Tony Swatton has been forging armor, swords, helmets, and shields for 30 years. If you’ve seen an action movie or music video with a cool-looking dagger or suit of gleaming metal—whether Batman or Katy Perry—chances are it came from his Burbank armory.
And now, at free demos inspired by the exhibition Chivalry in the Middle Ages, Tony is turning the Getty Center courtyard into a mini blacksmith’s shop complete with armor, chain mail, and battle helmets. And yes, you get to try them on! There’s no blast forge—you can watch his Man of Arms videos for that—but Tony will show how a blacksmith tames steel the old-fashioned way to make tools of the trade for the working knight (or Hollywood stuntman).
As with all our Artist at Work programs, this is a drop-in, please-touch program with plenty of time for questions. So if you ever wanted to know what it really takes to be a knight in shining armor, drop by and meet Tony.
Here’s the full schedule:
Artist at Work: Arms and Armor
Sundays, 1–3 pm
August 3, 10, 24, and 31
October 19 and 26
November 2
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