Antares Wells

Bio

Antares is a curatorial assistant in the Department of Photographs, where she supports exhibition projects and forms part of the collections management team. Since joining the Museum in 2021, she has co-curated the installation series In Dialogue (2021–23), which placed contemporary photographs in the Getty Center's paintings and decorative arts galleries, and assisted on several forthcoming exhibitions. She specializes in documentary photography, photographic books, and vernacular photographic practices.

Photographs, J. Paul Getty Museum Curatorial Assistant

Stories

  1. The City, Through Her Eyes

    Article

    A view of a double-page spread of a book. On the left is a black and white photograph of a woman in the subway. On the right is a black-and-white photograph of parked cars in a street.

    From Buenos Aires to Dublin, explore the world’s cities through photobooks

    May 6, 2025

  2. Reframing 19th-Century Photography

    Article

    Three images in a line: a photo of a woman dancing, a photo of an artwork featuring a wooden face of a man under a glass dome, and a collage of black and white images and letters

    How artists Stéphanie Solinas, Laura Larson, and Stephanie Syjuco talk back to the archives

    Jun 12, 2024

  3. Say Prunes!

    Article

    A photograph of a girl in a plaid dress holding a decorative basket

    The surprising history of the smile—or lack of it—in early photographs

    Oct 11, 2023

  4. Walking the Streets of Turn-of-the-Century Paris

    Article

    A black and white photograph of a street. A horse-drawn carriage is parked on the street

    The French photographer Eugène Atget captured the city at a moment of rapid transition

    Sep 28, 2023

  5. Shoot for the Moon!

    Article

    Two identical images of the moon are side by side on a red background. Appears to be on a postcard

    How 19th-century astronomers photographed the night sky

    Jul 18, 2023

  6. How to Take a Baby Picture like a 19th-Century Photographer

    Article

    A mother holds her baby for the camera. The black and white image has a little wear and is in a fabric frame

    “Hidden mother” portraits reveal the challenges of keeping infants still for the camera

    May 11, 2023

  7. Cut and Paste

    Article

    Man in green jumpsuit stands at a tall desk, working with an Exacto knife. There are stacks of photos and a plant on the desk, and a large collage on the wall behind him.

    Artist Joe Rudko on the liberating power of collage

    Dec 20, 2022

  8. Portraits of China in Flux

    Article

    200 portraits of families form a grid against a red background. Each photo shows two parents and one child between them

    Photographer Wang Jinsong on documenting China’s one-child policy

    Sep 13, 2022

  9. Mythmaking on the Streets of Tel Aviv

    Article

    Photograph of people standing on the steps. A boy lies dead and a woman rests her hand on his chest

    Photographer Adi Nes gives ancient Greek myths a contemporary twist

    Jul 20, 2022

  10. Reversing the Gaze

    Article

    An older woman poses for the camera, two chicken heads encircle her neck like a stole

    Photographer Pinar Yolaçan on portraiture and creating “new historical fiction”

    May 11, 2022