Art Break: "Unwrapping" the Book of the Dead at the Getty
Friday, January 26, 2024 | 12:00 p.m. PT
A fragment of linen inscribed and illustrated with spells from the Egyptian Book of the Dead once wrapped the mummified body of Petosiris, son of Tetosiris. Curatorial assistant Judith Barr and Egyptologist Heba Abd el Gawad discuss how such bandages were removed from tombs and collected in the 19th century. Fragments like this one are now found all over the world, compelling us to examine how we treat mummified ancient Egyptians today.
Past Programs
Art Break: Don’t Judge. Designing Book Covers
Friday, October 20, 2023 | 12:00 p.m. PT
"Don’t judge a book by its cover" is a familiar adage, but we frequently, and almost inescapably, do judge books this way. Curator Larisa Grollemond and renowned graphic designer and art director Charlotte Strick explore color, typography, and composition, as well as the many stylistic influences at play for 21st-century book cover designers versus their medieval artisan predecessors.
Conserving an Ancient Bronze Horse and Rider
Thursday, September 14, 2023 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Antiquities conservator Susanne Gänsicke and curator Jens Daehner discuss the discovery of a bronze statuette of a horse and rider made around 500 BCE and the conservation treatment that revealed stunning details of this extraordinary find.
A Dog's Life in Antiquity
Thursday, August 10, 2023 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Greeks and Romans were fond of dogs—not just as work animals but also as beloved pets. Archaeologists Michael MacKinnon and Christina DiFabio explore how art, texts, and animal bones reveal ancient bonds with canine companions.
The Aesthetics of Body Fat in Greek and Roman Sculpture
Wednesday, June 14, 2023 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Ancient Greek and Roman authors criticized people's size and weight for reasons that might seem familiar today. Yet in sculpture, artists depicted body fat in surprising ways. Art historian Roko Rumora and University of Nottingham professor Mark Bradley examine how a marble statue of Venus and a bronze statuette of Hercules expand our understanding of the ideal body in antiquity.
Golden Cylinders of Ancient Nubia – What Were They?
Thursday, March 9, 2023 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Conservator Susanne Gänsicke and curator Denise Doxey of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston discuss the shining golden cylinders found in royal burial sites in ancient Nubia that remain a mystery.
Musings on Cy Twombly with Ewa Monika Zebrowski
Wednesday, August 31, 2022 | 12:00 p.m. PT
To complement the current exhibition Cy Twombly: Making Past Present, curator Scott Allan and Montreal-based artist Ewa Monika Zebrowski discuss Twombly's role as a "muse" in her practice as a photographer and poet, with particular attention to one of her Twombly-inspired artist's books, The White Sculptures (2019).
Uncovering Color in Ancient Assyrian Sculpture
Friday, August 26, 2022 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Why do once brilliantly painted sculptures from ancient Assyria, Greece, and Rome look colorless or white today? How do experts identify color on ancient objects even when the eye sees no trace? Join Getty antiquities conservator Marie Svoboda and Assyriologist Shiyanthi Thavapalan as they discuss the aesthetic and symbolic importance of color in the ancient world and the science of discovering what remains.
Getting to Know the Makers of an Ancient Greek Drinking Cup
Friday, March 25, 2022 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Getty antiquities curator David Saunders and Sanchita Balachandran, archaeological conservator at the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum, consider traditional art historical approaches, advanced imaging techniques, and technical analyses to better understand the makers of Athenian pottery.
Re-Imagining Medieval Camelot for Today
Thursday, March 10, 2022 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Contemporary author Kiersten White and manuscripts curator Larisa Grollemond discuss why the stories and images of Medieval Camelot still speak to us today.
Molten and Molded: Roman Glass and Contemporary Connections
Thursday, February 3, 2022 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Ancient Roman artisans created fascinating examples of decorated blown glass using molds. Focusing on examples in the Getty Villa Museum's collection, educator Bonnie Wright and glassmaker Jessi Moore explore the relationship between Roman glassmakers, who originated this art form, and contemporary artisans who use remarkably similar tools and techniques.
Remaking a Monster: Medusa from Antiquity to Today
Friday, October 8, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Focusing on the iconic figure of Medusa in ancient art, curatorial assistant Judith Barr and illustrator Christine Larsen discuss how representations of this hybrid creature evolved through time. Rejecting the perspective that monsters are always monstrous, they illuminate how we retell the story of Medusa today.
Re-Envisioning American Monuments
Wednesday, September 22, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Artist Kris Graves converses with curator LeRonn Brooks about his experience photographing Civil War monuments over the past year as it relates to his practice of creating art that confronts societal problems. Presented in relation to the exhibition In Focus: Protest on view through October 10, 2021.
Seeing Blackness in Greek and Etruscan Art
Thursday, September 2, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Focusing on a 2,500-year-old Etruscan bronze statuette, antiquities curator Claire Lyons and Sarah Derbew, assistant professor of classics at Stanford University, consider depictions of Black Africans in Classical art and literature.
Living through Hell in the Middle Ages and Today
Thursday, August 26, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Take a look at the medieval moral tale The Visions of the Knight Tondal through the lens of recent events that have shaken our world.
Where is the Person in the Portrait? Ancient Busts and Modern Representation
Friday, July 30, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Los Angeles-based artist Ken Gonzales-Day and antiquities curator Jens Daehner discuss a Roman portrait of a young child, focusing on interpretation, personhood, and the dynamics of stereotypes.
The Immersive Landscape
Wednesday, July 28, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Artists Susan Derges and David Maisel discuss their approaches to photographing the landscape.
Boxing for Blood:
Violent Sport and High Culture in a Roman Mosaic
Friday, June 18, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. PT
A mosaic from a Roman villa in France depicts a violent boxing match described by Virgil in his Aeneid. Join antiquities curatorial assistant Nicole Budrovich and classics professor Charles Stocking as they examine this mosaic in the context of ancient competitive sports and the enduring appeal of violent spectacle.
Touching Pictures
Friday, May 21, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Artist Jenelle Esparza and Naoko Takahatake, curator of prints and drawings, Getty Research Institute, discuss artworks that deal with grief by visualizing the touch of the artist. Moderated by Mazie Harris, assistant curator, Getty Museum.
What Makes People Laugh?
Ancient Greek Comedy and its Filipino Legacy
Friday, May 14, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Join associate curator of antiquities Mary Louise Hart and theater director Jon Lawrence Rivera as they decode a comedic scene on a fourth-century BC Greek vase. They reveal how ancient parody takes on new life through the lens of Filipino comedy and pageantry.
Mapping a Dutch Drawing
Thursday, April 29, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. PT
New York-based artist Jen Mazza takes a closer look at drawings from the Getty Museum's collection with assistant curator Edina Adam, inviting viewers to join them on an exploratory journey. In this conversation, they examine Wooded Landscape, an 18th-century work by Dutch artist Paulus van Liender, and Mazza reflects on how her work engages with museum collections.
Portable Art:
The Fashion and Function of Ancient Engraved Gems
Friday, April 23, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Ancient gems varied from exceptional artworks for the elite to more affordable stones accessible to the masses. Antiquities curators Kenneth Lapatin of the Getty Villa and Lisa Çakmak of the Art Institute of Chicago discuss the beauty and uses of ancient gems while taking a closer look at an extraordinary amethyst by one of antiquity's most famous artists.
The Politics of Labor
Friday, March 26, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. PT
The inaugural episode focuses on the role of labor in artworks selected by artist Rodrigo Valenzuela and Idurre Alonso, associate curator, Getty Research Institute. Moderated by Arpad Kovacs, assistant curator of photographs, Getty Museum.
