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.

Lectures

James Ensor: Occasional Modernist

Herwig Todts, conservator of modern art at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium, offers an introduction to the social and artistic convictions of James Ensor and the variety of artistic experiments he set up over the course of more than 65 years.

Wednesday June 11, 3:00 p.m.
Getty Center: Museum Lecture Hall

A Love/Hate Thing: James Ensor and the French Avant-Garde

Scott Allan, curator of the exhibition The Scandalous Art of James Ensor, situates Ensor's groundbreaking art of the 1880s in relation to developments in the French avant-garde, from Courbet and Manet to Redon and Seurat. When exhibited in Belgium, such artists' work had a profound impact on Ensor, even as he resisted French models in the interests of an idiosyncratically Belgian brand of modern art.

Sunday, June 22, 3:00 p.m.
Getty Center: Museum Lecture Hall

Ensor and the Artists

James Ensor had a significant impact not only on artists living during his lifetime, but also on many artists currently working during ours. The artists on this panel discuss the various ways Ensor's work has influenced their current practice.

Learn more about this program

Thursday, August 7, 7:00 p.m.
Getty Center: Harold M. Williams Auditorium

Is the Digital Age Killing Public Space?

The more time we spend in a virtual world, the more we crave human connection. Yet with every new technology, public space appears to get a little less relevant. Are we destined to forego public spaces? Drawing from art history, panelists consider whether digital technologies will replace physical public spaces, or simply change how we design and use parks, plazas, town squares, and other traditional gathering places.

Learn more about this program

Wednesday, September 3, 7:00 p.m.
Getty Center: Harold M. Williams Auditorium

Studio Courses

Printmaking Workshop

Join artist Poli Marichal for this two-session printmaking workshop. Participants will learn basic techniques for intaglio printing including plate preparation, line and mark-making, and inking techniques, as well as pulling their own print while exploring the rich visual vocabulary of James Ensor. Course fee $125 (includes materials). Complimentary parking.

Day 1: Wednesday, July 16, 1:00–5:00 p.m.
Day 2: Wednesday, July 23, 1:00–5:00 p.m.
Getty Center: Museum Studios and galleries

Drawing from the Masters: Expressive Drawings

Discover how to tap into an existing language of line, shape, tone, and placement to communicate meaning and emotion in your drawing with artist Peter Zokosky. All experience levels welcome. Participants are encouraged to bring sketchpads. This is a free program. Sign-up begins at 2:30 pm at the Information Desk.

Sunday, July 6 and July 20; 3:30–5:30 p.m.
Getty Center: Museum galleries

Artist Project

Engaging Ensor: Interactive Print Project

Visit Mobile Arts Platform (MAP), the San Francisco-based art collective, at their pop-up screen-printing cart, a participatory social sculpture inspired by the classic teardrop trailer and pulled behind a vintage Vespa scooter. Join the artists as they create free, interactive posters in conjunction with the exhibition The Scandalous Art of James Ensor. This is a free, drop-in program.

Saturday, June 28, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 29, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, July 2, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 3, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Friday, August 1, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 2, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Getty Center: Museum Courtyard

Talk

Curator's Gallery Talk

Scott Allan, associate curator of paintings, the J. Paul Getty Museum, leads a gallery talk on the exhibition. Meet under the stairs in the Entrance Hall.

Friday, July 25 and August 8, 1:30 p.m.
Getty Center: Museum galleries

Free GettyGuide® Multimedia Player

Listen to curators discuss Ensor's unique and sometimes outrageous work and set it in art historical context. Pick up a multimedia player free of charge in the Museum Entrance Hall. The multimedia tour is also available for your smartphone.