Getty Research Institute, Lanzarotta (Steve) records, 1983-2001

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Summary

Title:
Steve Lanzarotta records
Dates:
1983-2001
Creators:
Getty Research Institute
Abstract:
These records were created and maintained by Steve Lanzarotta during his employment with the Getty Research Institute (GRI) and its predecessors, the Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities and the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities (GCHAH). The records primarily reflect his work with the GCHAH Administrators Group; the GCHAH Compensation Advisory Group; and the construction of spaces for both the GCHAH (401 Wilshire Boulevard) and the GRI (Getty Center in Brentwood). Materials date from 1983 to 2001 and include memos, photographs, brochures, and minutes and agendas of meetings.
Extent:
1.7 linear feet (4 boxes)
Language:
Collection material is in English
Preferred citation:

[Cite the item and series (as appropriate)], Steve Lanzarotta Records, 1983-2001, Getty Research Institute. Institutional Archives, Research Library, Getty Research Institute, Finding aid no. IA30001

Background

Scope and content:

The records were created and maintained by Steve Lanzarotta during his employment with the Getty Research Institute (GRI) and its predecessors, the Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities and the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities (GCHAH). The records primarily reflect his work with the GCHAH Administrators Group; the GCHAH Compensation Advisory Group; and the construction of office space for both the GCHAH (401 Wilshire Boulevard) and the GRI (Getty Center in Brentwood). Records of interest also include administrative reactions to the Northridge earthquake in 1994 and Getty-wide concern for emergency preparedness. The materials date from 1983 to 2001 and include memos, photographs, brochures, administration records, and minutes and agendas of meetings.

Organization

These records are organized in three series: .Series I. Administrators Group records, 1993-1997;Series II. Compensation Advisory Group records, 1993-1997;Series III. General memos, notes, photographs, and brochures, 1983-2001

Biographical / historical:

The Getty Research Institute (GRI) is dedicated to the study of the visual arts, approaching the topic from broad historical and cultural perspectives. The GRI's goals are to promote innovative scholarship in the arts and humanities, to bridge traditional academic boundaries, and to provide a unique environment for research, critical inquiry, and debate. The GRI is an operating program of the J. Paul Getty Trust, an international cultural and philanthropic organization serving both general audiences and specialized professionals. The Trust is a not-for-profit institution, educational in purpose and character, that focuses on the visual arts in all of their dimensions. As of 2009 the Trust supports and oversees four programs: the J. Paul Getty Museum; the Getty Foundation; the Getty Conservation Institute; and the Getty Research Institute.

The Getty Research Institute grew out of the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities (GCHAH), which was established to advance and disseminate research in the history of art and the humanities. The GCHAH was one of the original programs established by the J. Paul Getty Trust. In 1981 the Trust began a year of exploration to determine where it would focus its resources and energies in order to make the greatest possible contribution to the field of art and art history as a whole. In 1982, following extensive international deliberations with knowledgeable individuals, the trustees made commitments to three new entities, a Conservation Institute, a Center for Education in the Arts, and a Center for the History of Art and the Humanities (GCHAH).

From its inception the objective of the GCHAH was to foster advanced research in art, its history, diversity, and meaning in our culture and to do so by engaging scholars from various disciplines in the humanities. The proposed center was to include a residence program for scholars, a major expansion of the library, a modest publications program, and an art photo archive. The activities of the center were also to focus on preserving historic materials in the field of art history and the development of new reference tools for the field, using the latest in information technologies. The plan was approved, and in July 1983 the program known as the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities opened in Santa Monica, California.

The GCHAH progressed quickly toward fulfilling its objectives during its first few years. The first director, architectural historian Kurt Forster, added the Archives of the History of Art to the GCHAH in an effort to create a premier repository for manuscript collections related to artists and the field of art history. Not only did the archives serve as a repository for materials related to art history, but it also housed the historical records of the J. Paul Getty Trust and its Museum. In the fall of 1985 the GCHAH launched the Visiting Scholar Program, inviting 17 scholars to explore the theme “Aesthetic Experience and Affinities Among the Arts.”

Due to expanded operations and limited space at the original J. Paul Getty Museum in Pacific Palisades, California, the various programs of the J. Paul Getty Trust were located at different sites throughout the Los Angeles basin during the 1980s and early 1990s. The Trust's vision was to bring together most of their programs at a single site; until that vision became a reality, the GCHAH was located in the First Federal Building at 401 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. Meanwhile, the Getty Center in nearby Brentwood was under construction. In 1996, in order to avoid confusion with the soon-to-open Getty Center in Brentwood, the GCHAH was renamed the Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities. The Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities moved to the Getty Center in I997. In 2000 the program's name was shortened to the Getty Research Institute (GRI). The GRI occupies a round, five-level building at the Getty Center that includes an exhibition gallery, a lecture hall, meeting facilities, offices for staff and scholars, and the Research Library.

The GRI's Research Library, one of the largest art libraries in the world, is accessible to both on-site and remote users and supports scholars and researchers around the world. The library's Special Collections department contains rare books and unique materials, such as drawings, personal papers, unpublished manuscripts, journals, letters, video art, architectural drawings and models, and other primary sources. The general library collection contains over a million secondary sources, focusing on the histories of art, architecture, and archaeology from pre-history to contemporary times. Additionally, the Research Library maintains numerous online databases, which serve global communities of librarians, historians, and museum professionals; a Photo Study Collection, which contains over two million photographs of art and architecture; and the Getty's Institutional Archives, which maintains records of enduring value related to the founding and development of the Trust and its programs.

In addition to supporting the Research Library, the GRI's role includes several other significant activities. Through its residential Scholar Program the GRI brings together an international group of artists, composers, architects, filmmakers, writers, and academics to exchange ideas while pursuing their own projects. Since the library's materials are often handled during scholarly research, and thereby exposed to light, air, physical movement, and human contact, the GRI maintains an expert conservation team that works to restore and preserve the Research Library's unique holdings. Beyond the residential Scholar Program and Research Library, the GRI advances research in the visual arts through its publications. The Getty Research Institute also promotes a broader understanding of the arts and reaches a more diverse audience through its public programs, which include workshops, conferences, lectures, performances, film screenings, and exhibitions.

Program Director's of the GCHAH and GRI include:

  • 1983-1992: Kurt W. Forster
  • 1992-1994: Tom Reese (Acting)
  • 1994-1999: Salvatore Settis
  • 2000- September 2007: Thomas Crow
  • November 2007- present: Thomas Gaehtgens

Steve Lanzarotta's service to the J. Paul Getty Trust includes:

  • 1982: Volunteer in the Photo Archive, which was then located in the Museum
  • 1983, January: Intern in the Communications Department, producing the monthly calendars, press releases, etc.
  • 1983, July: General Services Clerk in the Mail Room
  • 1985: Administrative Coordinator for the Scholar Program in the GCHAH
  • 1988: Operations Manager for the GCHAH
  • 1991-2001: Manager of Administration for the GCHAH and then the Getty Research Institute

Acquisition information:
The records described in this finding aid are from accession 2001.IA.4, transferred by Steve Lanzarotta of the Getty Research Institute.
Processing information:

Leah Prescott processed the records and began the finding aid in 2006. Cyndi Shein completed the finding aid in 2009.

Physical location:
To access physical materials at the Getty, go to the library catalog record for this collection and click "Request an Item." Click here for general library access policy. See the Administrative Information section of this finding aid for access restrictions specific to the records described below. Please note that some of the records may be stored off site; advanced notice is required for access to these materials.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Bibliography:

  • Hackman, William and Mark Greenberg, ed. Inside the Getty. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Trust, 2008.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Leah Prescott and Cyndi Shein
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2010-09-15T14:52-0700

Access and use

Restrictions:

With the exception of materials that have been marked restricted or confidential, the records described in accession 2001.IA.04 are available for use by qualified researchers. Please note: selected restricted materials must be removed from boxes prior to access by researcher.

The following types of records are permanently closed: records containing personal information, records that compromise security or operations, legal communications, legal work product, and records related to donors. The J. Paul Getty Trust reserves the right to restrict access to any records held by the Institutional Archives.

Terms of access:

Contact Library Rights and Reproductions.

Preferred citation:

[Cite the item and series (as appropriate)], Steve Lanzarotta Records, 1983-2001, Getty Research Institute. Institutional Archives, Research Library, Getty Research Institute, Finding aid no. IA30001

Location of this collection:
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688, US
Contact:
(310) 440-7390
Website