Often beginning from a point of visual symmetry between works, In Dialogue explores how key themes—such as family, mortality, and our relationship to the natural world—have been reimagined over time. Building upon Getty’s commitment to diversifying its photography collection, the series places particular emphasis on photographers of color, female artists, and international contemporary photographers, and offers an opportunity to encounter recent acquisitions on display for the first time.
This second rotation features six contemporary photographs by artists from China, Israel, Turkey, and the United States in connection with European paintings and decorative arts created before 1900. Through compelling juxtapositions, the installations explore such themes as the politics of representation, gender and power, and the legacy of British colonialism. By showcasing work by Wang Jinsong, Adi Nes, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Mickalene Thomas, and Pinar Yolaçan in spaces generally reserved for European Renaissance and Baroque artists, the installations bring current concerns to the fore while inviting viewers to see both historical and contemporary works anew.
“I am grateful to our colleagues in Getty’s Departments of Paintings and Sculpture and Decorative Arts for their collaboration on this project, which disrupts the traditional displays and narratives presented in our permanent collection galleries,” says Jim Ganz, senior curator and head of the Department of Photographs. “In Dialogue gives us an opportunity to showcase the work of under-represented artists, which we see as essential to our curatorial mission.”
The first rotation, on view November 9, 2021 through February 13, 2022, showcased modern and contemporary photographs by five female artists—Diane Arbus, Chris Enos, Deana Lawson, Asako Narahashi, and Daniela Rossell—in connection with European paintings and sculptures created before 1900, predominantly by men. Curated by Assistant Curator Arpad Kovacs and Graduate Intern Antares Wells (Department of Photographs), the multi-gallery installation sought to reframe how we interpret both historical and contemporary works by exploring points of visual and thematic convergence.
The second rotation of In Dialogue is on view from March 15 through June 26, 2022. It is curated by Amanda Maddox, associate curator in the Department of Photographs, and Antares Wells, graduate intern in the Department of Photographs. A third rotation will be forthcoming in summer 2022.