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Passion for the Antique: Sex, Lies, and Theft in Late 18th-Century Europe

Date: Thursday, March 26, 2009
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Getty Villa, Auditorium
Admission: Free; a ticket is required. Call (310) 440-7300 or use the "Get Tickets" button below.



The possession of antiquities defined European taste in the late 18th century. Collectors and dealers traveled to ancient lands to acquire sculpture, gems, vases, and other works of art that not only satisfied the desire to own a piece of antiquity but also added considerably to the status of the owner back home. Demand far outstripped supply, and the search for antiquities was often illicit as dealers sought to protect their sources. Moreover, an eager market encouraged artists and others to engage in deception, forgery, and other criminal behaviors.

Art historian Gerard Vaughan of the National Gallery of Victoria offers a glimpse of the underbelly of neoclassical taste, discussing the antics of passionate collectors and their dealers and the strategies they devised to fulfill their desire.

About Gerard Vaughan
Gerard Vaughan is a leading authority on the history of taste and art collecting in the 18th and 19th centuries, from neoclassicism to postimpressionism. After finishing his master's thesis at Melbourne University on French postimpressionism, Vaughan went on to Oxford University and completed his doctorate on the collecting of classical antiquities in 18th–century England. Currently he is the director of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, a post he has held since 1999.

Agar / Statue of Zeus


How to Get Here
The Getty Villa is located at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, approximately 25 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. See Hours, Directions, Parking for directions and parking information.

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