Anne-Lise Desmas

Bio

Anne-Lise Desmas is senior curator and head of the Department of Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Sculpture and Decorative Arts, J. Paul Getty Museum Senior Curator

Stories

  1. Infinite Tenderness, Expressed in Stoneware

    Article

    A stone relief sculpture of a profile of a woman sitting on a chair breastfeeding her baby.

    Young Mother Breastfeeding Her Child by Alexandre Charpentier joins the Getty collection

    May 5, 2026

  2. Notes From a 1930s School Trip to Notre-Dame de Paris

    Article

    A beaten-up leather notebook cover with a child's drawing of a castle

    Peek inside a girl’s illustrated notebook during a tour of the cathedral on a rainy day in Paris

    Oct 15, 2019

  3. Child’s Portrait Sheds Light on a Violent Episode in Renaissance History

    Article

    Marble bust of a child looking up and holding a large feather

    New research reveals that a 15th-century sculpture in the Getty’s collection is associated with a harrowing episode of anti-Semitic violence

    Mar 25, 2019

  4. Edme Bouchardon’s Pocket-Sized Masterpieces

    Article

    Red chalk drawing of a man looking down with his hands over his face

    The French artist filled his pocket notebooks with sketches of inspirational artworks, and an intriguing self-portrait

    Jan 10, 2017

  5. Rodin Joins the Impressionists

    Article

    Photograph of detail from a sculpture in an exhibition room. The sculpture depicts human limbs and bodies emerging from the rock face.

    The story and craft of Auguste Rodin’s Christ and Mary Magdalene, which now dwells among the Getty Museum’s 19th-century French paintings

    Apr 3, 2015

  6. No Beauty Contest

    Article

    Photograph of a statue of a young man in a tunic

    18th-century English lord curates Getty Museum gallery

    Nov 5, 2013