Butterflies, 1935, Man Ray. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. © Man Ray Trust ARS-ADAGP
The Thrill of the Chase: The Wagstaff Collection of Photographs
GETTY CENTER
West Pavilion, Lower Level
In 1973, with the assistance of his lover Robert Mapplethorpe, Samuel J. Wagstaff Jr. (American, 1921–1987) came to realize that photography was an underappreciated and undervalued art form. Over the next decade, Wagstaff assembled one of the most important private collections of photographs in the world. In 1984 he sold it to the J. Paul Getty Museum, where it became part of a group of major acquisitions that formed the Department of Photographs. This three-gallery exhibition presents a selection of Wagstaff’s collection, encompassing both masterpieces of the medium and obscure works that deserve attention.
