All events are free, unless otherwise noted. Seating reservations are required. For reservations and information, please call (310) 440-7300 or use the Make Reservation buttons below.

Lectures

The Art of the Chase: Hunting and Dining in 18th-Century Europe
Hunting—the privilege and passion of the nobility—was a lively source of inspiration for silversmiths and ceramic factories in 18th-century Europe. Still lifes of game, fish, and vegetables weighted down tureens and table centerpieces, while scenes of the hunt were painted, modeled, and engraved on a variety of tableware. Tracey Albainy, senior curator of decorative arts and sculpture, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, examines the impact of the vogue for the hunt on the 18th-century table, from the happy informality of the hunt picnic to the elaborate setting of the court banquet.

Sunday, October 8, 2006, 4:00 p.m.
Harold M. Williams Auditorium, Getty Center

Seminar

Painting versus Sculpture in the 18th Century
Mikael Ahlund, curator of 18th-century painting and sculpture, the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, explores the academic rivalry between painters and sculptors in the 18th century, using as a point of reference the work of the sculptor-silversmiths Thomas Germain and his son, François-Thomas Germain, and the painter François Desportes.

Reservations available beginning September, 2006

February 7, 2007, 3:00–5:00 p.m.
Museum Lecture Hall, Getty Center

Machine d'Argent, detail, François-Thomas Germain, 1754

Curator's Gallery Talks

Jeffrey Weaver, assistant curator of sculpture and decorative arts, the J. Paul Getty Museum, leads a one-hour talk on the exhibition. Meet under the stairs in the Museum Entrance Hall.

Thursdays, August 17, 2006, 2:30 p.m. and September 28, 2006, 1:30 p.m.
Museum galleries, Getty Center

GettyGuide™ Audio Player

Learn more about the Machine d'Argent, the Germain workshop, and the 18th-century fascination with replicating nature in art.
Available anytime in the Museum Entrance Hall, Getty Center.