Connecting Seas: A Visual History of Discoveries and Encounters

Connecting Seas draws on the Getty Research Institute’s extensive special collections to reveal how adventures on other continents and discoveries of different cultures were perceived, represented, and transmitted in the past, when ocean travel was the primary means by which people and knowledge circulated. 

Featuring rare books and maps, photographs and panoramic vues d’optique, prints, and even Napoleon’s monumental folios on Egypt, the exhibition traces the fascinating course of scholarly investigation and comprehension of cultures in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Intriguing works from around the world, dating from the 16th to the 21st century, chart diverse narratives of discovery, exploration, commerce, and colonization, and illuminate the multiple levels of encounter at the roots of today’s globalization. 

Connecting Seas will be the first exhibition in the Research Institute’s newly expanded galleries.


Press Materials:

        Connecting Seas (Press Release)

        Connecting Seas (Available Images)

        Connecting Seas (Object List)

MEDIA CONTACT:
Amy Hood 
Getty Communications
(310) 440-6427 
ahood@getty.edu