Paintings

COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

The Paintings collection encompasses over 400 notable European paintings produced before 1900. While its parameters reflect J. Paul Getty’s own interests, in the decades following his death in 1976 the collection expanded considerably beyond his predilection for Italian Renaissance and seventeenth–century Dutch and Flemish painting to include major examples of early Italian and Netherlandish painting, eighteenth– and nineteenth–century French painting, and the Spanish and German schools. Among the best–known works are Pontormo’s Portrait of a Halberdier, Orazio Gentileschi’s Danaë, Rembrandt’s An Old Man in Military Costume, Turner’s Modern Rome, Manet’s Jeanne (Spring), and Van Gogh’s Irises. Early paintings by Rembrandt (1628–34), as well as works by Rubens, Jacques‑Louis David, Monet, and Degas comprise areas of depth. The Department of Paintings continues to expand its holdings through selective acquisitions and gifts.

The collection is displayed in the skylit second–floor galleries of the Getty Museum and in conjunction with sculpture and decorative art on the plaza level.

CONTACT INFO

paintings@getty.edu

RECENT ACQUISITIONS

NEWS & STORIES

A large colorful bouquet of flowers flows from a vase

Small but Mighty

A view of 17th-century globalization through three Dutch paintings.

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SCHOLARLY ESSAYS

Painting detail of a cobbled street with men and women in headwraps sitting and standing around stone buildings with many tall tree trunks in back

Explore in-depth scholarly essays on select paintings from our collection.

View all available essays

FEATURED VIDEO


Celebrate artistic independence and creativity by exploring James Ensor's ambitious masterpiece Christ's Entry into Brussels in 1889.

Watch more videos about the Collection

CURRENTFUTURE EXHIBITIONS

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GOOGLE ARTS & CULTURE

detail of a painting of the portrait of a black model looking up

Joseph: A Celebrated Haitian Model in 19th-Century Paris
Let’s explore the life of a Haitian immigrant to Paris, muse to renowned painter Théodore Géricault, and one of the most famous Black models of the era.

Detail of a Renoir painting of a smartly dressed gentleman offering a hand to a woman in a flowing white dress

Taking a Stroll in Renoir's The Promenade
The Promenade (“the stroll” in French) is one of the most engaging and approachable of all Impressionist paintings. Step into Pierre-Auguste Renoir's enticing depiction of a youthful couple on a romantic promenade.

Detail of a painting with a woman leading two draft horses in an alpine landscape

Searching for Light in Color: Segantini's Spring in the Alps
Explore Giovanni Segantini’s exceptional technique and painting practice through this dazzling panorama.

detail of a painting of a woman in spring holding a parasol

Édouard Manet's Jeanne
Who was the chic yet mysterious Jeanne depicted in Manet's painting? Discover more about the sitter and the painter's approach to embodying springtime in this Google Arts & Culture virtual exhibit.

CURATORIAL STAFF

Davide Gasparotto

Senior Curator / Department Head

Bio +
Scott Allan

Curator

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Julia Siemon

Assistant Curator

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Anne Woollett

Curator

Bio +
Davide Gasparotto

Senior Curator / Department Head

Bio +
Scott Allan

Curator

Bio +
Julia Siemon

Assistant Curator

Bio +
Anne Woollett

Curator

Bio +