Getty Research Institute facts for kids
| Founded | 1985 |
|---|---|
| Founder | J. Paul Getty |
| Focus | Dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts |
| Location |
|
| Method | Grants, research |
| Owner | J. Paul Getty Trust |
The Getty Research Institute (GRI) is a special place in Los Angeles, California. It's part of the famous Getty Center. The GRI is all about learning more and helping people understand the visual arts. This means they study art, architecture, and other creative works.
The GRI is a program of the J. Paul Getty Trust. It has a huge library for researchers. They also put on art shows and other events. They even have a program for scholars to come and do research. The GRI publishes books and creates online tools to share information about art.
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History of the GRI
The Getty Research Institute started in 1985. It was first called the "Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities." It began in Santa Monica, California. Its first director was Kurt W. Forster.
In 1983, the library had 30,000 books. By 1986, it had grown to 450,000 books! This shows how quickly it became an important place for art research. In 1996, its name changed to "Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities." By 1999, it was simply known as the "Getty Research Institute."
Over the years, new directors have led the GRI. Thomas W. Gaehtgens became director in 2007. In 2019, Mary Miller was chosen as the new director.
What the GRI Does
The Getty Research Institute has many exciting programs. These programs help people learn about art in different ways.
The GRI Library
The GRI has an amazing research library. It holds over 1 million books, magazines, and auction catalogs. It also has special collections and two million photos of art and buildings.
You can find the library at the Getty Center. You can't check out books like a regular library. But anyone can visit and use the collections there.
Art Shows and Events
The GRI puts on two public art shows each year. These shows often feature items from the library's special collections. They also show work by artists who are visiting the GRI.
For example, they had a show about photographer Julius Shulman. This show traveled to other museums. Other exhibitions have covered topics like "World War I: War of Images" and "Cave Temples of Dunhuang."
Besides shows, the GRI also hosts talks and workshops. They even screen films and videos for the public. They also have online exhibitions. One popular online show is "Return to Palmyra."
Scholars Program
The GRI has a special program for scholars. These are experts who come to study art history. They work on projects related to an annual theme.
Scholars can stay for a few months or even a full academic year. They get to focus on their research. A famous writer named Christa Wolf was a scholar here. She wrote a novel during her time at the GRI.
Books and Publications
The GRI publishes many books. These books cover different topics in art history. They also publish catalogs for their exhibitions.
In 2021, one of their books won an award. It was about the artist Käthe Kollwitz. The GRI also publishes an academic journal. It's called the Getty Research Journal. It shares new research about art.
Online Art Databases
The GRI creates useful online tools. These are like big digital libraries for art information. They help people research art from all over the world.
Some of these tools include:
- Getty Vocabulary Program: This helps you find names of artists, places, and art terms.
- Getty Provenance Index: This tracks where artworks have been over time. It helps researchers learn about the history of art sales.
- Getty Research Portal: This gives free access to old art history books online. Many libraries work together to make this possible.
Special Art Collections
The GRI has many unique collections. These include important papers from artists, architects, and art collectors. They also keep records of the Getty Trust's own history.
They have the complete papers of sculptor Malvina Hoffman. They also have the huge archive of Harald Szeemann. This includes thousands of letters, research files, and photos.
The GRI also collects items from art dealers. These records show how art was bought and sold in the past. They have papers from famous galleries like Knoedler Gallery.
The collections also include works from modern art movements. These are groups like Dada and Surrealism. They also have items from Russian Modernism and Bauhaus.
The GRI has collections on experimental art. This includes groups like Fluxus and Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.). They also have papers from musicians, dancers, and filmmakers.
They have important collections on feminist art. This includes papers from the activist group Guerrilla Girls. They also have video archives from the Woman's Building in Los Angeles.
The GRI holds papers from famous architects. These include Frank Gehry and Paul R. Williams. They also have photos from architectural photographers.
Their photography collections are also special. They include early travel photos and works by modern photographers. These include Robert Mapplethorpe and Allan Sekula.
The GRI owns over 27,000 prints. Some are from as early as the 1500s. They have works by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. They also have Chinese prints from the Qing dynasty.
They also have sketchbooks from many important artists. These include Diego Rivera and Mark Rothko.
Research Projects
The GRI works on special research projects. These projects help us understand art and culture better.
One project was "L.A. as Subject." It helped find and save local history in Los Angeles. This project later moved to the University of Southern California.
Pacific Standard Time
Pacific Standard Time is a very important project. It started in 2002. Its goal was to save the history of Los Angeles art after World War II.
The project grew into a series of art exhibitions. Over 60 museums in Los Angeles took part. They showed art from California's history. This project helped show that Los Angeles is a major art center.
A later version, "Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA," explored art from Los Angeles and Latin America. This project created many jobs and boosted the local economy.
Digital Art Archives
In 2011, the GRI got Ed Ruscha's "Streets of Los Angeles" archive. This includes thousands of photos he took of buildings. In 2020, they launched a website called "12 Sunsets." It shows over 65,000 photos Ruscha took of Sunset Boulevard.
The GRI also started the African American Art History Initiative in 2018. They are collecting important archives from African American artists. They started with the papers of artist Betye Saar.
Another cool project is digitizing the Florentine Codex. This is a 16th-century book. It describes Aztec life in Mexico City.
Facts and Figures
The Getty Research Institute has about 200 full-time and part-time employees. In 2017-2018, its budget was around $68.6 million. This money helps them do all their amazing work.
