Getty Strengthens its Collection with New Acquisitions

The J. Paul Getty Museum has recently acquired a variety of new objects for its permanent collection: a Hellenistic ring; a drawing by Swedish artist Hilma af Klint; a sculpture by Italian Renaissance artist Andrea della Robbia; a triptych by Cuban-born artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons; and a collection of 17 photographs by African American artists Ray Francis, Herman Howard, James “Jimmie” Mannas Jr., and Chester Higgins.

“The Getty Museum continues to expand its collections with new works that enrich our visitors’ experience of the major periods and movements of European art history, at the same time diversifying the narratives and perspectives that can be brought to their understanding and enjoyment,” says Tim Potts, Maria Hummer-Tuttle and Robert Tuttle Director of the Getty Museum. “These works–a selection of recent acquisitions–not only strengthen the breadth and depth of our permanent collection, but also open fresh avenues for scholarship, interpretation, and connection with our audiences.”

Hellenistic Ring

With this acquisition, Getty adds one of the finest and best-preserved surviving examples of this ancient jewelry type. Crafted around 150 BCE, the elaborate gold ring boasts an oval, box-shaped bezel, holding a large domed rock crystal through which can be seen a beautiful garden scene of miniature gold and enamel flowers and filigree oak leaves.

Despite the ring’s intricate technique, not much study has been done on this specific type of ancient jewelry. This addition to the collection will boost the Museum’s ability to highlight the creative and innovative work of ancient artisans that experimented with precious materials and will also allow Getty to launch a collaborative research initiative into this particular jewelry type. It will be displayed at the Getty Villa alongside similar objects.

A Sunlit Grove of Birch and Pine Trees by Hilma af Klint

Born and raised in Stockholm, Hilma af Klint began her artistic education at the age of 18 by taking portrait painting classes and went on to attend the Academy of Fine Arts where she mastered a naturalistic style, excelling at portraits, landscapes, and seascapes. Influenced by various religions and spiritualism later in her life, af Klint shifted focus from her usual style and began producing abstract works. Recent exhibitions of her work at Guggenheim Bilbao, Tate Modern and other museums have raised her profile and introduced her work to a new generation.

This watercolor by af Klint was created in 1903 during a seminal period before her transition to abstraction and is a stellar example of her naturalistic style. Depicted is a forest bathed in warm sunlight—a popular motif in Scandinavian art around 1900—and a moss-covered forest floor with birch and pine trees populating the scene. By using a palette of rich blues and greens, af Klint masterfully rendered the lush flora and utilized the white of the paper to replicate the milky white bark of the birch trees.

A Sunlit Grove of Birch and Pine Trees will join Getty’s collection of 19th and early 20th century landscapes. It is currently on view alongside other newly acquired drawings from the 19th century.

Saint Anthony the Abbot by Andrea della Robbia

This life-size glazed terracotta sculpture by Andrea della Robbia depicts Saint Anthony, a third and fourth century Christian hermit known for his practice of severe self-discipline who later became a guiding figure for hermit monks following his example. While no documents have yet been found to identify the original context for which Saint Anthony the Abbot was made, it likely originated from a building located in Tuscany between 1510 and 1515. The artist della Robbia built upon his family’s innovative glazing process for terracotta statues and developed the technique to include a broader range of colors and the ability to execute larger and more complex works. As is often the case for these larger works, this sculpture was fired in separate sections.

Saint Anthony the Abbot complements Getty’s sculpture holdings, as it is by one of the most prominent Italian Renaissance sculptors and is the first grand-scale artwork in glazed terracotta illustrating rural devotion to join the collection.

And His Last Breath Became a Tree of Eyes by María Magdalena Campos-Pons

Cuban-born photographer María Magdalena Campos-Pons has made vibrant, visually and socially engaging artworks for more than 40 years, and in her oeuvre has returned to the eye as a symbol of witnessing and attending to the world with care and empathy. In the central image of this triptych, George Floyd—who was murdered by police officers in 2020—looks out from a thicket of foliage, his exhalation appearing as a plantlike growth of eyes. In the two side components of the work Campos-Pons applied watercolor, ink, and gouache atop digital photographs to illustrate plants and flowers in various stages of their lifecycles. This triptych is Campos-Pons’ return to the eye motif and showcases her hope that the growing force of witnessing might help prevent further violence.

Getty’s acquisition of Campos-Pons’ triptych is part of a commitment made by the Museum’s Photographs Council in 2020 to acquire work in honor of George Floyd, and enriches the Museum’s holdings of politically engaged photographs. This artwork was also part of a recent Getty exhibition dedicated to the artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Behold.

Photographs by Ray Francis, Herman Howard, James “Jimmie” Mannas Jr., and Chester Higgins

The Museum has acquired a collection of 17 photographs from the 1960s through 1990s by three artists associated with the Kamoinge Workshop (Ray Francis, Herman Howard, and James Mannas Jr.), as well as photographs by Chester Higgins.

The photographers of the Kamoinge Workshop were committed to making artistic representations of Black life, each using their own photographic style. Ray Francis emulated the artworks he appreciated most, particularly the paintings of Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. That influence is apparent in Francis’ frequent choice to position his subjects adjacent to windows, casting dramatic lighting to heighten the introspective quality of his compositions. Herman Howard’s prints show his flair for in situ portraits that accentuate the uncanny energy of children. The curiosity and expressiveness of childhood captivated him as it did many other Kamoinge Workshop members. James “Jimmie” Mannas Jr. is committed to showing the full spectrum of Black life. The photographs in this collection were made during Mannas’ time in Guyana and captured the range of experiences he encountered, from leisure to labor.

While not part of the Kamoinge Workshop, Chester Higgins was similarly motivated by the civil unrest intensifying across the country to make dignified images to counter the often incendiary imagery printed in mainstream media. His photographs have appeared in ArtNews, Black Enterprise, Ebony, Essence, Fortune, Look, Life, The New Yorker, Newsweek, and Time.

This collection of photographs enables the Museum to document the work of the Kamoinge Workshop more comprehensively and continues to build upon important recent efforts to represent Black artistic expression more conscientiously. Several of these works will be featured in Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955-1985, an upcoming exhibition organized by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC that will be on view at the Getty Center in early 2026.