center
From the 1940s onward, a prominent group of London-based artists developed new styles and approaches to depicting the human figure and the landscape. These painters resisted the abstraction, minimalism, and conceptualism that dominated contemporary art at the time, instead focusing on depicting contemporary life through innovative figurative works. Drawn largely from the unrivaled holdings of Tate in London, this exhibition considers the work of six of the leaders of this "School of London," providing a timely reassessment of their extraordinary achievement.
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Draped Model, about 1854, Jean-Louis-Marie-Eugène Durieu (possibly with Eugéne Delacroix). Albumen silver print. The J. Paul Getty Museum
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Real/Ideal: Photography in France,
1847–1860
Through November 27, 2016 | The Getty Center
In mid-19th-century France, debates were waged regarding photography's prospects in the contrary fields of science and art. Did photography simply record the real world, or could it express an aesthetic vision or ideal? Inspired by writers and painters, photographers began to focus on real people, places, and things as they explored new technological possibilities. This exhibition highlights the work of four photographers exploring the real versus the ideal: Édouard Baldus, Gustave Le Gray, Henri Le Secq, and Charles Nègre.
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Vanessa, 2013, Richard Learoyd. Silver-dye bleach print. The J. Paul Getty Museum. Purchased in part with funds provided by Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser. © Richard Learoyd
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Richard Learoyd: In the Studio
Through November 27, 2016 | The Getty Center
The contemplative mood and mesmerizing level of detail in the large-scale color photographs of Richard Learoyd present an uncanny intimacy between the depicted subject and the viewer. Working in his East London studio, the photographer utilizes a room-sized camera obscura with a fixed lens to make unique direct-positive prints. Eschewing digital technologies, his method emphasizes the creative potential of working under self-imposed restrictions.
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Film
Cinema under the Stars
Friday and Saturday, October 7 and 8, 7:30 p.m.
| The Getty Villa
The Getty Villa presents two raucous comedies based on ancient tales in our outdoor theater.
Monty Python's The Life of Brian
This 1979 classic approaches Biblical history with a new twist: meet Brian, born on the same day as Christ, only a stable over. This film is a treasure full of insanities mocking historical legends with a British brand of humor that will not disappoint.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Richard Lester's hilarious rendition of an ancient Roman comedy by Plautus follows a house slave's twisted plot for freedom, featuring gags, trickery, and clumsy love. It's a delightful and beautifully filmed comedy that appeals to all folks looking for a good laugh.
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Talks
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A preliminary condition survey of the teak window walls in 2013.
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Conserving the Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Wednesday, October 5, 7:00 p.m. | The Getty Center
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, is considered to be one of architect Louis Kahn's finest works and an iconic work of modern architecture. Susan Macdonald and Sara Lardinois of the Getty Conservation Institute; Timothy Ball, senior director of facilities services at the Salk Institute; and Kyle Normandin of architectural and engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates will discuss the significance and conservation of the site, with a focus on the teak window wall assemblies. Free; advance ticket required.
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The inner peristyle at the Getty Villa.
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Rediscovering the Classical Tradition in Southern California
Wednesday, October 5, 7:30 p.m.
| The Getty Villa
Peter Holliday, art historian and author of
American Arcadia: California and the Classical Tradition, explores how Californians adapted the art, architecture, and garden design of ancient Greece and Rome to shape the Los Angeles landscape and realize the dream of an idealized lifestyle. Co-presented with the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. Free; advance ticket required.
Read about Profesor Holliday's favorite experiences researching his new book on our blog,
The Getty Iris.
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Fragment of a Funerary Stele (detail), A.D. 200–250, Roman (Palmyran). Marble. The J. Paul Getty Museum
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The Palmyra Portrait Project: Preserving Cultural Heritage in a Time of Conflict
Saturday, October 22, 2:00 p.m. | The Getty Center
Archaeologist Rubina Raja speaks about the ancient city of Palmyra, Syria, examining its archaeology, history, and unique funerary portrait tradition dating to the Roman period. Her international Palmyra Portrait Project seeks to document more than 3,000 sculptures, part of this oasis city's unique cultural heritage, which is currently at risk from the Syrian Civil War. Free; advance ticket required.
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Sunil Khilnani
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Incarnations: A History of India in 50 Lives
Sunday, October 23, 3:00 p.m. | The Getty Center
Sunil Khilnani, professor and director of the India Institute at King's College, London, presents his new book exploring the human dimension of the world's largest democracy by weaving together stories of 50 figures from India's history—from ancient scholars to modern artists and filmmakers. Free; advance ticket required.
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From the Getty Store
Let's Go to the Getty!
Get on track with exclusive Getty art supplies, activities, and books. Our new youth t-shirt celebrates the Getty Center experience with a colorful rendition of the iconic tram. Receive a free Getty Bear Key Fob—sporting his own Getty t-shirt!—with purchase of the tram t-shirt through October 15, 2016.
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shop the final days of the Summer Book Sale »
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