Unique gallery courses explore the fascinating world of art and ideas found in the Museum's collection and current exhibitions. Participants have the opportunity for close encounters with art through lecture and guided discussion.

Courses are designed for adults and taught by educators, curators, and scholars. Registration and tickets are required for all courses.

Enrich your Saturday nights. Join an open-ended discussion in the galleries to heighten your appreciation and understanding of the visual arts by exploring one masterpiece with an educator. The chosen work of art changes every session, making each visit a new experience. Course fee $25 per session (includes a sandwich voucher and parking). Meet at the Museum Information Desk for course introduction.

Learn more about this program on our blog, The Iris.

Next in the series
A Masterpiece to Be Explored

Saturday, March 15, 2014
6:00–8:00 p.m.

Explore in depth the work of a featured artist or a stylistic movement related to a current exhibition. An educator presents an illustrated lecture, culminating with the guided viewing and discussion of art in the exhibition galleries.

The Getty Villa
Next in the series
The Art of Byzantium: Origins and Influence
Share curators' perspectives on two special exhibitions of Byzantine art. Join curator Mary Hart at the Getty Villa to explore the Greco-Roman roots of spectacular Byzantine objects on loan from Greece. Then, at the Getty Center, discover with curator Elizabeth Morrison how Byzantine manuscripts inspired diverse cultural traditions from Europe to Ethiopia. Complements the exhibitions Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections at the Getty Villa and East Meets West: Byzantine Illumination at the Cultural Crossroads at the Getty Center. Course fee $35 per session (includes refreshments); sign up for one or both. Complimentary parking.

Saturday, May 10, 2014 1:00–4:00 p.m.
Getty Villa
Villa Meeting Rooms and Museum galleries



Sunday, May 18, 2014 1:00–4:00 p.m.
Getty Center
GRI Lecture Hall and Museum galleries

Next in the series
Byzantium in Art and Music
Saturday, May 31, 2014
9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Villa Auditorium and
Museum galleries

Explore the art and culture of Byzantium in a day-long program inspired by the exhibition Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections and LA Opera's production of Massenet's Thaïs, which is set during the Byzantine Empire. The program includes talks, tours of the exhibition, and musical performances by LA Opera artists. Program fee $60 (includes morning coffee and lunch). Complimentary parking.

The Getty Villa
Recently in the series
Tiberius: Conserving a Statue, Restoring a Reputation
The biography of Tiberius, Rome's second emperor, is marked by family strife and scandalous reports. Can the over life-size portrait from Herculaneum help to rectify the picture? Explore the history of the statue and the character of the man with conservator Erik Risser and curator David Saunders. Complements the exhibition Tiberius: Portrait of an Emperor. Course fee $35 (includes parking and refreshments).

Sunday, January 19, 2014
1:00–4:00 p.m.
Getty Villa, Meeting rooms and Museum galleries

The Getty Center
Recently in the series
The Enduring Garden: Cultivating the Past
Journey through gardens–as they were represented in art from the Renaissance to the present–with Bryan Keene, assistant curator of Manuscripts, and educator Lilit Sadoyan. Learn how idyllic green spaces were illustrated in works from the Museum's collection, from the literary "Garden of Love" and the biblical Garden of Eden to courtly gardens of the nobility. Complements the exhibition Gardens of the Renaissance.

Saturday, July 27, 2013
1:00–4:00 p.m.
Getty Center, Getty Research Institute Lecture Hall
Course fee $35 (includes parking).

Novice and seasoned museumgoers are invited to fully experience works of art in the Museum's collection. Educators direct discussion and the study of select masterpieces. Each course includes up to four thematically linked sessions, which take place once a month, usually on a Saturday morning. Attend a single class or the whole series.

Recently in the series
The Anatomy of Greatness: Michelangelo's Sculptures
Dr. Robert Klapper, chief of orthopedic surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Group, is a surgeon and sculptor who travels to Carrara, Italy, every summer to work on the same type of stone Michelangelo used to carve the masterpieces David and the Pietà. Join Dr. Klapper and art historian Robin Trento in this lecture and gallery tour exploring the ways in which Michelangelo and others use human anatomy to depict emotion. Course fee $35 (includes parking).

Saturday, September 21, 2013
1:00–4:00 p.m.
Getty Center, Getty Research Institute Lecture Hall

Recently in the series
Seeing Red: The Quest for Color
Join art historian Maite Alvarez and explore the discovery, trade, and historic sources of red dyes and pigments. Then see how the color red transformed works of art in the Museum's collection from majestic tapestries to delicate manuscripts. Gallery course fee $20 (parking not included).

Tuesday, March 5, 2013
10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Getty Center, Getty Research Institute Lecture Hall

Enjoy an afternoon at the Getty Villa exploring the antiquities collection, gardens, and ancient architecture. Course fee varies.

Next in the series
Reflecting the Divine: A Cross-Cultural Look at Greece and China
Compare status and religious expression across the arts of two different ancient peoples in this two-session class. First join educator Shelby Brown at the Getty Villa to explore the collection and the exhibition Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections, then investigate the art of Chinese ritual objects at the USC Pacific Asia Museum with curator Yeonsoo Chee. Course fee $60 for both sessions (includes refreshments). Complimentary parking.

Saturday, April 26, 2014
1:00–4:00 p.m.
Getty Villa Meeting Rooms and Museum galleries

Saturday, May 3, 2014
1:00–3:00 p.m.
USC Pacific Asia Museum

Next in the series
Pursuing Love and Dodging Death: Art, Poetry, Magic
Sending cards and flowers to commemorate love and death is a modern practice - but passion and grief are ageless! Explore with educator Amber Wells some fascinating ways the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians influenced desire, punished rivals, and confronted dying. Investigate images, poetry, and magic, then tour the collection (and mummy). Course fee $35 (includes refreshments). Complimentary parking.

Saturday, June 14, 2014, 1:00–4:00 p.m.
Villa Meeting Rooms and Museum galleries

Recently in the series
Death and Humor in the Ancient World
Too soon? Not when the humor is 2,000 years old! Explore with educator Eric Bruehl the ancient context and significance of humor relating to death. Examine relevant texts and art, compare funny then and now, and end with a tour of the humorous in funerary art and other images of death.
Course fee: $35.

Saturday, December 7, 2013
1:00–4:00 p.m.
Getty Villa, Meeting rooms and Museum galleries

See all upcoming courses and demonstrations on our event calendar.