Events recorded live at the Getty Center and the Getty Villa.

Highlights of talks—both recent and from the archives—on art, classics, film, architecture, medieval and Renaissance studies, and more offered at the Getty Center and the Getty Villa as part of Getty360, our year-round offering of programming on arts and culture. 



Getty360 Live

"The reason why African Americans began these places of leisure and relaxation in the outdoors was because they were excluded from going to the white establishments."

Around the turn of the 20th century, African Americans seeking to escape racism in the South began moving to Southern California in larger numbers. Like others who migrated to the Golden State at the time, they also came in search of new opportunities and seaside recreation. But discrimination prevailed, even out West, and Black Americans found themselves barred from accessing public pools, parks, and beaches. As a result, Black entrepreneurs and community builders created their own gathering spots, such as Bruce’s Beach in Manhattan Beach and Ocean Park in Santa Monica, where people of color could enjoy surf and sand. 

These successful leisure sites weren’t embraced by everyone—it wasn’t long before white residents, local developers, and members of the KKK launched campaigns of harassment. In 1922, African Americans were forced to give up plans for a beachfront project in Santa Monica. A few years later, the oceanfront property owned by the Bruce family was seized by the city through eminent domain and the resort was shut down. Today, many of these stories of Black resourcefulness and self-determination—thwarted by racist policies—have been forgotten, if not intentionally obscured. But there have been some attempts to make amends, including California’s Governor Gavin Newsom recently signing into law a new bill that will return the oceanfront property taken from the Bruce family almost a century ago to their descendants.

In this episode, historian Alison Rose Jefferson discusses these stories as documented in her book, Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era, and the need for a more inclusive look at America’s past.

California Leisure Sites Pioneered by African Americans

“You look at the thinking behind the creation of the building, but then also at the material needs. And you merge the two to really build an in-depth understanding of the building, and a path forward to preserving it.”

From the sculptural curves of the Sydney Opera House to the sliding walls and windows of the Eames House, the hallmarks of modern buildings make them easy to spot. Modernist architecture—with its signature use of industrial materials and innovative, sleek designs—emerged in the early 1900s and dominated the post–World War II building boom. Unfortunately, many of the iconic buildings from this period are now in serious need of repair but lack clear conservation plans due to the use of untested building methods and materials. How do you fix concrete that’s been damaged by ocean water, or remove graffiti to preserve stainless steel? In response to such dilemmas, the Getty Foundation created the Keeping It Modern initiative, an international grant program focused on the conservation of significant 20th-century architecture. Launched in 2014, Keeping It Modern has to date supported a total of 77 projects in 40 countries. 

In this episode, Antoine Wilmering, senior program officer at the Getty Foundation, discusses the importance and ongoing impact of Keeping It Modern.

Protecting Modernist Architecture for Generations to Come

Deborah Grant, James Ensor

Jens M. Daehner and Kenneth S. Lapatin, associate curators of antiquities, The J. Paul Getty Museum
To celebrate the opening of Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World on December 13, 2015, exhibition curators Jens M. Daehner and Kenneth S. Lapatin present some 50 bronze sculptures and related works, dating from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD. They span the Hellenistic period when the art and culture of Greece spread throughout the Mediterranean and lands once conquered by Alexander the Great. Through the medium of bronze, artists were able to capture the dynamic realism, expression, and detail that characterized the new artistic goals of the period. Power and Pathos brings together works from world-renowned archaeological museums in Austria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Georgia, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Spain, and the United States. On view through March 20, 2016, the exhibition presents a unique opportunity to witness the importance of bronze in the ancient world, when it became the preferred medium for portrait sculpture.

Introduction to the Exhibition — Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World

Emily Beeny of the Museum’s paintings department recently gave a gallery talk for eager Getty staff to acquaint them with J.M.W. Turner’s painting “Modern Rome,” which was installed at the Getty Center. 

Recorded at the Getty Center on March 28, 2011.

Getty360

"Modern Rome" by J.M.W. Turner

Artist Pipilotti Rist and historian and "North of Dixie: Civil Rights Photography Beyond the South" author Mark Speltz.

Pipilotti Rist, Mark Speltz

Please note: Due to a technical issue, audio recording of this event began just after Mr. Killip began speaking. We apologize for the error.

Chris Killip is one of the most influential documentary photographers of the postwar generation. Born and raised on the Isle of Man, he has made a career of documenting the people of Great Britain and the environments in which they live. As a result of his immersion in the communities he photographs, he often forms strong relationships with his subjects and achieves an unparalleled intimacy in his work. Since 1991, Killip has taught at Harvard University in the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies. In this lecture, he discusses his lengthy career and various projects through the lenses of history, context, and hindsight. 

This program is sponsored by the Getty Museum Photographs Council.

Recorded at the Getty Center on November 19, 2014.

Artist Talk - Chris Killip

Art, science, and religion are each in a different way engaged by that which lies beyond reach. On the 35th anniversary of the MacArthur Fellowship Program, eight past fellows reflect on what the fellowship stimulated them to attempt in their artistic, scientific, and spiritual pursuits. Participants include multi-media artist and activist Joan Abrahamson, astrophysicist Andrea Ghez, physicist Hideo Mabuchi, space scientist Michael C. Malin, religion scholar Jack Miles, and artists Liza Lou, Trimpin, and Elizabeth Turk.

Recorded at the Getty Center on December 4, 2016.

Ways of Seeing: Art, Science, and Spirituality

British Museum curator Irving Finkel reveals how decoding a 4,000-year-old clay tablet has enabled a new interpretation of the myth of Noah's Ark. This real-life detective story began with the arrival in 2008 of a single, palm-sized Babylonian cuneiform tablet. Dating from about 1850 B.C., this clay document proved to be a copy of the Babylonian Story of the Flood, a myth from ancient Mesopotamia containing instructions for building a large boat to survive a flood. Finkel shares research and additional discoveries providing unanticipated revelations about the "ark" before Noah. 

Recorded at the Getty Villa on April 1, 2017.

The Ark before Noah

In the Carolingian Empire, scribes and artists played a leading role in the preservation and interpretation of ancient culture. In this presentation, "Antique and Pseudo-Antique in Carolingian Manuscripts," Lawrence Nees, professor of art history at the University of Delaware, explains how the creators of Carolingian manuscripts utilized and adapted older sources, but also created new works in an antique manner.

Recorded at the Getty Center on May 4, 2017

Carolingian Manuscripts

In this Villa Council presentation, "The Quality of Mercy in Imperial Rome, Imperial America, and Mozart's 'La Clemenza di Tito,'" acclaimed opera and theater director Peter Sellars takes inspiration from his new production of Mozart's "La Clemenza di Tito" to consider the concept of clemency and its history. He examines the Roman philosopher Seneca's essay "De Clementia" ("On Mercy"), and Mozart's opera, a testament of the European Enlightenment. Sellars also considers Nelson Mandela, who brought the example of "truth and reconciliation" forward, and finally, the current era of Donald Trump, where "truth" and "reconciliation" are challenged. 

Recorded at the Getty Villa on April 30, 2017.

The Quality of Mercy

Kimi ni Todoke OP 1

The Getty works in Los Angeles and around the world to conserve and interpret the world's artistic legacy.

"Modern Rome" by J.M.W. Turner

Getty

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