Shows
If Objects Could TalkSmall Snail in the Big CitiesThis vase might be nearly 10 feet tall and weigh half a ton, but the snail who hangs around its base isn’t intimidated. This plucky guest will tell you all about their enormous home, and how it traveled to three World’s Fairs looking for a buyer.They’re confident that artists can learn a lot from snails—artists need to look at the world slowly to find inspiration, and having a hard shell helps them deal with critical reviews.Learn about World’s Fairs at the end of the 19th century an...
2026-10-2615 min
If Objects Could TalkA Bed Story, Not a Bedtime StoryIt’s hard to stay awake when you’re a luxurious, fluffy, silk-covered bed! Our leading lady will try, though, as she reminisces about the many, many hands who worked hard to make her. From the carpenter and gilder (yes, a person whose job is just to turn her gold!) to the upholsterer, in 18th-century France, making a bed was exhausting work!If this bed story tires you out, she’s also got a bedtime story for you. Speaking of beds and many hands reminds her of the classic French fairy tale “The White Cat,” written by...
2026-10-1912 min
If Objects Could TalkA (Dragon’s) Brief History of TimeThis great green dragon takes his position at the top of the clock very seriously. Accompanied by a monkey and a goose, these time guardians ensure there will be no “killing time” on their watch!To demonstrate the value of time, the dragon outlines the history of clocks—from sundials and waterclocks, to medieval clocks with bells, to household mechanical clocks like his. Not only is his clock a marvel of machinery, it’s also an artistic wonder, showcasing the strength and beauty of a special new kind of porcelain. The dragon holds one more trick, t...
2026-10-1212 min
If Objects Could TalkA Griffin Sees It AllOne giant blue orb dotted with stars, six griffins, 12 zodiac symbols, 18 candle holders, countless crystals—and even a bowl to fill with goldfish! Have you ever seen something so elaborate just hanging from the ceiling?This is the description of an extraordinary chandelier, made around 1819 to hang in a fancy French home, perhaps over a dining table. Imagine eating dinner with a goldfish overhead!In this episode, one of the griffins shares how her bronze body turned to gold, as well as her centuries-old gossip from dinner parties past—including the stor...
2026-10-0513 min
If Objects Could TalkResting Bust FaceWhy is The Vexed Man making that scrunched up face? Has he tasted a lemon? Smelled a skunk? Nope—that’s just his thinking face!This intensely tense alabaster sculpture of a head is used to people staring and trying to do their own versions of his extreme expression. Take it from him, though, it feels much nicer to relax than to be so stiff all the time.Hear this sculpture’s story of alabaster carving and 18th-century Vienna, followed by a relaxing breathing exercise—because even if you’re not made of st...
2026-09-2813 min
If Objects Could TalkPurrquoise the Traveling CatAs soon as he arrived in Los Angeles, Purrquoise, the turquoise cat, was a star. But this charismatic kitty traveled a long way to get here! Made in China in the 1750s, he moved by ship to France, where he padded around with the rich and famous—like Madame de Pompadour, noted companion of King Louis XV—as well as those who served them. After a few centuries there, he traveled across the Atlantic and settled in at the Getty Museum in 2024.Adjusting to a new culture takes time, an open mind, and an adventurous spir...
2026-09-2113 min
If Objects Could TalkThe Magnificent Microscope and the Fabulous FleaIt’s a knight! It’s a cat! No, it’s a…flea?Picture it: the French countryside, 1751. A young flea prepares for his moment in the spotlight—of a magnificent gold and sharkskin microscope. This compound microscope was the height of scientific knowledge, showcasing both the newest technology and fashionable design. It allowed people—including science lovers like King Louis XV—to discover new worlds in small things.In this first episode of season two, learn about compound microscopes, the Enlightenment, and what “rococo” means.Like this episode? Head...
2026-09-1412 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationDeeper Dive: A Dance Critic on the Less Glamorous Aspects of BalletBallet may look effortless and beautiful to audiences, but the experience for dancers can be quite different.In this final episode of the season, host Lilit Sadoyan speaks with New York Times dance critic Gia Kourlas about Edgar Degas’s pastel Waiting. In a wide-ranging conversation, the two discuss dancers’ experiences behind the scenes, how Kourlas approaches writing, and what makes a great experience at the theater.If you missed this week’s patience meditation inspired by Degas’s pastel, look for it on your podcast player or find it on our webs...
2026-09-0318 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationPatience Meditation with a Degas DancerHow does your body feel when you wait? Slow down and explore your body’s experience of patience (and impatience) inspired by Edgar Degas’s enigmatic pastel drawing Waiting (about 1882).A dancer and an accompanying figure sit on a bench, their bodies bent forward in a state of fatigue. Rendered in pastel, with vivid streaks of color and variations in technique, Degas masterfully animates a scene that is otherwise still.This scene raises more questions than it answers: how are the two figures related? Where are they? And what exactly are they...
2026-09-0119 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationDeeper Dive: Māori Haka Taps into Deep EmotionsExtreme facial expressions are the first thing many notice when they see a haka performance.It’s the same thing that people tend to notice with Getty’s sculpture of The Vexed Man, too. Haka is a traditional war dance of the Māori people, indigenous to New Zealand, and is now used in a wide range of ceremonies and sports events. In conversation with Lilit Sadoyan, Māori cultural practitioner and choreographer Amelia Butler explains the symbolic meaning of haka’s elements and how it can allow access to one’s deepest self.B...
2026-08-2713 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationProgressive Muscle Relaxation Exercise with The Vexed ManExplore how deeply you can relax—by tensing each muscle in your body. This unusual exercise builds on Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s The Vexed Man (1771–83), a sculpture of a man with an exaggerated facial expression.From the protruding veins in the neck to the deeply furrowed brow, this alabaster sculpture captures the vexed expression of a middle-aged man. Part of a series of 49 sculptures created by Messerschmidt during the last 13 years of his life, each bust depicts a different, often extreme, emotion.During the Enlightenment, when this sculpture was made, there was a...
2026-08-2520 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationDeeper Dive: The Near-Universal Appeal of Tea with FriendsJapanese chadō, or tea ceremony, is widely known for its beauty, precision, and meditative qualities.So how does that compare to the story told by artist Jean-Ettienne Liotard’s Still Life: Tea Set? UCLA Professor and chadō practitioner Michelle Liu Carriger explores the near-universal appeal of a good cup of tea enjoyed in good company, while highlighting the meditative and aesthetic qualities of both Japanese and European tea traditions.If you missed this week’s tea drinking meditation inspired by this still life, look for it on your podcast player or find i...
2026-08-2015 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationCalming Tea Meditation with a Still LifeFocus on fully experiencing the moment while you sip on a cup of tea in this relaxing meditation inspired by Jean-Étienne Liotard’s Still Life: Tea Set (1781–83).This painting of a Chinese porcelain tea set shows a scene after use—its contents consumed and the pieces left on the tray in disarray. Liotard captures the tactility of these objects in oil paint, from the gleam of the spoon to the scattered crumbs of bread across the tray.Depicting a social ritual enjoyed by the upper echelons of 18th‑century European society, Liotard directs o...
2026-08-1819 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationDeeper Dive: Chani Nicholas on the Ancient Appeal of AstrologyPeople have made meaning from the movement of the stars and planets since before recorded history.In this conversation with host Lilit Sadoyan, contemporary astrologer Chani Nicholas explores the rise and fall of astrology’s popularity and provides an overview of how she understands the discipline.Chani Nicholas is the New York Times best-selling author of You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance and the world-renowned astrologer behind the CHANI app. She is known for blending ancient astrological wisdom with mindfulness, psychology, and practical tools that support purpose-driven living, co...
2026-08-1327 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationFind Your Space in the Universe with a Medieval Astrology DiagramFeel one with the cosmos as you explore your place in time and space inspired by a 15th-century astrological diagram found in an unusual manuscript.Featuring a collection of diverse texts, this manuscript, called a miscellany, includes writings on medicine as well as magical practices, astronomy, and astrology. We focus the episode on a page about the astrological qualities of Mondays, or the moon’s day. This includes a diagram (with a smiling moon at the center) detailing how each of the seven planetary bodies ruled over different hours of the day. At bottom left is...
2026-08-1120 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationDeeper Dive: A Buddhist Monk on the Value of CleaningBuddhist monks don’t spend all their time in quiet meditation—they also do a lot of cleaning.However, cleaning can also be a meditative practice, if done with intention and care. Monk Shoukei Matsumoto speaks with host Lilit Sadoyan about how we can find more mindfulness and approach our chores with gratitude.Matsumoto is the author of A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind (2018) and Work Like a Monk: A Buddhist Guide to Embracing What Matters (2025).Learn more about Matsumoto's work at his website: http...
2026-08-0619 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationMindful Housework Meditation with "The Laundress"Pause and reflect on being fully present in the everyday with this mindful cleaning exercise inspired by Jean-Baptiste Greuze’s painting The Laundress (1761).Weave mindfulness into mundane daily tasks from washing dishes to tidying up and, as seen in the painting, doing the laundry. Greuze’s everyday subject matter, known as “genre painting,” was a popular style in the Netherlands and then France in the 17th and 18th centuries. Greuze elevates this scene with dramatic lighting and a busy composition that contrasts the laundress’s direct gaze and laborious chore.Greuze’s Laundress...
2026-08-0417 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationDeeper Dive: How an Environmental Designer Connects with TreesWhen was the last time you stopped and really noticed the trees and plants around you?Artist and environmental designer Aroussiak Gabrielian knows that a lot of us suffer from “plant blindness,” ignoring the power of the flora that surrounds us. Gabrielian’s childhood spent exploring the forests of Armenia and learning from her grandparents’ close relationship to nature shaped how she responds to plants today. In this interview with host Lilit Sadoyan, Gabrielian explores her history, her work, and how we can all build a closer relationship to the natural world.If you...
2026-07-3016 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationGrounding Tree Meditation Inspired by the Forest of FontainebleauSlow down time, feel grounded, and reset with this nature-focused meditation inspired by Théodore Rousseau’s mid-19th-century painting Forest of Fontainebleau, Cluster of Tall Trees Overlooking the Plain of Clair-Bois at the Edge of Bas-Bréau (about 1849–52).Rousseau was drawn to the French countryside—so much so that he moved from Paris to Barbizon, a town outside the city and on the edge of the Forest of Fontainebleau. He spent countless hours in the forest drawing and painting outdoors, or en plein aire. Its ancient trees held a particular fascination for the artist. Resistin...
2026-07-2817 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationDeeper Dive: A Brief History of SleepSleep is a biological necessity, but our practices around sleep are cultural.Before the industrial revolution, sleep was generally biphasic, meaning that it happened in two intervals. Virginia Tech Professor Roger Ekirch is credited with founding the discipline of sleep history, and in this conversation with host Lilit Sadoyan he explains how people in the 18th century approached sleep, what kept them awake at night, and what we today might learn from the sleep habits of the past.If you missed this week’s yoga nidra meditation inspired by an 18th-century Fr...
2026-07-2316 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationYogic Sleep Meditation with an Ornate BedDeeply relax your entire body with a yoga nidra, or yogic sleep, meditation inspired by a luxurious 18th-century French bed.Called a lit à la polonaise, or Polish bed, because the style was reminiscent of Polish fashion at the time, this four-poster bed has a nearly ten-foot canopy elegantly draped in lush silk. The wooden frame is covered in gold, while decorative trim and fluffy white ostrich feathers complete the look. A resplendent bed like this one would likely have been one of the most expensive furnishings in the home and would serve as a focal p...
2026-07-2119 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationDeeper Dive: Clouds…on Mars? Insights from a Mars Climate ScientistClouds have a lot to teach us—they indicate the weather, they impact the climate, and they inspire a sense of awe and wonder. But what can we learn from clouds on Mars?In this interview with Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) scientist Marek Slipski, we hear about how clouds on Mars are like (and unlike) clouds here on Earth as well as how hunting for them in JPL’s citizen science cloudspotting project can be a mindful activity.Participate in JPL’s citizen scientist cloudspotting project: https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/clouds...
2026-07-1612 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationObserve Your Thoughts Like Passing CloudsEngage with your sense of wonder and bring awareness to your thoughts through this meditation practice inspired by Simon Joseph Alexandre Clément Denis’s Study of Clouds with a Sunset near Rome (1786–1801).Though small in scale, Study of Clouds with a Sunset near Rome is one of the most luscious paintings in Getty’s collection. Denis depicts the clouds as the scene’s protagonists, dominating the composition and dwarfing the trees and buildings that appear on a narrow strip of land along the bottom of the canvas. These billowing, dramatic clouds, bathed in the warm hues...
2026-07-1417 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationDeeper Dive: The Call of the MountainsWhat is it about mountains that make people want to climb them? Mountain climber and writer Katie Ives has thought a lot about the ineffable qualities of mountains that appeal to our deepest human instincts, imagination, and senses. From how we define mountains to what mountains can symbolize, Ives and host Lilit Sadoyan dig into the many mindful ways people have engaged with and learned from mountains, both in the past and today.If you missed it, listen to this week’s related mountain meditation inspired by Jean-Joseph-Xavier Bidauld’s painting View...
2026-07-0918 min
If Objects Could TalkComing Soon: Bastille Day (and Season 2)Announcing Season 2, this mini-episode features Purrquoise, a bright turquoise porcelain cat that was made in China in the 1700s and has traveled the world ever since. Now that he’s made himself at home in Los Angeles, he’s ready to pitch his script all about the storming of the Bastille and the French Revolution. Of course, if he can’t get that movie made, he’s still excited to announce that If Objects Can Talk returns this fall with ten more stories from adventurous, luxurious—and sometimes very silly—objects, including Purrquoise himself! Feeli...
2026-07-0904 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationMountain Meditation Inspired by ItalyFeel still and majestic like a mountain in a meditation inspired by Jean-Joseph-Xavier Bidauld’s painting View of the Bridge and Part of the Town of Cava, Kingdom of Naples (1785–90).A picturesque, verdant scene captures the quiet majesty and peacefulness of the rolling mountains of Southern Italy. Bidauld was drawn to Italy’s landscape, spending years traveling across the country to paint. He returned to this particular vista in Naples to capture it from many angles and at different times of day. Small in scale, Bidauld likely started this piece as a sketch, painting en plein...
2026-07-0716 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationDeeper Dive: Blue Across Art HistoryFor much of history, blue was one of the most fugitive pigments in art. Writer and historian Victoria Finlay, author of the book The Brilliant History of Color in Art, got to study Edvard Munch’s Starry Night in great detail during her time at the Getty Center researching this book and admired his nuanced use of the color. She speaks with host Lilit Sadoyan about this powerful color, its sources, and its symbolic meanings for Munch.If you missed it, listen to this week’s related blue light visualization inspired by Starry Night.
2026-07-0208 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationBlue Light Visualization with Edvard Munch’s Starry NightBring awareness to the memories, thoughts, and emotions evoked during this blue light visualization inspired by Edvard Munch’s Starry Night (1893) and his many uses of the color blue.Munch’s Starry Night is an emotionally charged painting of the coastline in Asgardstrand, Norway, where the artist recalled falling in love. Feelings were an important component to Munch’s artistic practice, and he believed that his abstracted landscapes altered depending on who viewed them. For Munch, color was a particularly powerful tool to express emotions and psychological states.Upon first viewing, the pa...
2026-06-3016 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationDeeper Dive: Mindful Gardening with Getty’s Head of Grounds and Gardens Brian HouckHow does Getty’s Head of Grounds and Gardens approach his job caring for the museum’s largest work of art? Brian Houck speaks with host Lilit Sadoyan about his work with Robert Irwin’s Central Garden (1997) at the Getty Center. The practice of gardening—which requires accepting things outside your control, like the weather—has a lot to teach mindfulness meditation practitioners.If you missed it, listen to this week’s flowing water meditation inspired by the garden.You can watch this episode on YouTube here: https://gty.art/4wZysOS...
2026-06-2508 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationFlowing Water Meditation in Robert Irwin’s Central GardenVisualize your thoughts, worries, and stress floating away, like a leaf or petal on a garden stream, in this flowing water meditation inspired by Robert Irwin’s Central Garden (1997).Irwin’s garden is the largest work in the Getty Museum’s collection. Composed of living plants, carefully selected boulders, and landscape features, the artwork—and our experience of it—is always changing with the cycles of nature. Irwin added a stream running through the center of the garden; as it flows over intentionally placed rocks, the sounds of the water change. The ever-changing plants and water brin...
2026-06-2316 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationDeeper Dive: A Conservator’s Visit to Van Gogh’s AsylumArt can contain traces of how, when, and where it was made—and conservators are the experts who get up close and personal to reveal those stories. When Getty paintings conservator Devi Ormond discovered a bit of a mysterious something stuck to the paint in Vincent van Gogh’s Irises (1889), she arranged a trip to the site where it was painted—the Monastery of Saint Paul de Mausole at Saint Rémy in Provence, France. Ormond speaks with host Lilit Sadoyan about how this visit gave her new and deeply personal insights into the location, the painting, and van Gogh’s...
2026-06-1811 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationSensory Awareness Meditation with Van Gogh’s Irises (1889)Take time to notice the subtle sounds, feelings, and smells around you with a sensory awareness meditation inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s Irises (1889). Van Gogh’s Irises is one of the best-known works in the Getty collection. This was one of the first paintings the artist began after entering an asylum following his mental breakdown in Arles, France. Van Gogh found respite and recovery in the garden—and in his art. With irises shown in full bloom erupting directly from the damp soil, this painting makes it easy to imagine lying do...
2026-06-1617 min
OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness MeditationOMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness Meditation Podcast Full Trailer -- Season 1 Coming Soon!Get a taste of our first video podcast (coming June 16!) with this trailer. OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness Meditation podcast encourages you to engage with works of art mindfully, wherever you are. Part art history, part mindfulness meditation, each episode focuses on one work of art and uses it as an inspiration for meditation and reflection. Learn about Edvard Munch’s time on Norway’s coast, then imagine the blue light of his Starry Night traveling through your body, releasing tension as it goes. Or take inspiration from Van Gogh’s Irises to bring new awareness to your senses. Long...
2026-06-0901 min
Armstrong & Getty Select CutsArmstrong & Getty Bringing You The Business!Armstrong & Getty are bringing you the business. Why do these companies feel like they have to go woke? Is this what their customers want? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2023-06-0610 minArmstrong & Getty Select Cuts"When You Hear 'Disney' Do You Think Of Magic And Dreams Coming True?" -Joe GettyThe title of this clip is a quote from our own Joe Getty when the guys were talking about drag queens working at Disney. What is Disney's reason for going in this direction? Do they actually think it's what their patrons want? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2023-05-3109 min
Getty Art + IdeasReflecting on 25 Years of the Getty Center“I was there for the groundbreaking of the Getty Center. I was there for opening day of the Getty Center. I think for a lot of people, it said LA has arrived.”After nearly 15 years in the making, the Getty Center opened to much fanfare on December 16, 1997. Perched on a mountaintop with sweeping views of the surrounding city and coastline, the new campus quickly became an architectural and cultural landmark in Los Angeles. This year marks the Center’s 25th anniversary. In honor of this milestone, we asked our community to share their Getty memories.In thi...
2022-08-3124 minGetty Art + IdeasImagining the Afterlife through Ancient Vases“The underworld, the afterlife, is fairly dank, dark, shadowy; quite frankly, it’s a bit boring. Somewhat like waiting at a bus depot.”Homer’s Odyssey depicts an afterlife that is relatively dull, with heroic actions and glory reserved for the living. Nonetheless, people in Southern Italy in the fourth century BCE were captivated by the underworld and decorated large funerary vases with scenes of the afterlife—the domain of Hades and Persephone, where sinners like Sisyphus are tortured for eternity and heroes like Herakles and Orpheus performed daring feats. Little is known about precisely how these vases were...
2022-07-0641 minGetty Art + IdeasDamaged de Kooning on Display at Last“I had heard the tale and knew what to expect, but it was by far the most damaged painting I had seen. When it arrived, it came into the studio and the damage was almost all that you could see.”In 2017 Willem de Kooning’s painting Woman-Ochre returned to the University of Arizona Museum of Art (UAMA) more than 30 years after it had been stolen off the gallery walls. Because the theft and subsequent treatment of the work had caused significant damage, the UAMA enlisted the Getty Museum and Getty Conservation Institute to help repair the painting. When t...
2022-06-2230 minGetty Art + IdeasArt, Luxury, and Power in Ancient Iran“This interconnection between Greek tradition and science and mathematics, and the Babylonian traditions in astronomy and all these other very technical and very advanced sciences, this was a moment which really created the basis for science, mathematics, and so on in the Western world, and indeed, throughout the world, in later centuries and millennia.”For more than a millennium, the Persian empire was the major political and economic force in western Asia. Beginning in the sixth century BCE, three dynasties of Persian rulers created the largest and most complex nation in the world. From the monumental reliefs of t...
2022-05-2538 minGetty Art + IdeasPhotographer Imogen Cunningham Gets Her Due“When Cunningham passed away, I think in part her reputation was based on her personality, the fact that she had lived so long, the fact that she was full of witty quips, and she wouldn’t let anyone boss her around. But I think in some ways that eclipsed the work.”Born in Portland, Oregon, in 1883, photographer Imogen Cunningham joined a correspondence course for photography as a high schooler after seeing a magazine ad. Over the course of her 70-year career, Cunningham stirred controversy with a nude portrait of her husband, photographed flowers while minding her young childr...
2022-05-1129 minGetty Art + Ideas"Poussin and the Dance" Shines New Light on French Painter"One of the hopes of this exhibition was really to try to enlist visitors’ bodily experience in their understanding of these works of art that can sometimes seem a little bit like they live entirely in our heads, a little bit intellectualized."Although Nicolas Poussin is widely regarded as the most influential painter of the 17th century—the father of French classicism—he is not as well-known as many of his contemporaries, such as Rembrandt, Rubens, and Caravaggio. This is due, in part, to Poussin’s austere painting style and erudite subject matter, which often came from Roman hi...
2022-03-1653 minGetty Art + IdeasProtecting Modernist Architecture for Generations to Come"You look at the thinking behind the creation of the building, but then also at the material needs. And you merge the two to really build an in-depth understanding of the building, and a path forward to preserving it."From the sculptural curves of the Sydney Opera House to the sliding walls and windows of the Eames House, the hallmarks of modern buildings make them easy to spot. Modernist architecture—with its signature use of industrial materials and innovative, sleek designs—emerged in the early 1900s and dominated the post–World War II building boom. Unfortunately, many of the...
2022-03-0240 min
Queerified with Gigi Gorgeous & MimiSobriety and Conquering 2022 with August GettyHi Queerified listeners! Oh, how we’ve missed you! We’re swinging back into 2022 with the incredible fashion designer extraordinaire and the best brother-in-law ever, August Getty. To kick off season two of Queerified, we reflect on 2021 and discuss the philosophies we’ll be bringing into the new year. August graces the pod with vulnerability and talks about his journey with maintaining sobriety and living with trauma. Be a friend of the pod! Call us on our hotline 1 (844) QUEERYS and ask us anything!We’d really appreciate it if you could leave a review, rate and subscr...
2022-01-051h 05Getty Art + IdeasPeter Paul Rubens and the Arts of Antiquity"I think it just shows very well how Rubens worked, how he got the inspiration from antiquity, but he transforms it into something completely new and very alive."The Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens is most famous for his dynamic, colorful renderings of religious scenes and mythological stories. Yet Rubens’s work was also deeply inspired by the art of the past. He was a keen student of classical antiquity, engaging with ancient sculptures, coins, gems, and cameos both at home and in his travels through Italy. His friendships with antiquarians, patrons, and scholars provided a ne...
2021-12-2238 minGetty Art + IdeasThe Trailblazing Career of Spanish Baroque Sculptor Luisa Roldán“She was not afraid. She wasn’t daunted. I think that’s one of the key differentiators about her and her career.”Sculptor Luisa Roldán (1652–1706) followed a rare path for women in 17th-century Spain. Like other female artists, she trained and worked in the studio of a male family member, in this case her father. After marrying at 19, she established herself as an independent artist. This set her apart from most other women of her day, who stopped making art when they started families of their own. Roldán, working alongside her husband and brother-in-law, specialized in large pai...
2021-10-2744 minGetty Art + IdeasThe Recovery and Restoration of a Stolen de Kooning“We hear the security guards talking to one another on the walkie-talkie, saying that there’s a man on the line saying that he has a stolen painting. And I wish somebody could’ve seen us, because we just stopped our conversation and Jill’s eyes got big, and she said, ‘Oh, my gosh, are we gonna remember this moment for the rest of our lives.’”On the day after Thanksgiving in 1985, two thieves casually entered the University of Arizona Museum of Art (UAMA). They strolled out minutes later with Willem de Kooning’s painting Woman-Ochre. Without security cameras...
2021-10-1342 minGetty Art + IdeasA Century of Change for Latin American Metropolises, 1830–1930“The metropolis is not just the city; it’s the mother city. It has a fundamental role in defining the history of these countries that we discussed in the book.”The period between 1830 and 1930 was one of global change, particularly in Latin America. Emerging from Spanish and Portuguese colonial rule at the start of the century, cities from Buenos Aires to Havana faced explosive population growth and rapid modernization, which reshaped the urban landscape and sociopolitical structures. These changes were captured triumphantly in photographs and film, planning maps, and theoretical treatises. However, the poor or disadvantaged were often...
2021-09-2946 minGetty Art + IdeasFluxus, Change, and the Nature of Art"Everything was made of the most familiar objects. It could’ve been taken off a desk or a kitchen counter or something, and put into action. They were inert, but their meaning wasn’t. I thought to myself, this isn’t art; it’s better."In the early 1960s, artists from around the world practicing in wide-ranging disciplines—from music to dance, visual art to poetry—began to coalesce in a movement called Fluxus. Fluxus grew out of the absurdity of Dada, Surrealism, and Futurism, drawing inspiration from influential artists like Marcel Duchamp and John Cage. Although the movement...
2021-09-1526 minGetty Art + IdeasNew Narratives by LA Photographers of All Ages“Photography, historically, has been used to pin people of color in a particular location to a particular identity or stereotype, and the artists in this exhibition work to unpin that.”Photography is a uniquely accessible and flexible medium today, encompassing everything from cell-phone snapshots to large-format negatives, from formal studio sets to casual selfies. Nonetheless, photographs of people of color have historically played on negative stereotypes and fixed identities. In the exhibition Photo Flux: Unshuttering LA, 35 Los Angeles–based artists—primarily artists of color—shake up the field, highlighting their personal narratives, aesthetics, and identities. Curated by jill moniz...
2021-07-2154 minGetty Art + IdeasA Walk in Robert Irwin’s Getty Garden“He often said is that this was a garden not for the visitors. He was happy if visitors enjoyed it; it was a garden for the people who worked here, who every single day, would see the slight changes and would have a seasonal experience.”The largest work of art at the Getty Center is located outside the galleries—the Central Garden, designed by artist Robert Irwin. The garden stretched Irwin’s understanding of what art could be; it is alive and changing with every passing moment. In the nearly 25 years since the garden opened in 1997, Getty’s gardener...
2021-07-0734 minQueerified with Gigi Gorgeous & MimiAll the Money in the World with Nats GettyOn our premiere episode of Queerfied, we have a completely uncensored conversation with Gigi’s husband, Nats Getty! We talk about his life before and after finding Gigi, his honest thoughts on Ridley Scott’s movie All The Money In The World which is based on a Getty family tragedy, and Nats’ gender identity realization during the pandemic.Be a friend of the pod! Call us on our hotline 1 (844) QUEERYS and ask us anything!We’d really appreciate it if you could leave a review, rate and subscribe. Everything helps! Please follow us on Instagram at @gigi...
2021-06-161h 01Getty Art + IdeasArt and Writing in Early Mesopotamian Cities"From what we know, the earliest form of true writing was that invented in Mesopotamia in the late fourth millennium BC. Closely followed by Egypt, not long after. It’s probably only a matter of a couple of hundred years, if that. But Mesopotamia seems to have it by a nose."Mesopotamia, the fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, was home to some of the world’s first cities. Beginning around 3400 BC, people came together in this region to build elaborately decorated buildings, form complex trade relationships, create great works of art and literature, and deve...
2021-05-2641 minGetty Art + IdeasReading Ancient Scrolls with Modern Technology“The idea is that you put the scroll in the machine and it does a pirouette. And as it turns around, the x-rays see what’s inside the scroll from every possible angle, 360 degrees, all the way around. And we can invert that and recover a complete representation of what’s inside, in three dimensions.”In 1750 well diggers discovered a villa near the ancient town of Herculaneum that had been buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Among the treasures pulled from the villa were more than 1,000 papyrus scrolls that had been turned to carbon by the v...
2021-03-3134 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Maite Alvarez on Luisa RoldánWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short, personal reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, Maite Alvarez, who works on exhibitions at the museum, recalls how she discovered a Baroque sculpture's true maker—Luisa Roldán. To learn more about this sculpture, visit: www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/1101/.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, president of the J. Paul Getty Trust. We’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short, pers...
2021-03-2304 minGetty Art + IdeasReevaluating French Colonialism through Visual Culture"One of the things I’ve heard most frequently in attending and working with and participating with ACHAC at different events, is to hear young people, and even adults, say, 'I had no idea. I did not know that back at this particular historical juncture, my ancestors were put on display in the city, in these parts, for entertainment.'"During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, France taught its citizens about its overseas territories in the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and Asia through commonplace, mass-produced items including postcards and board games. Through these materials, the go...
2021-03-1741 minArmstrong & Getty Select CutsWhy Joe Getty Hates the Grammys!Joe Getty reveals a nearly life-long grudge against the Grammy Awards! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2021-03-1602 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Lyra Kilston on Richard Neutra and Julius ShulmanWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short, personal reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, Museum editor Lyra Kilston muses on Richard Neutra's innovative and newly relevant school designs, as seen through photographs by Julius Shulman. To learn more about these images, visit: https://primo.getty.edu/permalink/f/mlc5om/GETTY_ROSETTAIE131574.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, president of the J. Paul Getty Trust. We’ve asked members of the Getty co...
2021-03-0903 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Alex Jones on Charles BrittinWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short, personal reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, curatorial research assistant Alex Jones is reminded of his grandmother by a photograph of a Black woman at a 1965 civil rights protest. To view this work visit: https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/reflections-alex-jones-on-charles-brittin/. To learn more about this photography, visit: http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/an-activists-view-of-the-civil-rights-movement/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
Transcript
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2021-02-2304 minArmstrong & Getty Select CutsArmstrong & Getty's Official Start, Wednesday February 17, 2021For those who can't catch The Armstrong & Getty Show from the get-go, you're missing our daily pronouncements (General Manager & The Official Start) as well as our check-ins with technical director MichaelAngelo and producer Positive Sean! Listen up! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2021-02-1713 minArmstrong & Getty Select CutsJoe Getty's Olive BranchFollowing a completely ridiculous, 7-hour-long SF school board meeting (during which the main topic of school re-opening was side-lined by misguided, virtue signaling social equity zealots), Joe Getty offered an olive branch to those who continue to hold a tight grip on their hatred of Donald J. Trump. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2021-02-1001 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Laura Gavilán Lewis on Jacques-Louis DavidWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short, personal reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, educator Laura Gavilán Lewis considers what it means to be separated from her loved ones as she looks at a portrait of Zénaïde and Charlotte Bonaparte. To learn more about this work, visit: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/802/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: H...
2021-02-0903 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Kelly Davis on Timothy O’SullivanWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short, personal reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, metadata specialist Kelly Davis longs for a hike in the Sierras as she views an 1871 photograph by Timothy O'Sullivan. To learn more about this work, visit: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/40204/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, president of the J. Paul G...
2021-01-2603 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Casey Lee on Gerard ter BorchWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short, personal reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, curator Casey Lee reminisces on learning to crochet and sew as she considers a 17th century drawing by Gerard ter Borch of a young girl making lace. To learn more about this work, visit: www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/285052/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim C...
2021-01-1202 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Elmira Adamian on a Roman FrescoWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short, personal reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, educator Elmira Adamian wonders about a couple in an ancient fresco as she shelters at home with her family. To learn more about this work, visit: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/6535/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I'm Jim Cuno, President of the J. Paul Gett...
2020-12-1502 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Kelly Jane Smith-Fatten on MichelangeloWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short, personal reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, educator Kelly Jane Smith-Fatten learns about Michelangelo by drawing from his drawings. To learn more about this work, visit: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/298166/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, president of the J. Paul Getty Trust. In a new podcast featur...
2020-12-0103 min
Armstrong & Getty Select CutsWe Can Do Better. Sandy Lehmkuhler Talks about WFFS with Armstrong & GettyOne of reasons the Armstrong & Getty Show is involved with Warrior Foundation Freedom Station is due to the presence of a true angel. There's simply no other way to put it--Sandy Lehmkuhler is an angel. Back in 2004, the Navy wife and mom was struck by how the needs of our injured troops were not being met--and she was determined to do something about it. Learn about how Sandy started the Warrior Foundation Freedom Station with one simple idea in mind... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
2020-11-1711 min
Armstrong & Getty Select CutsJoe Getty: The Election is Not a Referendum on TrumpJoe Getty offers up a seldom discussed reality--tomorrow's election is not about Trump. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2020-11-0305 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Nicole Budrovich on a "Debate Plate"We’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, curator Nicole Budrovich reflects on debate and discourse through an ancient plate. To learn more about this work, visit: www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/10598/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, president of the J. Paul Getty Trust. In a new podcast feature, we’re askin...
2020-11-0203 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Davide Gasparotto on Vilelm HammershøiWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, curator Davide Gasparotto reminisces on his days as a student through Vilelm Hammershøi's Interior with an Easel, Bredgade 25. To learn more about this work, visit: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/332549/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, president of the J. Paul Getty T...
2020-10-2003 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Erin Fussell on the Dyke of Your Dreams DanceWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, Erin Fussell longs to “cut a rug” again as she looks at photographs from the 1978 “Dyke of Your Dreams” dance at the Women’s Building. To learn more about this event, visit: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/2017m43_6d9d703f54c264dc247ef2511a82bd4d.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: H...
2020-10-0603 min
Armstrong & Getty Select CutsGet the Kids Back in School--NOW! Joe Getty Reads a Principal's LetterAs heard on The Armstrong & Getty Show. The letter from a northern CA principal about the importance of getting kids back to school. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2020-09-2407 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Amanda Berman on a Pair of Decorative GroupsWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, Amanda Berman considers how studying a set of eighteenth-century French porcelain sculptures reveals hidden racism and what that might mean for us today. To learn more about this artwork, visit: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/5617.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, president of the...
2020-09-2204 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Anna Sapenuk on a Hydra HydriaWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, educator Anna Sapenuk finds parallels in Herakles and Iolaos’s fight against the Hydra and our global battle against the coronavirus. To learn more about this artwork, visit: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/10600/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, president of the J. Paul Getty Trust. In...
2020-09-0803 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Carolyn Peter on Hippolyte BayardWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, Carolyn Peter considers how gardening is like early photography—and how both involve a little bit of wonder. To learn more about this artwork, visit: www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/64876/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, president of the J. Paul Getty Trust. In a new...
2020-08-2503 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Aleia McDaniel on an Illuminated PWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, Aleia McDaniel discusses her long-held love for cursive and how it relates to an illuminated manuscript from 1180. To learn more about this artwork, visit: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/103710/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, president of the J. Paul Getty Trust. In a ne...
2020-08-1103 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Johnny Tran on Pueblo del RioWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, Johnny Tran relates deeply to the joy of a family gathered around the dinner table and considers the importance of beautiful public housing to Black Angelenos in the 1940s. He discusses a photograph of architect Paul R. Williams’s Pueblo del Rio project from Leonard Nadel’s unpublished book Pueblo Del Rio: A Study of a Planned Community. To learn more about this photograph, visit: r...
2020-07-2803 min
Armstrong & Getty Select CutsSuch Innocent Times! Joe Getty Looks-back at Early 2020Those Were Innocent Times! Joe Getty's Look-Back at Early 2020. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2020-07-1704 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Larisa Grollemond on a July CalendarWe’ve asked members of the Getty community to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, curator Larisa Grollemond thinks about how calendars link us to the middle ages. To learn more about this artwork, visit: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/3500/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every other Tuesday.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, president of the J. Paul Getty Trust. In a new podcast feature, we’re askin...
2020-07-1402 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Idurre Alonso on the Natural History of BrazilWe’ve asked curators from the Getty Museum and Getty Research Institute to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, curator Idurre Alonso imagines a trip to the lush Brazilian landscape through an illustration in a 1648 book. To learn more about this artwork, visit: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cat_ALMA2113047222000155.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every Tuesday.
JAMES CUNO: Hello, I’m Jim Cuno, president of the J. Paul Getty Trust. As we all...
2020-07-0703 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Kenneth Lapatin on a Roman GemWe’ve asked curators from the Getty Museum and Getty Research Institute to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, curator Kenneth Lapatin dives into a new world through a Roman carved gem that features Aeneas fleeing Troy. To learn more about this artwork, visit: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/336770/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every Tuesday.
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JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, president of the J. Paul Getty...
2020-06-3003 min
Armstrong & Getty Select CutsThe Return of Sport: The Joe Getty Plan!Joe Getty offers his well-rounded plan for the return of pro sports! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2020-06-2303 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Bryan Keene on an Illuminated MWe’ve asked curators from the Getty Museum and Getty Research Institute to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, curator Bryan Keene sees a common motif from illuminated manuscripts in a paper chain craft that he makes with his children. To learn more about this artwork, visit: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/103069/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every Tuesday.
Transcript
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, presiden...
2020-06-2303 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: David Saunders on Ajax and AchillesWe’ve asked curators from the Getty Museum and Getty Research Institute to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, curator David Saunders reflects on how a painted vase from the 6th century BCE that shows Ajax and Achilles playing board games helps him make sense of his work-from-home life. To learn more about this artwork, visit: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/6890/.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every Tuesday.
JAMES CUNO: Hi...
2020-06-1604 min
2020-06-1301 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Zanna Gilbert on Ed RuschaWe’ve asked curators from the Getty Museum and Getty Research Institute to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, Getty Research Institute Senior Research Specialist Zanna Gilbert reflects on the empty streets of Ed Ruscha’s Streets of Los Angeles project, begun in 1966. To learn more about this artwork, visit: https://www.getty.edu/research/special_collections/notable/ruscha.html.
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every Tuesday.
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno...
2020-06-0903 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Stephanie Schrader on Cornelius SaftlevenWe've asked curators from the Getty Museum and Getty Research Institute to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These short recordings feature stories related to our daily lives.
This week, Getty drawings curator Stephanie Schrader considers the upside-down world of An Enchanted Cellar with Animals, made by Cornelis Saftleven around 1655 to 1670. To learn more about this artwork, visit: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/160/
Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every Tuesday.
Transcript:
JAMES CUNO: Hi, I’m Jim Cuno, preside...
2020-05-2603 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Beth Morrison on Simon BeningAs we all adapt to working and living under these new and unusual circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve asked curators from the Getty Museum and Getty Research Institute to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking about right now. These brief recordings feature stories related to our daily lives—from laundry on the line to a dog at a scholar’s feet. Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every Tuesday.
This week features manuscripts curator Beth Morrison discussing Simon Bening’s portrait of the author of the Livre des faits...
2020-05-1903 minGetty Art + IdeasReflections: Mazie Harris on Walker EvansAs we all
adapt to working and living under these new and unusual circumstances caused by
the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve asked curators from the Getty Museum and Getty
Research Institute to share short reflections on works of art they’re thinking
about right now. These brief recordings feature stories related to our daily lives—from laundry on the line to a dog at a
scholar’s feet. Over the next few weeks, look for new recordings every Tuesday.
This week
features photography curator Mazie Harris discussing Walker Evans’s Washington Street, New York City / Wash
Day (ca. 1930)....
2020-05-1202 minGetty Art + IdeasMoving a Hundred-Year-Old Series Online: Getty’s Corpus Vasorum AntiquorumHow do you reimagine a century-old reference series for the digital age? In 1919, a French archaeologist started the Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, or CVA, with the ambitious goal of cataloging every ancient painted vase in the world. Nearly 400 volumes, compiling some 100,000 vases, have been published to date by museums, making the CVA one of the most important resources for researchers working on ancient Greek art and culture. Getty’s most recent addition to the CVA is the first born-digital, open-access volume of this essential series.In this episode, Despoina Tsiafakis, the author of Getty’s new CVA volume and...
2020-04-2935 minGetty Art + IdeasAfrican American Art History at the Getty Research InstituteOne of the many outcomes of the civil rights movement of the 1960s was the start of serious academic study of art of the African diaspora, including by African American artists. The Getty Research Institute has launched an initiative committed to collecting materials related to this field, beginning with plans to acquire the Betye Saar archive in fall 2018. And in summer 2019 Getty worked alongside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the MacArthur, Ford, and Mellon foundations to acquire the archives of the Johnson Publishing Company, including more than 4.8 million images from Ebony and Je...
2020-04-0139 minGetty Art + IdeasThe Philanthropy Philosophy of Getty Foundation Director Joan WeinsteinSince its inception, Getty has recognized philanthropy in the arts as vital to its mission, with the Foundation as one of its four main programs, alongside the Museum, Research Institute, and Conservation Institute. From its early grants to other LA institutions to its robust, strategic, international grantmaking program today, the work of the Getty Foundation has grown and evolved since it began in 1985.In this episode, Foundation director Joan Weinstein discusses how the philosophy behind the Foundation’s grants has shifted alongside changes in the field, how it impacts art and art history around the globe, and wha...
2020-02-1944 minGetty Art + IdeasA Global Story with Getty Museum Director Tim PottsFrom his childhood in Australia spent reading about the ancient world to his current role as director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Tim Potts has always thought globally. Potts’s broad experiences as a PhD student at Oxford, banker at Lehman Brothers, and director at the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia, Fitzwilliam in England, and Kimbell in Texas have shaped his approach to the Getty’s collections and programs.In this episode, Potts discusses how he came to the museum and how the institution is using its largely European art collection to engage in discussions of i...
2020-02-0541 minGetty Art + IdeasResponding to Disaster: The Getty FireSouthern California has always faced wildfires, but in recent years the threat has grown. Both the Getty Center and the Getty Villa are situated in the Santa Monica Mountains and surrounded by brushland, making them particularly vulnerable to the increased fire risk. In October 2019, the eponymous “Getty Fire” roared through the Santa Monicas near the Getty Center for days. But the Getty staff were prepared for just such a situation.In this episode, we hear about the preparation for and response to the Getty Fire from Getty’s director of security Bob Combs; director of facilities Mike Rogers...
2020-01-0843 minGetty Art + IdeasFrom Pyramids to Databases with Getty Conservation Institute Director Tim WhalenFrom painted cave temples in China to pyramids in Egypt to earthen cathedrals in Peru, the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) works globally to conserve artworks, architecture, and cultural heritage sites. An integral part of this effort is conducting scientific research, developing tools and educating and training professionals to manage conservation projects in situ. In this episode, John E. and Louise Bryson Director of the GCI, Tim Whalen, discusses past initiatives as well as what the future holds for the institution.
2019-10-1644 minGetty Art + IdeasTalking Art History with Getty Research Institute Director Mary MillerHow has the field of art history changed in the last 30 years? This episode centers on this question through a discussion with Mary Miller, the recently appointed director of the Getty Research Institute. She describes her academic career studying the art of the ancient Maya at a time when this field didn’t fit comfortably into most art history departments, delves into the evolving role of the Getty Research Institute’s library, archives and scholarly programs, and closes the discussion with her thoughts on what lies ahead for the GRI.
2019-05-2944 minGetty Art + IdeasRobert Polidori and the Getty MuseumBefore the Getty Center opened to the public in 1997, photographer Robert Polidori captured the half-installed galleries and impressive architecture of the museum while on an assignment from The New Yorker. With brilliant colors and beautiful light, these images provide striking behind-the-scenes views of the curatorial process. In this episode, Polidori discusses these photographs of the Getty, touching on his artistic philosophies, creative process, and career.
2018-09-1933 minGetty Art + IdeasGetty at 20: Christopher HawthorneThe Getty Center is a campus that features modernist buildings, beautiful gardens, open spaces, and panoramic views of Los Angeles. Christopher Hawthorne, architecture critic at the Los Angeles Times, discusses the relationship between Richard Meier’s unique design and the architectural tradition of LA. This is the final episode of Getty at Twenty, a three-part series that looks at the Getty Center on the twentieth anniversary of its opening.
2018-03-0756 minGetty Art + IdeasGetty at 20: Stephen RountreeStephen Rountree served as the director of the Getty building program, working closely with architect Richard Meier, Getty staff and committees, and neighborhood councils during the construction of the center. In this episode, Rountree talks about the challenges he and his colleagues faced throughout the thirteen-year process. This is the second episode of Getty at Twenty, a three-part series that looks at the Getty Center on the twentieth anniversary of its opening.
2018-02-211h 03Getty Art + IdeasThe Getty BronzeIn the early 1960s, Italian fisherman found a remarkable bronze sculpture in the depths of the Adriatic Sea. Statue of a Victorious Youth, also referred to as the "Getty Bronze,” is one of the few life-size Greek bronzes to have survived its time, revealing much information about ancient bronze casting. But the bronze also inspires endless questions: Who is the subject? Where did he come from? And where are his feet? Tim Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum; Charles Ray, Los Angeles-based sculptor; and Anne Wagner, professor emerita of modern and contemporary art at the University of Ca...
2016-10-1943 minGetty Art + IdeasDavid Tudor at the Getty Research InstituteDavid Tudor (1926–1996) was an American pianist and composer of experimental music who was a leading interpreter of piano compositions by John Cage and musical director for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Guided by Getty Research Institute (GRI) curator, Nancy Perloff, and deputy director, Andrew Perchuk, we dig into the GRI's David Tudor archives, a collection of scores, notes, preparatory performance materials, correspondence, printed matter, and more than 500 audiotapes.
2016-08-1045 min