Burton B. Fredericksen

An intimate history of the Getty Museum from its early relatively modest days until it unexpectedly received the endowment that made it the world's wealthiest museum and eventually a private foundation of worldwide influence. Following the death of Getty in 1976 it was necessary to adapt the institution to radically different circumstances and much higher expectations, virtually none of which had been anticipated. This evolution was guided by some of the most prominent managers and historians available, but was also marred by some unfortunate and widely publicized mis-steps that made the transition unusually erratic. Institutional histories are normally written and published by the institutions themselves, with the result that its blunders or mistakes are normally glossed over. The present memoir is meant to be an objective and relatively frank appraisal of the history of this exceptional institution by an early participant in the process.

Paul Getty and His Museum

The Burdens of Wealth

An intimate history of the Getty Museum from its early relatively modest days until it unexpectedly received the endowment that made it the world’s wealthiest museum and eventually a private foundation of worldwide influence. Following the death of Getty in 1976 it was necessary to adapt the institution to radically different circumstances and much higher expectations, virtually none of which had been anticipated. This evolution was guided by some of the most prominent managers and historians available, but was also marred by some unfortunate and widely publicized mis-steps that made the transition unusually erratic. Institutional histories are normally written and published by the institutions themselves, with the result that its blunders or mistakes are normally glossed over. The present memoir is meant to be an objective and relatively frank appraisal of the history of this exceptional institution by an early participant in the process.

Paul Getty and his Museum

J. Paul Getty began collecting Old Master paintings in the 1930s. He founded his Malibu museum in the early 1950s and continued to contribute to its collections until his death. As he left the museum generously endowed, major works of art have continued to be acquired. Mr. Getty’s personal preferences inclined toward Renaissance and Baroque painting of the Italian and Netherlandish schools, with some excursions into the art movements of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The masterpieces reproduced here show the care which he and the museum trustees have devoted to the formation of a new museum’s collection. The J. Paul Getty Museum’s new building was opened to the public in January 1974. It is a replica of the Villa dei Papiri excavated at Herculaneum and provides a spectacular setting for the collection of classical antiquities. The paintings collection is housed in more conventional galleries on the second floor.

First Edition

Masterpieces of Painting in the J. Paul Getty Museum

Darrell D. Davisson

Focusing on two paintings in the collection of the Getty Museum, the authors of this monograph reassess the works assigned to Benvenuto di Giovanni and his son Girolamo di Benvenuto, who worked together in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century. The text is augmented by a summary catalogue of paintings by both artists in American collections.

Their Altarpieces in the J. Paul Getty Museum and A Summary Catalogue of Their Paintings in America

Benvenuto di Giovanni, Girolamo di Benvenuto

The wood paneled chests, or cassoni, painted by Francesco di Giorgio early in his career are thought to represent the pinnacle of his achievements. This monograph treats Francesco’s fifteenth-century cassone paintings in terms of chronology, iconography, and overall importance; included is his Triumph of Chastity, now in the collection of the Getty Museum.

The Cassone Paintings of Francesco di Giorgio

The Getty Museum’s curator of paintings traces the provenance of the so-called Poggibonsi Altarpiece, one of the Museum’s fifteenth-century triptychs, attributing it to Giovanni di Francesco. He also discusses the possible identification of Giovanni as the Master of Pratovecchio and then catalogues works attributed to both painters that form part of other museum collections.

Giovanni di Francesco and the Master of Pratovecchio

This book is intended to introduce and guide visitors to the painting collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum. The collection includes Tuscan (Florentine and Sienese) paintings of the fifteenth century, Venetian works from the sixteenth century, and Dutch and Flemish paintings from the seventeenth century.

A Handbook of the Paintings in the J. Paul Getty Museum

The index of paintings sold in the British Isles during the nineteenth century : the provenance index of the Getty art history information program

The Provenance Index of the Getty Art History Information Program. 1811-1815. Vol. 3

The Index of Paintings Sold in the British Isles During the Nineteenth Century

Catalogue of the Paintings in the J. Paul Getty Museum

Julia I. Armstrong

Doris A. Mendenhall

This work, covering the years 1816-1820, makes the contents of some of the tens of thousands of sales catalogues published during the 19th century accessible to scholars. Information provided includes sales dates and lot numbers, prices and names of buyers and sellers, and locations of auctions.

Peter Humfrey

Andrea Bayer

William F. Prizer

Alessandro Nova

Dosso Dossi

Getty Research Institute (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Giovanni Romano

Michel Hochmann

Vincenzo Gheroldi

Adriano Franceschini

Jane Bridgeman

Craig Hugh Smyth

Mauro Lucco

Andrea de Marchi

Franco Bacchelli

Jadranka Bentini

Albano Biondi

Luca D'Ascia

Dosso Dossi has long been considered one of Renaissance Italy's most intriguing artists. Although a wealth of documents chronicles his life, he remains, in many ways, an enigma, and his art continues to be as elusive as it is compelling. In Dosso's Fate, leading scholars from a wide range of disciplines examine the social, intellectual, and historical contexts of his art, focusing on the development of new genres of painting, questions of style and chronology, the influence of courtly culture, and the work of his collaborators, as well as his visual and literary sources and his painting technique. The result is an important and original contribution not only to literature on Dosso Dossi but also to the study of cultural history in early modern Italy.

Painting and Court Culture in Renaissance Italy

Dosso's Fate

Burton B. Fredericksen

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