Julian Brooks

Bio

Julian Brooks is senior curator and head of the Department of Drawings at the J. Paul Getty Museum and is the author of many books, most recently William Blake: Visionary and The Lure of Italy: Artists’ Views.

Drawings, J. Paul Getty Museum Senior Curator

Stories

  1. Remembering the Creativity and Humor of David Hockney

    Article

    Tim Potts and David Hockney at the Getty Center at the Getty Center

    Getty curators look back at two exhibitions that celebrated his 80th birthday

    Sep 3, 2026

  2. Go Behind the Scenes at an Art Auction

    Article

    ink sketch of a farmhouse surrounded by trees and a yard with a fence, and a road alongside the house

    Drawings curator Julian Brooks reveals new Getty acquisitions

    May 21, 2026

  3. How Do You Keep a Mural Alive?

    Article

    Judy Baca holding a cup of paint with one hand and using a paintbrush to paint a mural with the other hand

    Los Angeles muralist Judy Baca and Getty experts answer your questions

    Aug 24, 2022

  4. Last-Minute Michelangelo

    Article

    Photo of an art gallery with a detail of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel in the background and three people looking at two drawings.

    Videos shot in the last hours before staff left reflect the poignant moment when we temporarily shut our doors

    Mar 30, 2020

  5. Hanging Pictures in the Land of Giants

    Article

    A group of people stand and discuss over a miniature display of a museum exhibition.

    The design process for London Calling involved lots of foam core and tiny paintings made to scale

    Jul 11, 2016

  6. A Renaissance Mystery, from a Marriage to a Sacrifice

    Article

    What explains an architectural sketch lying underneath the surface of an Andrea del Sarto panel?

    Sep 3, 2015

  7. “The Sun Is God”: J. M. W. Turner in Los Angeles

    Article

    Hazy painting of a sunrise over a castle, featuring the colors yellow, blue, orange, and brown

    A lover of sun and surf, J. M. W. Turner would have thrived as an Angeleno

    Mar 4, 2015

  8. Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance Lefty

    Article

    drawing of a man in profile with curly hair laughing

    Look closely at a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci and you’ll find telltale signs of his left-handedness

    Apr 15, 2014

  9. From Auction to Gallery: A Major Renaissance Portrait Drawing for the Getty

    Article

    Drawing with fine lines in brown ink on sepia paper showing a young man in a snug cap, making direct eye contact with the viewer

    A recently acquired drawing is testament to the sea change that occurred in the art of portraiture during the Renaissance

    Mar 5, 2012

  10. Seven Things I Learned from Leonardo da Vinci and the Art of Sculpture

    Article

    One curator’s takeaways from a one-of-a-kind exhibition

    Jul 13, 2010