Getty continues its online-accessible series of exhibits and art exploration. Explore the range of online events, podcasts, and articles.
Art in our own words
What does it take to put together a Getty exhibition? Last summer the cohort of Getty Marrow Undergraduate Interns found out. Working with Getty curators, designers, and conservators, the interns selected artworks, wrote labels, and assisted with various other aspects of an exhibition. The result was a new show, Our Voices Our Getty: Reflecting on Drawings.
Behind the scenes of a new exhibition
“It is indeed a holy place”
Patel Stadium stands in the heart of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. In a city of some 8 million people, where population growth has led to more construction and less open space, the stadium is a much-needed spot for locals to gather outdoors, exercise, and watch cricket. Learn more about the stadium in this story and virtual presentation.
Why locals want to save this mid-century stadium in India
All about medieval princess hats
Ever wonder why princesses wear pointy hats? Called hennins, they were once the fashion statement of the Middle Ages. Hennins could be short and flat-topped or tall and pointed. They were usually covered with a veil and worn off the back of the head to accentuate a high forehead, which was trendy at the time. (Women even plucked their hairlines to get bigger foreheads.)
Video: Muybridge’s horses in motion
Eadweard J. Muybridge’s book The Attitudes of Animals in Motion is a great example of how photography changed our understanding of the world despite the difficult, meticulous process involved in creating early photos. The Getty Museum’s Mazie Harris and Smarthistory’s Steven Zucker tell us more.
Becoming Artsy: What is it about horses?
Horse-loving folks, gather ’round! Artists have captured the majesty, unbridled passion, and strength of horses for thousands of years, as you’ll find out in this latest episode. Ride along with Jessie as she seeks out the best horse paintings at the Getty Museum with curator Anne Woollett.
Dating advice from medieval times
Are you courting correctly? Getty medievalist Larisa Grollemond offers tips she’s gleaned from studying medieval couples: look sharp, know your way around a horse, be ready to spark lively conversation, and hello, bring a gift.
Ancient Nubia in today’s L.A.
Adornment | Artifact, a vibrant series of exhibitions, is showcasing contemporary artworks inspired by the ancient Nile Valley’s culture and art. Organized by Transformative Arts, the series features the work of more than 60 Los Angeles artists at five locations across the city.
Learn more and see a selection of artworks
What museum would you build?
We recently asked you on Facebook: if you could create a museum about any subject, what would it be? You responded with more than 600 amazing ideas—among them museums for dogs, soup, Bob Dylan, hip-hop, and horror—and you also told us what you’d do at your museum: adopt a dog on the way out, delight at a selection of rejected inventions, check out a display of leggings, eat chocolate cake...
Exploring the limits and potential of the UN in protecting cultural heritage
In this podcast episode, former Getty president James Cuno speaks with Simon Adams, president and CEO of the Center for Victims of Torture, and Rachel Harris, expert on Uyghur culture and professor of ethnomusicology at SOAS, University of London, about the role of the United Nations in protecting cultural heritage in times of crisis and the current case of the Uyghur people in China.
Women who wander
Artist Betye Saar has been deeply in love with travel for nearly six decades. “I love stepping off a plane and not understanding the language being spoken or why people are dressed a certain way,” she says. “Right away you’re on an adventure.” Saar has visited more than 31 countries, documenting her experiences along the way in vividly colored travel sketchbooks now on view in a Getty-sponsored exhibition at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
“Whatever I am, Nubia is”
Mona Sherif-Nelson, a native-born Nubian-Egyptian of the Faadicha tribe, has spent years educating the public on Nubian heritage and culture. In this interview, she tells us why it’s important for her to maintain connections with her Nubian heritage and how she keeps Nubian culture present in her life through her work.
Culture on the move
Scholars have recently been studying the “Black Mediterranean”—areas in that region where Africa has had a complex influence on art and culture—and last June, supported by Getty Foundation funding, a group of international scholars from Africa, Europe, and the U.S. visited the Jardin d’Afrique (Garden of Africa) and other key cultural and historical sites throughout Tunisia.
A bright future for Bronze Form
It’s rare for a sculpture at the Getty Museum to be refinished. But when Henry Moore’s Bronze Form showed signs of degradation and corrosion, it was time to act. Getty partnered with experts in bronze casting, fabrication, and the application of patinas, and formed a long-game plan.
A story in pictures: what it took to protect Bronze Form
Video: Ethiopian Gospel Book
Did you know that Ethiopia has one of the longest standing traditions of Christian practice in the world? In this video, Kelin Michael, a former graduate curatorial intern in the Getty Museum’s manuscripts department, and Beth Harris, Smarthistory’s executive director, explore a 16th-century gospel book that includes textiles, illuminations, and details that tell of travel, trade, and diaspora.