David Saunders

Bio

David Saunders is associate curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Antiquities, J. Paul Getty Museum Associate Curator

Stories

  1. Buried with the Dead, These Vessels Told Stories for the Living

    Article

    Vessel shows scenes from the afterlife

    A new book explores ancient vase paintings and what they communicate about the Underworld

    Dec 15, 2022

  2. Turning to Art to Tell the Story of Passover

    Article

    Painting of the ocean, with large waves, and a strip of red sky with gray clouds above it. Moses stands on a rock with arms held high as chariots and men are tossed about in the waves.

    Inspiration from Getty’s collection for this year’s seder

    Mar 25, 2021

  3. 9 Curator Favorites from the Getty Museum Challenge

    Article

    An ancient Greek painted cup, a medieval illuminated manuscript, and an Impressionist painting alongside re-creations by social media users

    Members of Getty’s curatorial staff select art re-creations that particularly delighted them this year

    Dec 22, 2020

  4. Art, Pride, and the Rainbow Flag

    Article

    Rainbow flag against a blue sky

    In celebration of Pride, we draw on Getty’s collections to highlight inclusion and humanity

    Jun 08, 2020

  5. Golden Tickets to the Underworld

    Article

    A photo of a thin golden tablet inscribed in Greek

    How some ancient Greeks navigated their passage to a happier afterlife

    Oct 30, 2018

  6. 10 Ways to Look at Ancient Greek Vases

    Article

    A darkly lit museum gallery with glass cases holding ancient Greek terracotta vessels

    A curator selects details on ancient Greek pottery with clues about myth, trade, gender, and literacy in the ancient world

    Apr 12, 2018

  7. Thinking about Sisyphus (Or, the Afterlife with Some Rock ’n’ Roll)

    Article

    Detail of a Greet krater depicting Sisyphus pushing a boulder

    The eternal suffering of Sisyphus, from an ancient South Italian vase to a New Yorker cartoon

    Mar 08, 2017

  8. Ancient Vase Presents a Who’s Who of the Underworld

    Article

    Front and back images of a colossal krater - a vase-like object- depicting complex scenes of ancient gods and lore

    A five-foot-tall South Italian vase teems with stories and characters of Hades

    Nov 23, 2016

  9. Tweeting from the Getty Villa...and Cooing, Hooting, and Squawking

    Article

    Detail of a marble grave carving showing a person reaching for a bird

    Go birdwatching in the galleries of the Getty Villa to discover ancient Greek doves, owls, eagles, and peacocks

    May 10, 2016

  10. What Does the Acropolis Mean? A Conversation with Thomas Gallant

    Article

    Sepia-colored painting of Greek ruins, a tall, columned building in the distance

    Six questions for the historian about the monument in history and the imagination

    Jan 08, 2016