Getty Research Institute

Getty Research Institute
Name	Getty Research Institute
Established	1983
Type	Art history and humanities research center
Parent	J. Paul Getty Trust
Location	Getty Center, Los Angeles, California
Director	Mary E. Miller

Getty Research Institute. It is a program of the J. Paul Getty Trust dedicated to advancing the understanding of the visual arts and their history. Located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, it serves as an international hub for scholars through its vast collections, fellowships, and collaborative projects. The institute fosters interdisciplinary research, connecting art history with fields like archaeology, philosophy, and literature to explore the role of images in global culture.

History

The institute was formally established in 1983, evolving from the scholarly activities of the J. Paul Getty Museum. Its founding director, Kurt W. Forster, was instrumental in shaping its research-oriented mission, distinct from the museum's curatorial focus. A pivotal moment in its growth was the 1984 acquisition of the renowned Photo Archive of the German art historian Marburg Institute, which established its commitment to primary source materials. Subsequent directors, including Salvatore Settis and Thomas W. Gaehtgens, expanded its global reach, forging partnerships with institutions like the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome and the Institut national d'histoire de l'art in Paris. The 1997 move to the newly opened Getty Center provided a permanent home designed to integrate its library, special collections, and scholar programs.

Collections

The collections are renowned for their depth in the history of art, architecture, and visual culture from antiquity to the present. The core is the Research Library, which holds over 1.5 million volumes, including rare books such as incunabula from the Venetian printer Aldus Manutius and seminal works by Leon Battista Alberti. The Special Collections feature extensive archives of artists, architects, and scholars, including the papers of Andy Warhol, the architectural drawings of Frank Lloyd Wright, and the correspondence of Jackson Pollock. Significant holdings also include the Getty Research Institute Photographs collection, the Conway Library of architectural photographs, and the Ernst Herzfeld papers on Near Eastern archaeology.

Research and Scholarship

The institute promotes advanced research through a robust residential fellowship program, attracting scholars from around the world to study its collections. It organizes major scholarly events, such as the annual Getty Scholars' Workshop and symposia that have addressed topics ranging from Byzantine art to Postmodernism. Long-term research projects often culminate in influential publications and exhibitions; notable initiatives have included the Census of Antique Works of Art and Architecture Known in the Renaissance and the Pacific Standard Time initiative with partners like the Hammer Museum. The work of fellows frequently contributes to broader academic discourse, intersecting with disciplines like classical studies, anthropology, and the history of science.

Digital Initiatives

A leader in digital art history, the institute develops online resources to provide global access to its collections and support new research methodologies. Key projects include the Getty Research Portal, a free platform aggregating digitized art history texts from libraries worldwide, and the Photo Archive digitization of millions of images from its collections. It also creates specialized databases such as the Bibliography of the History of Art and tools for analyzing archival materials. Collaborative digital humanities projects, often with institutions like the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, explore topics such as the circulation of Renaissance prints or the archaeology of Ancient Mesopotamia.

Publications

The institute disseminates research through an active publications program, producing scholarly books, catalogs, and digital editions. Its imprint includes the series "Texts & Documents," which publishes translated primary sources, and the "Issues & Debates" series addressing contemporary art historical discourse. Notable publications have included catalogs for exhibitions like "The Aztec Pantheon and the Art of Empire" and critical editions of writings by figures such as Aby Warburg. Many publications are made freely available online, extending the reach of scholarship developed by its community of fellows and curators.

Facilities

The primary facility is located within the Getty Center complex in the Brentwood neighborhood. The building, designed by Richard Meier, houses the Research Library reading rooms, exhibition galleries for presenting collection highlights, and dedicated study rooms for fellows. The institute also manages the off-site Getty Research Institute Special Collections vault for climate-controlled storage of rare materials. Its facilities are designed to facilitate collaboration, featuring conference spaces, conservation labs, and digital workstations that support both traditional and innovative research methods.

Category:Art history Category:Research institutes in California Category:J. Paul Getty Trust