Press Materials

Practitioners of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have been called people of the book for their shared belief in the importance of divine word. A recent acquisition of a remarkable medieval Torah allows the Getty for the firs time to represent the three faiths through their sacred books. The display showcases the manuscripts, each rendered in glowing gold and luminous colors on parchment: a ninth-century North African Qur'an, a fifteenth-century Christian Bible, and a rare thirteenth-century Torah from Northern Europe. 

During the 1600s citizens of the Dutch Republic enjoyed increasing political and religious freedom, economic prosperity, and maritime supremacy which ushered in a tremendous boom in art production. A newly flourishing art market prompted the making of vast quantities of finished drawings. Dutch artists created works on paper that proudly commemorated local citizens, architecture, landscapes, customs, and pastimes. In addition to these specific depictions of Dutch daily life, artists drew generic scenes with a high degree of specificity. By juxtaposing portraits of people and places with more generic types, this exhibition underscores the masterful likeness of the Dutch visual tradition. Drawings by Rembrandt van Rijn, Albert Cuyp, and Hendrick Avercamp will be featured as well as many new acquisitions by Gereard ter Borch, Willem Buytewech, and Esaias van de Velde.