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LEADERSHIPMaking a Difference around the World
W hether here in Los Angeles, a site in China, or an institution in Europe,
we reach beyond traditional boundaries when we plan our work and share
our re s o u rc e s .We are constantly looking for projects or fruitful collaborations that
will help us reach furt h e r, dig deeper, and maximize our impact on the world of art .
< J E A N - BA PT I STE OUDRY. The Lion (d etail), 1752. Oil on ca nva s. (Sta a t l i c h es Museum Sc hwerin, Germany)
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E N H A N C I N G A N I N T E R N AT I O N A L A C A D E M I C C O M M U N I T Y
O ver this re p o rt peri o d , nearly 100 international scholars we re in re s i-dence at the Getty Center, f o rming a unique academic commu n i t ythat has stimulated scholarship in the visual arts.These researchers,
who come from different disciplines and backgro u n d s , s t ay for periods of thre emonths to one year as part of the ongoing residential scholar progr a m .W h i l et h ey work on individual pro j e c t s , all of them are encouraged to come tog e t h e ras part of the larger Getty commu n i t y. For example, one of the expectationsof the Getty Research Institute scholar program is that all participants meetonce a week in a workshop to engage in discussion of one another’s pro j e c t s .By fostering such academic camaraderie, the residency program stimulatesexchanges that cross cultural boundaries, expand the intellectual dialogue,and allow researchers to benefit from each other’s expertise.
P rojects undert a ken by scholars during this period reflect the dive rsity ofthe academic progr a m .T h ey include re s e a rch on recent neuroscientific find-ings on perception, work on a biochronology of French Romantic painterAnne-Louis Girodet de Roucy-Tri o s o n , a study of biogr a p hy on film, a con-s e rvation study of historic lime mort a rs and plasters , and the development ofa manual for preve n t ive conservation for museums in India.
Museum Leadership Institute participants.Photo: Terrence McCarthy
This intellectual community forms the foundation of the Getty’s edu-cational core. Many past scholars have continued to be involved in Gettyprograms, with some returning to collaborate on exhibitions, publications,events, and other projects.The recent Premiere Presentation Bill Viola:ThePassions was inspired by the artist’s stay in residence. Barbara Stafford,another former Getty scholar, returned to co-curate the popular Devices ofWonder exhibition, on view during this report period.And Hungarian artistPéter Forgács, who came to the Getty with the idea of turning his award-winning film The Danube Exodus into a CD-ROM, left instead with anambitious multimedia installation that he shared in an exhibitionat the Getty Research Institute. Other scholars form long-last-ing friendships and continue to collaborate and exchange ideasafter their re s i d e n c i e s .The unusual mix of intellectuals and art i s t sin the Getty academic community guarantees a constant flowof ideas that contributes to the advancement of research in thevisual arts around the world.
L E A D E R S H I P T R A I N I N G
After more than 20 ye a rs serving as the leading educational foru mfor museum leaders around the wo r l d ,the Getty’s Museum Manage-ment Institute underwent a name change, e m e r ging in this re p o rt period asthe Museum Leadership Institute.The revised name acknow l e d g e s the out-standing body of alumni—over 900 museum professionals from the U n i t e dStates and more than 20 countries—and their international influence in theart world.
In today ’s fa s t - c h a n ging wo r l d , the M u s e u m L e a d e rship Institute p rov i d e smuseum dire c t o rs and exe c u t ives the opportunity to enhance their leaders h i pskills in order to strengthen their institutions and operate more effectively.Coursework covers strategic thinking, finance, marketing, negotiation, andother management skills taught by faculty members drawn from the top ranksof institutions offering executive education, including Stanford University,the Unive rsity of V i r gi n i a ,D a rtmouth College, and Harva rd .Case studies a n dexercises designed specifically for the Museum Leadership Institute com-bine current events and trends with management theory to ensure that thelessons learned are practical.
The Museum Leadership Institute is part of the Getty Leadership Institute,which over the ye a rs has played a crucial role in keeping museums and theirl e a d e rs up to date on the most pressing issues.Among the courses o f f e red bythe Getty Leadership Institute are a va riety of short seminars aimed at cur-rent and future museum leaders , including one that brings together mu s e u md i re c t o rs with their board chairs .
P R E S E R V I N G M A S T E R P I E C E S F R O M A R O U N D T H E W O R L DA leader on the cutting edge of conservation re s e a rch and study, the Getty isalso respected for sharing its skills.Getty conservation experts are often calledupon to treat works of art from around the world to pre s e rve them for futurea u d i e n c e s . In re c ognition of the shared cultural value of significant paintings,the Getty has established nu m e rous conservation part n e rships to help bri n gmajor works of art from other collections to the Getty Center for tre a t m e n t .
The unusual mix of intellectuals
and artists in the Getty academic
community guarantees a constant
flow of ideas that contributes to
the advancement of research in the
visual arts around the world.
A researcher accesses collections of the ResearchLibrary at the Getty Research Institute. Photo: BartBartholomew
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OPPOSITE PAGE > ANDREA MANTEGNA.Holy Family, ca. 1485. Oil on canvas.(Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, StaatlicheKunstsammlungen Dresden, Germany)
BELOW. ANDREA MANTEGNA. Adoration of theMagi, ca. 1495–1505. Distemper on linen. (JPGM)
The Museum’s paintings conservation department provides its serv i c e swithout charge in exchange for the opportunity to present the pre s e rve dworks to audiences at the Getty Center. O ver the ye a rs , m o re than 65 paint-
ings from outside collections have been treated by the Getty’sc o n s e rvation expert s , including works from the IsabellaS t ewa rt Gardner Museum in Boston, the A rt Collections ofPrague Castle in the Czech Republ i c, the Pergamon Museumin Berlin, and the National Gallery in Buchare s t .
The Getty’s collaboration with the State A rt Collections ofD re s d e n , or the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dre s d e n , i n c l u d-e d a cooperative study and treatment of Andrea Mantegna’sHoly Family, which suffered from lack of proper care duringthe Cold War years. Mantegna’s painting, considered a high-
light of the collection, arrived in Los Angeles in 2001 accompanied byDresden c o n s e rvator Christoph Scholzel.O ver the following months Scholzelworked closely with the Getty’s head paintings conservator,Mark Leonard,and Getty scientists to analyze and clean the painting, removing many lay-ers of severely discolored varnish.The restored work was exhibited at theGetty Center for six months alongside the Getty’s own Mantegna, TheAdoration of the Magi. This created a unique opportunity to view the twopaintings side by side.
The Getty has established
numerous conservation partnerships
to help bring major works of art
from other collections to
the Getty Ce nter for treatment.
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BELOW LEFT. Jean-Baptiste Oudry’s The Lionis laid out for treatment in the Getty’s paintingsconservation department.
BELOW RIGHT. JEAN-BAPTISTE OUDRY.The Rhinoceros (detail), 1749. Oil on canvas.(Staatliches Museum Schwerin, Germany)
P R O V I D I N G P I L L A R S O F S U P P O R T
Although conservation work is offered fre e, the cost of transporting paintingsto the Getty Center for treatment can be pro h i b i t ive for smaller institutions.To address this pro bl e m , the Getty created the Paintings Conservation Council,a unique group of individuals from around the world with a shared passionfor art and its conserva t i o n .M e m b e rs contri bute an annual fee that support sc o n s e rvation effort s .
The Getty’s Paintings Conservation Council has rallied to help save somee x t r a o rd i n a ry works of art , including two magnificent 18th-century paint-i n g s ,The Rhinoceros a n dThe Lion by Jean-Baptiste Oudry, f rom the Schwe ri nState Museum in Germ a ny.The two large-scale wo r k s , bought directly fro mthe art i s t , we re rolled up and stored in the basement of the German mu s e-um sometime in the mid-19th century, w h e re they languished for over 150ye a rs .With support from the Paintings Conservation Council, The Lion wa sb rought to the Getty Center for study and treatment in the spring of 2002 andthe larger The Rhinoceros (about 10 x 15 ft.) arrived in May of 2003 to under-go a one- to two - year period of conserva t i o n . Both paintings underwe n te x t e n s ive structural treatment to mend old tears and pre s e rve the canva s e sand are now standing upright for the first time in well over a century. P l a n swill be made to display The Lion and The Rhinoceros at the Getty Center, a l o n gwith the rest of the Menageri e s e ries from the Schwe rin State Museum, o ncompletion of their tre a t m e n t , b e f o re their re t u rn to Germ a ny.
A similar gro u p, the Villa Council, was formed to bring together inter-national support e rs of classical art , which will be the focus of the Getty V i l l awhen it reopens in the fall of 2005. Members of the Villa Council are unit-ed by their enthusiasm for the unique role that the Villa will play amongcultural institutions in this country and for the direction and va riety of inter-d i s c i p l i n a ry programs planned for the site. The Villa Council will prov i d es u p p o rt for the many critical programs that reflect the V i l l a ’s mission and g o a l s ,including theater, l e c t u re s , e x h i b i t i o n s , re s e a rc h , c o n s e rva t i o n , and education. I nthis re p o rt peri o d , the Villa Council funded an international symposium onancient drama that brought together distinguished theater practitioners andacademics to address one of the most stimulating topics in theater today : t h ef o rms and re l evance of contemporary adaptations of ancient drama.
The successes of the Paintings Conservation Council and the V i l l aCouncil confirm the promise of the Getty’s strategic collaborative re l a t i o n-ships with private indiv i d u a l s . By harnessing and focusing the pers o n a lpassions of these support e rs , the Getty has been able to extend its serv i c e sto a wider circ l e.
S H A P I N G A N E W M O D E L F O R H I G H E R E D U C AT I O N I N T H E A R T S
In 2002, the Getty began working with the Courtauld Institute of Art inLondon to help it shape a new direction and future.The leading Britishcultural institution was in the process of separating from the University ofLondon system and redefining itself as an independentcenter for higher education in art history and conserva-tion.The Getty offered monetary as well as managementsupport to help the Courtauld in its transition. As theB ritish educational system undergoes re f o rm , t h eCourtauld’s new, independent model of operations willoffer an alternative for the future of art establishments inEurope and the United Kingdom.
The Getty’s monetary commitment helped theCourtauld stabilize its financial position and paved theway for more aid to flow to the institution from the Rausing and Safrafoundations, which each pledged $5 million.The Getty also played a con-tributing role in securing assistance from the U.K.’s Higher EducationFunding Council, the Art History Research Board, and other key patronsof the arts in London.With the Getty’s help, the Courtauld began to over-haul its governance system, beginning with the identification of a newdirector with a greatly expanded mandate.
The Getty’s part n e rship with the Courtauld is not the first time the twoinstitutions have worked together. In 1985, the Getty helped the Courtauldestablish the first wall paintings conservation course of its kind in the U.K.
The successes of the Paintings
Conservation Council and the
Villa Council confirm the promise of
the Getty’s strategic collaborative
relationships with private individuals.
PAUL GAUGUIN. Nevermore, 1897. Oil on canvas.(The Samuel Courtauld Trust at the CourtauldInstitute Gallery, Courtauld Institute of Art,London, United Kingdom)
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Today, it is the only graduate program in this discipline offered in English.The Getty’s current involvement brought further opportunities for collab-orative work that expanded the Courtauld’s reach, especially for its crucialwall paintings conservation course. In this report period, the Courtauldjoined the Getty in China to provide advice on curriculum developmentfor a new wall paintings conservation course to be jointly established bythe Dunhuang A c a d e my and Lanzhou Unive rs i t y. Since 1989, Getty conser-va t i o n experts have been working to study the condition and conservationneeds of the Buddhist wall paintings at the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site on the Silk Road.The new course will guide the train-i n g received by Chinese conservators and help advance the instructionn e c e s s a ry to pre s e rve wall paintings in situ. By taking the lead and connect-i n g its resources with those of its partners around the world, the Getty hasbeen able to further its impact on the visual arts.
B R I N G I N G A R T T O A W I D E R A U D I E N C E
The Getty’s strategic relationships have also widened exposure of import a n tworks of art to an international audience. Loans and exchanges have bro u g h tworks to the Getty Center, e n riching the cultural life of Los A n g e l e s , w h i l ed eveloping more opportunities for the Getty to share its expert i s e, re s o u rc e s ,and collections.
The alliance with the Courtauld opened up its holdings to a wideraudience. Paul Gauguin’s Nevermore, Paul Cézanne’s Le Lac d’Annecy, andP i e rre-Auguste Renoir’s La Loge we re brought to the Getty Center in2003 for display under a special loan agre e m e n t . In the case of N e ve rm o r e,
it was an opportunity for visitors to view a painting by ana rtist whose painted work was not re p resented in theGetty’s collection.
During this report period, the Getty’s work with theState A rt Collections of Dresden paved the way for anu nusual loan of 14 large Meissen porcelain animals thatwe re created between 1730 and 1735 for Augustus theStrong. R a rely had such a large group of these figures been
a l l owed out of Germany.Visitors from around the world we re offered ap rivileged look at these life-sized animals at the Getty Center for an extend-ed period of 10 months.
T h ree paintings from Dre s d e n ’s New Master Gallery by Germ a nRomantic artists Ernst Fe rdinand Oehme, Carl Gustav Caru s , and CasparDavid Friedrich also made their way to Los Angeles.These haunting land-scapes were put on display with the Getty’s own painting by Friedrich, AWalk at Dusk, providing visitors an enriched presentation of the GermanRomantic spirit.And from Dresden’s Old Master Gallery came two impor-tant 18th-century urban landscapes by Bernardo Bellotto.
Getty exhibitions that traveled to other museums in this report periodincluded Manuel A l varez Bra vo : Optical Pa ra bl e s, p resented at the MuseoNacional de Arte in Mexico and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis;Athletes in A n t i q u i t y: Works from the Collection of the J.Paul Getty Museum, at theUtah Museum of Fine A rts in conjunction with the 2002 Winter Olympics;and The Public Record : P h o t o g raphs of the Great Depression from the J. Paul GettyMuseum, at the Pomona College Museum of Art.
PAUL CÉZANNE. Le Lac d’Annecy, 1896. Oil on canvas.(The Samuel Courtauld Trust at the CourtauldInstitute Gallery, Courtauld Institute of Art, London,United Kingdom)
By taking the lead and connecting
its resources with those of its partners
around the world, the Getty has been able
to further its impact on the visual arts.
> OPPOSITE PAGE. MANUEL ALVAREZ BRAVO.Optical Parable, 1931; printed 1974. Gelatin silver print.© Estate of Manuel Alvarez Bravo. (JPGM)
