Description
This collection consists of audiovisual recordings and ephemera of public programming events sponsored by the J. Paul Getty
Museum that were held at the Getty Villa campus from 2006 to 2018.
Events comprise lectures, conversations, panel discussions, symposia, seminars, colloquia, and workshops with curators, scholars,
conservators, artists, and museum professionals. They were organized by the Museum's department of Public Programs at the
Getty Villa. Recordings include born-digital files stored on CDs, DVDs, and Getty servers.
Background
The Getty Villa, located just off the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, California, operates as a museum and educational
center dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. The Getty Villa was designed
to house J. Paul Getty's art collection when it outgrew his Ranch House, which had served as a private museum since 1954.
After considering various options for expanding the Ranch House, Getty decided in the fall of 1968 to build a new museum on
the same property, in the form of a first-century Roman country house, based primarily on the plans of the ancient Villa dei
Papiri just outside of Herculaneum. The archaeologist Norman Neuerburg, who had studied the ruins of Herculaneum and was an
authority on Roman domestic architecture, was retained as a consultant for the project. The Santa Monica architectural firm
Langdon and Wilson was hired to design the Villa, and British architect Stephen Garrett, who had served as Getty's consultant
in the remodeling of a Getty home in Posillipo, Italy, was retained as overseer of the construction. Landscape architect
Emmet Wemple designed the gardens, artist Garth Benton painted the murals, and consultant Bruce Ptolemy designed the fountains.
The construction itself was done by Dinwiddie Construction Co., with various subcontractors. Construction began on December
21, 1970, and the new museum opened to the public on January 16, 1974.
Extent
12.6 Linear Feet
(35 boxes)
Restrictions
Contact Library Rights and Reproductions at the Getty Research Institute for copyright information and permission to publish.
Availability
The records described in accessions 2008.IA.33, 2009.IA.21, 2010.IA.13, 2011.IA.02, 2012.IA.29, 2014.IA.11, 2015.IA.50, 2016.IA.52,
2017.IA.91, and 2018.IA.81 are available for use by qualified researchers.