The department of photographs at the Getty Museum

Abstract

Abstract The J. Paul Getty Museum opened to the public in 1954. It contained collections of paintings, antiquities and decorative arts, and was housed in a private residence belonging to Mr Getty. The current building, referred to by staff as ‘The Villa’, was completed in 1974, and now, in addition to the three collections mentioned above, displays selections from four departments formed since 1980 — those of sculpture, manuscripts, drawings, and photographs. The Department of Photographs was founded in the summer of 1984 with the purchase of 17 groups of photographs that included work from five of the finest collections then in private hands. The thousands of pieces acquired from André. Jammes, Bruno Bischofberger, Arnold Crane, Samuel Wagstaff and Volker Kahmen/George Heusch provided a substantial core collection with respectable representation of the medium's most important artists and periods. Twelve additional purchases were intended to complement this base, supplying greater depth for major photographers. To provide only the briefest introduction to these initial acquisitions of the Department of Photographs the highlights of each are noted below.