Getty continues its online-accessible series of exhibits and art exploration. Explore the range of online events, podcasts, and articles below.
How conserving the mural América Tropical uncovered L.A.'s historic Zanja Madre
In 1932, Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros painted a mural overlooking L.A.’s historic Olvera Street at the request of civic boosters. Shocked by his scathing depiction of American imperialism, they promptly had the scene whitewashed. América Tropical remained invisible for years, but increasing interest in the Chicano mural movement and the work of Siqueiros led experts to consider whether it could be brought back to life. In 1988, Getty and the City of L.A. began conserving it, only to reveal another important bit of history in need of protection: the Zanja Madre.
Reversing the gaze
Photographer Pinar Yolaçan recently shared her perspective on portraiture, identity, and crafting what she calls “new historical fiction" in her series Perishables. One of her portraits is on view at the Getty Center as part of In Dialogue, which pairs contemporary photographs with historical works. Her photograph hangs alongside Flemish painter Michael Sweerts’s Head of a Woman.
Father Crosses the Ocean
Artist Kyungmi Shin takes us on a tour of her work Father Crosses the Ocean, which explores her family’s experience as well as cross-cultural impacts between the East and West. Shin’s work juxtaposes a 1960s photograph from her family album—of young Christian ministers in South Korea—with a 14th-century French manuscript.
What did 1997 sound like?
As part of the Getty Center's 25th anniversary celebrations, we invite you to get jiggy with this playlist of 25 songs. What was your favorite song in 1997?
See the playlist and listen in
“She wouldn’t let anyone boss her around.”
Over her exceptional decades-long career, photographer Imogen Cunningham stirred controversy with a nude portrait of her husband, photographed flowers while minding her young children in her garden, captured striking portraits of famous actors for Vanity Fair, and in a male-dominated field, supported the work of other women photographers. In this podcast episode, Getty photographs curator Paul Martineau discusses Cunningham’s career, focusing on key artworks on view in Imogen Cunningham: A Retrospective.
Protecting a legacy of African American art
After immersing himself in the New York City art scene, curator LeRonn Brooks is now building an African American art history archive at Getty. In this profile, he tells us how Black artists, curators, and professors in New York inspired him to choose art history as a profession; why he left New York for L.A.; what people should know about African American art; and more.
Highlighting the long history of mural art across the globe
Did you know that in Renaissance Rome, facades of many prominent buildings were painted with spectacular frescoes depicting ancient Roman battles and heroic feats? Learn more in The Lost Murals of Renaissance Rome and see the complementary exhibition Judy Baca: Hitting the Wall, which focuses on the L.A. mural Baca painted for the 1984 summer Olympics, the first Olympics that allowed women to participate in the marathon. Both shows run May 31–September 4.
Stavroula Golfomitsou joins the Getty Conservation Institute
Stavroula Golfomitsou is a conservator, conservation scientist, and educator, and was most recently in the department of conservation of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She is now the new head of collections for the Getty Conservation Institute. In this interview, Golfomitsou talks about being surrounded by ancient art during her childhood, one of her favorite artworks, and her fascination with metal.
Homeric Hymns: Visual Album (preview)
For a limited time: watch seven music videos by acclaimed performance-makers Four Larks. The videos were inspired by the Homeric Hymns, a collection of narrative praise poems addressed to ancient Greek deities. Four Larks fuses this ancient poetry with harmonies and rhythms inspired by devotional folk music from America and the global diaspora.
Watch Four Larks’ music-video hymns