Research Institute

An international center for the study of visual culture

What We Do

The Getty Research Institute cultivates advanced knowledge of art and its varied histories through scholarship, collections, programs, and public resources.

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Who We Are

  1. About the Getty Research Institute

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    Discover our mission and history

    Learn about our purpose

  2. Getty Library and Special Collections

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    Explore our research collections, including books, rare materials, and archives

  3. Research Programs and Tools

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    Find grants, programs, tools, and databases that support research and scholarship

Exhibition

See all Research Institute exhibitions

Exhibition Lost. Found. Returned.

The story of how a drawing by Otto Greiner disappeared from Dresden during World War II and re-emerged in Los Angeles decades later

Graphic design featuring a green banner on the left partially obscuring a drawing of a man leaning on a wall and looking off into the distance
Graphic of Standing Male Nude from the Back, with a Smaller Sketch (detail), 1892, Otto Greiner. Kupferstich-Kabinett Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

Events

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  1. Screening: Museo with director Alonso Ruizpalacios

    Film

    The sideview mirror of a car reflects a frowning Juan Nuñez, portrayed by Gael García Bernal.
    Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 11pm

  2. Cocktails with a Curator: Marketing Antiquities

    Food

    A sepia photograph of a woman in a black blouse, pearl necklace, and hat with a lace brim sits facing right while behind her is a carved stone statue.
    Sat, Sep 19, 2026, 11pm

  3. Black Portraiture[s]: The Black Built Environment

    Conferences

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Explore Our Work

Interactive K–12 Lesson Plans: Oral Histories from Black Los Angeles Artists

This collaboration between the Getty Research Institute and the UCLA History-Geography Project aims to bring primary sources and archival materials into K-12 classrooms in ways that are timely and culturally relevant, and that meet California’s grade-specific curriculum standards for public schools. The lesson plans draw on oral histories from Black Los Angeles artists, set in context through additional primary materials including photographs, maps, flyers, and artwork.

A black and white photo of a woman in a white gallery stands behind bushes of dried twigs

Research Guide Latin American Special Collections at the Getty Research Institute

Introduction to research materials related to the art and cultural histories of Latin America from the colonial period to the present-day

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Announcement Submit to the Getty Research Journal

We are pleased to invite submissions to the Getty Research Journal, an open-access publication presenting peer-reviewed articles on the visual arts of all cultures, regions, and time periods. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.

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Special Collections

Highlights from the archives of the Getty Library

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Resources

Access tools, databases, grants, and initiatives that advance research, teaching, and scholarship in the histories of visual art and cultural heritage

  1. Tools and Databases

    Find free tools and resources that support research

  2. Getty Library and Special Collections

    Explore one of the world’s largest art historical research libraries

  3. Funding Opportunities

    Find grants and fellowships that support new scholarship

  4. Research Initiatives

    Discover our collaborations and projects that support art research

  5. Academic Outreach

    Learn about our resources, partnerships, and programs for faculty and students

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Publications

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News & Stories

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  1. Harry Gesner’s Buildings “Surf” the California Hillsides

    Article

    A circular home with a wraparound deck and a green tiled roof emerges from foliage above the ocean.

    How a modernist architect linked the natural and built environments

    Jul 28, 2026

  2. Finding the Sublime in Storage

    Article

    A surfboard with a painted figure on it surfing a large, abstract wave.

    How the most unwieldy object in Raymond Pettibon’s archive illuminates the artist’s career-long plunge into uncharted waters

    Jul 7, 2026

  3. Getty Announces 2026–2027 Scholars

    Press Release

    A cluster of white stone buildings surround a small pool of water with large rocks in the center.

    Getty welcomes a new cohort of Getty Scholars

    May 20, 2026

Stay Connected

Get the latest updates about exhibitions, events, and research from the Research Institute

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Staff & Contact

Senior Leadership

  1. Andrew Perchuk

    Interim Director, Getty Research Institute

  2. Susan Baldocchi

    Associate Director, Administration

  3. Kara Olidge

    Associate Director, Collections & Discovery

  4. Nancy Um

    Associate Director, Research & Knowledge Creation

  5. Khristaan Villela

    Associate Director, Dissemination & External Affairs

General Inquiries