About Getty Library

The library’s collections contain a vast array of secondary sources, including over 1.5 million volumes of books, periodicals, and sales catalogs.

These collections emphasize key fields such as the literature of art history, the methods and materials of artistic creation, and conservation. Focus areas include classical antiquities, medieval and Renaissance art, sculpture, decorative arts, prints, drawings, and photography.

The special collections feature rare and distinctive materials in art history and visual culture, emphasizing works on paper like rare books, prints, and photographs, as well as archives, manuscripts, sketchbooks, albums, institutional archives, and audiovisual recordings made by and about artists. Visit the special collections page to explore selected highlights from our collections.

Recent acquisitions highlight Southern California’s art and architecture contributions, particularly Los Angeles in the postwar era.

The library’s digitized general and special collections grow daily due to our core mission of making materials easily available to researchers around the world.

Digitized archives include materials like architectural drawings and models, letters and sketchbooks by artists, and rare photographs covering myriad subjects, ranging from the Alexander Liberman photo archive showcasing European and American artists and historical sites, to the Clark Worswick collection capturing the cultures of China and Southeast Asia.

Researchers can access digitized published materials not only through the Library Catalog, but also via resources like the Internet Archive, Getty Research Portal, and the Getty Publications Virtual Library.

The Photo Archive houses over two million photographic reproductions of fine art, architecture, and decorative art, forming a comprehensive visual compendium spanning antiquity to the modern period with a primarily western focus.

The collection is a vital resource for provenance, iconography, conservation, and historiography. It holds particular significance for the history of art reproductions.