Press Materials

One of the most intriguing series in Rembrandt's oeuvre comprises his drawings made in the style of artists serving the Mughal court in India. Juxtaposing Rembrandt's depictions of Mughal rulers and courtiers with Indian paintings and drawings of similar compositions, this exhibition reveals how contact with Mughal art inspired Rembrandt to draw in an entirely different, refined style prompted by his curiosity for a foreign culture.

A Queen's Treasure brings to the Getty precious examples of Japanese lacquer from the personal collection of the French queen Marie-Antoinette (1755–1793). Her collection of small lacquer boxes was one of the finest assembled in Europe, and she considered them to be among her most cherished possessions. The elaborate and costly works reveal a fascinating example of the queen's sophisticated taste and demonstrate the consistent level of achievement attained by Japanese lacquer artists during the mid-Edo period (about 1681–1764) when these pieces were created.

Medieval manuscripts preserve stories of faith, romance, and knowledge, but their luxurious illuminations can reveal disturbing narratives as well. Often created for the privileged classes, such books nevertheless provide glimpses of the marginalized and powerless and reflect their tenuous place in society. Attitudes toward women, Jews and Muslims, the poor, those perceived as socially divergent, and foreign peoples beyond European borders can be discerned through caricature and polemical imagery as well as marks of erasure and censorship. Curated by Kristen Collins and Bryan C. Keene.

Paper Promises demonstrates the importance of photographic reproduction in shaping and circulating perceptions of America and its people during a critical period of political tension and territorial expansion. The exhibition traces mid-nineteenth-century experimentation with and exploitation of photography on paper, chronicling the ways in which concern about manipulation and duplication of paper photographs became tempered by enthusiasm for the social connectivity they offered. Rare photographs and negatives are featured alongside iconic images from the formative years of photography in the United States. Curated by Mazie Harris.

The Museum recently made one of the most spectacular acquisitions in its history, purchasing a collection of sixteen drawings from a private collector. The group features exceptional sheets by many of the most celebrated draftsmen in European art history, including Michelangelo, Andrea del Sarto, Domenico Tiepolo, Goya, and Degas. This exhibition presents the drawings together with an exquisite painting by Antoine Watteau, La Surprise, acquired from the same celebrated collection.