The Iris

Italian art

Posted in Art, Getty Research Institute, Research

The Display of Art in Roman Palaces

By Gail Feigenbaum and Lisa Cherkerzian | Published: January 25, 2011
Section of a Palace with Carriage, Andrea Francesco Nicoletti, 1709 (?), pen and black ink with watercolor. Gabinetto Comunale delle Stampe, Rome

At a time when we’re accustomed to viewing art in museums—and often in galleries that more or less resemble a white cube—it’s worth thinking back a few centuries to the way many of the paintings and objects in collections like… More»

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Posted in Art, Getty Research Institute

Treasures from the Vault: Italian Artists’ Books

By Isotta Poggi | Published: December 3, 2010
Books by Maurizio Nannucci. Top: Medium is word, 1975. Keleidoscope in a wooden box with a sliding top, 32 x 8 cm. Bottom: Museum of Modern Art, no. 15/30, 1983. Keychain inside a wooden box featuring a floor plan for a "Museum of Modern Art.” 7.3 x 10.8 cm. The Getty Research Institute, 890164, box 201 © Maurizio Nannucci
Books by Maurizio Nannucci. Top: Medium is word, 1975. Keleidoscope in a wooden box with a sliding top, 32 x 8 cm. Bottom: Museum of Modern Art, no. 15/30, 1983. Keychain inside a wooden box featuring a floor plan for a "Museum of Modern Art.” 7.3 x 10.8 cm. The Getty Research Institute, 890164, box 201 © Maurizio Nannucci
Saturday is the final day for the Santa Monica Museum of Art’s exhibition Libro/Oggetto: Italian Artists’ Books, 1960s–Now, a look at Italian artists’ books from the main art movements and trends of the second half of the 20th century. It... More»
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Posted in Art, Education, J. Paul Getty Museum, Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Question of the Week: Is It Better for a Leader to Be Loved, or Feared?

By Nancy Real | Published: November 11, 2010
Bust of Emperor Caracalla, Bartolomeo Cavaceppi, Italian, Rome, about 1750–70. Marble, 28 in. high
Question of the Week is a series inspired by our Masterpiece of the Week tours, offered daily at 4:00 p.m. Featuring an open and upbeat discussion among visitors and gallery teachers, the tours feature a new object and pose a... More»
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Posted in Architecture and Design, Getty Foundation

Inside Brunelleschi’s Dome

By Ron Hartwig | Published: September 20, 2010
View of Brunelleschi's dome from the first gallery. Photo courtesy of the project for the photographic documentation of the Cupola of St. Maria del Fiore in Florence
View of Brunelleschi's dome from the first gallery. Photo courtesy of the project for the photographic documentation of the Cupola of St. Maria del Fiore in Florence
Italy is full of extraordinary, breathtaking round-the-corner experiences. You round a corner in Rome and find the Pantheon. In Pisa it could be the Torre Pendente di Pisa, better known as the Leaning Tower. When you arrive at the Florence... More»
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Posted in Getty Center, J. Paul Getty Museum, Paintings

Travel Postcards, 18th-Century Style

By Lorena Patlán | Published: August 25, 2010
The Grand Canal, Venice, Canaletto, DATE TK. Private collection
Picture this: You’re in the 18th century taking a Grand Tour across Europe, making all the “in” stops such as France and Italy. Before heading back home, you have one final task: buying souvenirs! You’ve taken fencing lessons in Paris,... More»
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Posted in Exhibitions and Installations, Prints and Drawings, Publications

Leonardo da Vinci, Anatomist

By Annelisa Stephan | Published: June 4, 2010
From the new book: Leonardo's exploded view of the muscles and tendons of the soles of the foot, with anatomical notes in English
Leonardo da Vinci worked for 25 years on a complete guide to the human form that would have transformed the study of anatomy in Europe. But the project was never finished and the notes were all but lost for centuries... More»
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Posted in Behind the Scenes, Exhibitions and Installations, Getty Center, J. Paul Getty Museum, Prints and Drawings, Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Welcoming Leonardo to L.A.

By Julian Brooks | Published: April 13, 2010
leonardo_install_2
More than any other exhibition I’ve worked on, Leonardo da Vinci and the Art of Sculpture: Inspiration and Invention feels historic. To stand there as the crate containing Leonardo’s painting of Saint Jerome from the Vatican was opened, to imagine... More»
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Posted in Behind the Scenes, Exhibitions and Installations, J. Paul Getty Museum, Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The Thrills (and Terrors) of Installing an Exhibition

By Anne-Lise Desmas | Published: April 5, 2010
Installing Leonardo and the Art of Sculpture
Chain in hand, I help out during the heavy lifting.
Wednesday, March 17, 9:50 a.m. That's it. I've just walked the last courier to the South Gate shuttle point and said good-bye, and am going back to the museum. There's a delicious smell coming from the wisteria, and the sky... More»
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      Remarkably realistic for medieval illuminated beasts, which were often fabulous admixtures of fantasy and fur. The unicorn is clearly drawn from life, for example.


      05/23/13

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