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    Light, Paper, Process: Reinventing Photography

    April 14–September 6, 2015

    Getty Center

    MARCO BREUER "PART OF PARTS"

    Spin (C-824), 2008, Marco Breuer, chromogenic paper, embossed and scratched. The J. Paul Getty Museum, purchased with funds provided by the Photographs Council. © Marco Breuer

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    ALISON ROSSITER "LANDSCAPE"

    Kilbourn Acme Kruxo, exact expiration date unknown, about 1940s, processed 2013, 2013, Alison Rossiter, gelatin silver print. The J. Paul Getty Museum, purchased with funds provided by the Photographs Council. © Alison Rossiter

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    ALISON ROSSITER "POOLS"

    Haloid Platina, exact expiration date unknown, about 1915, processed 2010, 2010, Alison Rossiter, gelatin silver print. The J. Paul Getty Museum, purchased with funds provided by the Photographs Council. © Alison Rossiter

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    MARCO BREUER "PART OF PARTS"

    Spin (C-824), 2008, Marco Breuer, chromogenic paper, embossed and scratched. The J. Paul Getty Museum, purchased with funds provided by the Photographs Council. © Marco Breuer

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    MARCO BREUER "BURNS/SCRAPES"

    Untitled (C-1159), 2012, Marco Breuer, chromogenic paper, burned. The J. Paul Getty Museum, purchased with funds provided by the Photographs Council. © Marco Breuer

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    JAMES WELLING "WATER"

    Water, 2009, James Welling, chromogenic print. Courtesy of the artist and Regen Projects, Los Angeles. © James Welling

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    JAMES WELLING "CHEMICAL"

    Chemical, 2013, James Welling, chromogenic print. Lorien Collection, courtesy of John A. MacMahon. © James Welling, Courtesy David Zwirner, New York/London

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  • LISA OPPENHEIM "SMOKE"

    A Handley Page Halifax of No. 4 Group flies over the suburbs of Caen, France, during a major daylight raid to assist the Normandy land battle. 467 aircraft took part in the attack, which was originally intended to have bombed German strongpoints north of Caen, but the bombing area was eventually shifted nearer the city because of the proximity of Allied troops to the original targets. The resulting bombing devastated the northern suburbs,1944/2012 (installation detail), 2012, Lisa Oppenheim, gelatin silver print. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Fund for the Twenty-First Century. Digital image © The Museum of Modern Art/ Licensed by SCALA/Art Resource, NY. © Lisa Oppenheim

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    LISA OPPENHEIM "HELIOGRAMS"

    Heliogram July 8, 1876/October 16, 2011 (detail), 2011, Lisa Oppenheim, gelatin silver print, exposed by sunlight, toned. The J. Paul Getty Museum. © Lisa Oppenheim

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    CHRIS MCCAW "SUNBURNED"

    Sunburned GSP #609 (San Francisco Bay), 2012, Chris McCaw, gelatin silver paper negatives. The J. Paul Getty Museum. © Chris McCaw

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    CHRIS MCCAW "POLY-OPTIC"

    Poly-optic #22, 2013, Chris McCaw, gelatin silver paper negative. The J. Paul Getty Museum, gift of Chris McCaw, courtesy of Stephen Wirtz Gallery. © Chris McCaw

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    JOHN CHIARA "SIERRA AT EDISON"

    Sierra at Edison, 2012, from "Los Angeles Project," John Chiara, chromogenic photograph on Kodak Professional Endura Metallic paper. The J. Paul Getty Museum, purchased with funds provided by the Photographs Council. © John Chiara

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    JOHN CHIARA "GRANDVIEW AT ELYSIAN"

    Grandview at Elysian, 2012, from "Los Angeles Project," John Chiara, dye destruction photographs on Ilfochrome paper. The J. Paul Getty Museum, gift of Trish and Jan de Bont. © John Chiara

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    MATTHEW BRANDT "DUST"

    00036082-3 "Mathers Department Store, Pasadena, 1971," 2013, Matthew Brandt, gum bichromate print with dust from AT&T parking structure level 2. The J. Paul Getty Museum, gift of the artist and M+B. © Matthew Brandt, source image courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection

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    MATTHEW BRANDT "RAINBOW LAKE"

    Rainbow Lake, WY A20, negative, 2012; print, 2013, Matthew Brandt, chromogenic print soaked in Rainbow Lake water. The J. Paul Getty Museum, purchased with funds provided by the Photographs Council. © Matthew Brandt

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  • MAN RAY

    Untitled (Smoke), 1928, Man Ray, gelatin silver print. The J. Paul Getty Museum. © Man Ray Trust ARS-ADAGP

  • EDMUND TESKE

    Leaves on Glass, Topanga Canyon, California, negative, 1952; print, 1960s, Edmund Teske, gelatin silver duotone solarized print. The J. Paul Getty Museum. © Edmund Teske Archives/Laurence Bump and Nils Vidstrand, 2001

Light, Paper, Process: Reinventing Photography

April 14–September 6, 2015, Getty Center

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From its beginnings in experimentation by mid-19th century scientists and gentlemen of leisure, photography has been shaped by the desire to understand and explore the medium’s essential materials. Taking that spirit of invention and discovery as its point of departure, this exhibition features the work of seven artists—Matthew Brandt, Marco Breuer, John Chiara, Chris McCaw, Lisa Oppenheim, Alison Rossiter, and James Welling—who focus their investigations on the light sensitivity and chemical processing of photographic papers, challenging us to see the medium anew.

The exhibition also includes an overview of experimental practices during the twentieth century, drawn from the Getty Museum’s collection. The works on view in Light, Paper, Process provide a glimpse into the continued interrogation and reinvention of the medium of photography by artists working today.

RELATED EVENTS

All events are free, unless otherwise noted. Seating reservations are required. For reservations and information, please call (310) 440-7300 or see information on planning a visit.

TALK

Light, Paper, Process: Reinventing Photography or Back to the Basics?

Getty curator Virginia Heckert speaks with photographers whose work is displayed in the exhibition Light, Paper, Process: Reinventing Photography. They discuss their engagement with the photographic medium and investigation of its essential elements. Eschewing today's prevalent digital technologies, artists in the exhibition revel in materials and process, employing darkroom techniques that shift our understanding of photography as a medium that merely records the world.

Tuesday, April 14, 7:00 p.m.
Getty Center: Harold M. Williams Auditorium

PERFORMANCE

Saturday Nights at the Getty: Julianna Barwick and Matthew Brandt

Ethereal Brooklyn-based singer Julianna Barwick uses dazzling loops and layers to create absorbing vocal constructions that transport you to otherworldly sonic landscapes. In a special collaboration, she is joined by Los Angeles photographic artist Matthew Brandt, whose signature chromatic alchemy creates a lush and evocative visual counterpoint.

Saturday, April 25, 7:30 p.m.
Getty Center: Harold M. Williams Auditorium

TOUR

Curator’s Gallery Tour
Virginia Heckert, curator of photographs, the J. Paul Getty Museum, leads a gallery tour of the exhibition. Meet under the stairs in the Museum Entrance Hall.

Thursday, May 7 and June 4, 2:30 p.m.
Getty Center: Museum galleries

Curator’s Gallery Tour
Mazie Harris, assistant curator of photographs, the J. Paul Getty Museum, leads a gallery tour of the exhibition. Meet under the stairs in the Entrance Hall.

Wednesday, July 22 and August 26, 2:30 p.m.
Getty Center: Museum galleries

MOBILE TOUR

Free GettyGuide® Multimedia Player

Mobile Gallery Icon
Hear curator Virginia Heckert and artists Matthew Brandt, John Chiara, Chris McCaw, Alison Rossiter, and James Welling as they offer insights about specific works. Pick up a multimedia player free of charge in the Museum Entrance Hall.

Heckert describes the exhibition and the inspiration behind it.

VIDEO


Alison Rossiter
Rossiter explains her darkroom experimentations with expired photographic papers, and the black and white abstractions that result.


Chris McCaw
McCaw demonstrates how he uses large format cameras to burn holes in photographic paper, marking the sun’s path across the sky.


Matthew Brandt
Brandt discusses the often unorthodox and highly experimental methods by which he creates his photographic prints.

John Chiara
John Chiara

Chiara’s labor-intensive photographic process can involve climbing inside a trailer-sized homemade camera to expose the image.

PUBLICATIONS

Publications are available in the Getty Museum Store by calling (310) 440-7333, or online.

PRESS KIT

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