Danielle Sommer

Bio

I'm an assistant editor at the Getty Research Institute.

Getty Research Institute

Stories

  1. Surprises as an Ancient Statue Is Prepped to Receive Its Missing Head

    Article

    Photo of a conservator applying tools to the side of a sculpture hung in slings.

    Eduardo Sanchez uncovered a cryptic message and evidence of a 20th-century beheading

    Aug 08, 2024

  2. Witnessing Winter with Hendrick Avercamp, the ‘Mute from Kampen’

    Article

    Drawing of Dutch townspeople in 17th-century garb skating, playing games, and moving goods on ice.

    It’s time to re-frame assumptions about this ‘Little Ice Age’ painter

    Aug 06, 2024

  3. Decadent Dining at a Royal Coronation

    Article

    A painting of a man in a long curly wig with an ermine robe

    Inside a historic, extravagant 17th-century feast

    Jul 30, 2024

  4. Dragonflies and Drought

    Article

    Drawing of three dragonflies, with all wings and body parts clearly visible, and handwriting along the bottom of the page

    A 17th-century drawing records the migration of a dragonfly swarm and the weather conditions that might have triggered it

    Jul 24, 2024

  5. Why Is It Winter in So Many Dutch Paintings?

    Article

    Groups of people cavort on a frozen winter canal. They appear small compared to the large cold landscape.

    Blame the Ice Age… no, not that one

    Jul 18, 2024

  6. Find Love, Adventure, and Extraordinary Worlds in Tiny Manuscript Spaces

    Article

    Medieval illustration showing robed men gathered around tomb of man and two women, with a man in blue robe shown three times reading a book, talking to a priest, and writing at a desk

    Explore a 15th-century epic through dazzling illustrations

    Jul 17, 2024

  7. A Job of Making

    Article

    A person wearing a helmet that covers their face and neck uses a welding tool with a hot tip to melt metal in a dark room on a metal table

    An inside look at an experiment that could change how art institutions worldwide display fragile objects

    Jul 11, 2024

  8. Finally, the Other Half of the Story

    Article

    Two manuscript pages next to each other. On the left, an illustration of Jesus being held by Mary, surrounded by women in robes with halos. On right, a man kneeling, facing Christ, with men around him

    Missing for nearly 180 years, a manuscript page, only half of an illustration, travels from France to Getty for a happy reunion

    Jul 10, 2024

  9. A Thousand Cuts

    Article

    A group of people look at sculptures behind glass displays in an art gallery with high walls and lots of natural light

    Members of an LA community group share the sculptures they created and issues they pondered after touring Camille Claudel

    Jul 09, 2024

  10. Dear Future Self

    Article

    A person poses in a gallery with modern artwork in the background

    Getty Marrow Emerging Professionals reflect on how the pilot program is shaping their passion for museums

    Jun 30, 2024