Research Institute

An international center for the study of visual culture

What We Do

The Getty Research Institute cultivates advanced knowledge of art and its varied histories through scholarship, collections, programs, and public resources.

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Who We Are

  1. About the Getty Research Institute

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    Discover our mission and history

    Learn about our purpose

  2. Getty Library and Special Collections

    A person sits at a desk in a library and looks at papers on a book while another person standing between bookshelves flips through a book.

    Explore our research collections, including books, rare materials, and archives

  3. Research Programs and Tools

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    Find grants, programs, tools, and databases that support research and scholarship

Exhibition

See all Research Institute exhibitions

Exhibition $3 Bill: Evidence of Queer Lives

$3 Bill celebrates the contributions of LGBTQ+ artists in the last century.

An assortment of images against a hot pink background, including a blond wig, red underwear, an American flag, a high heel, a bottle of pills, bottles of nail polish, and candy
Assemblage with Pur·suit (detail), 2019, Naima Green, © Naima Green; and Front Line of Freedom San Francisco: Queer as a Three Dollar Bill, ca. 1981, Ken Wood. Collection objects from Getty Research Institute. Text, design, photo © 2025 J. Paul Getty Trust

Events

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  1. Screening: Tongues Untied

    Film

    Black and white still of two shirtless men, one with his arm around the other, facing the camera. Behind them is a mural of abstract drawings
    Sun, Aug 10, 2025, 1:30am

  2. Screening: The Watermelon Woman

    Film

    Against a bright magenta background, a person holds up a print in front of their face showing a Black woman wearing a head handkerchief. Text reads "The Watermelon Woman: A Cheryle Dunye Film."
    Sun, Aug 31, 2025, 11pm

  3. Drag Story Time with Pickle and Bob Baker Marionettes

    Family

    A drag queen in a bright pink tulle dress with big puffy sleeves and a high blond updo tilts her head back and laughs
    Sun, Sep 14, 2025, 6pm

Explore Our Work

Project Getty Scholars Program

Supporting a vibrant intellectual community to carry out innovative research about art and its histories

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Project Library Research Grants

Short-term grants offering support for researchers to use the Getty Library’s collections

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Research Guide Latin American Special Collections at the Getty Research Institute

Introduction to research materials related to the art and cultural histories of Latin America from the colonial period to the present-day

An illustration of an alligator curling in an arc while a red and black snake coils around it

Project Ed Ruscha’s Streets of Los Angeles

Making Ed Ruscha’s photo archive publicly accessible for the first time

Overexposed photograph of cars in the foreground with palm trees in the background.

Resources

Access tools, databases, grants, and initiatives that advance research, teaching, and scholarship in the histories of visual art and cultural heritage

  1. Tools and Databases

    Find free tools and resources that support research

  2. Getty Library and Special Collections

    Explore one of the world’s largest art historical research libraries

  3. Funding Opportunities

    Find grants and fellowships that support new scholarship

  4. Research Initiatives

    Discover our collaborations and projects that support art research

  5. Academic Outreach

    Learn about our resources, partnerships, and programs for faculty and students

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Publications

See all Research Institute publications

News & Stories

See all Research Institute news

  1. Dress Code: Drag

    Article

    Black and white photograph of dark-skinned person with arms spread wide to reveal luxurious evening wear

    In the Johnson Publishing Company Archive, you’ll find photographs of 1950s' drag performers striking a pose at grand balls

    Jul 24, 2025

  2. Idurre Alonso Appointed to Head of Modern and Contemporary Collections at the Getty Research Institute

    Press Release

    Portrait of Idurre Alonso who smiles while crossing her arms

    Ms. Alonso will oversee the GRI’s largest collecting area and will supervise associated curators and staff

    Jul 24, 2025

  3. How to Preserve Gunpowder

    Article

    Color photograph of young man standing in front of a large gray and gold abstract painting made from gunpowder

    Inside the decade-long study of Cai Guo-Qiang’s explosive artworks

    Jul 9, 2025

Stay Connected

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Staff & Contact

Senior Leadership

  1. Andrew Perchuk

    Interim Director, Getty Research Institute

  2. Susan Baldocchi

    Assistant Director, Administration

  3. Kara Olidge

    Associate Director, Collections & Discovery

  4. Nancy Um

    Associate Director, Research & Knowledge Creation

  5. Khristaan Villela

    Associate Director, Dissemination & External Affairs

General Inquiries