Getty Museum initiative to preserve modern architectural masterpieces

The Getty Museum is launching a new international program, the Conserving Modern Architecture Program, in the hopes of giving preservation architects new and more sophisticated strategies to preserve 20th century buildings. Its first project will be funding research at the Charles and Ray Eames house in Los Angeles.

Tim Whalen, the director of the Getty Conservation Institute, said the program was not designed as an advocacy organisation, like the Los Angeles Conservancy's Modern Committee to keep landmarks from the wrecking ball. The point is to forge partnerships with architects and organisations already doing research on how to preserve modern masterpieces. Read more...
Image: the living room of the Eames house in Los Angeles

Two years on, the Getty has a new director

After two-year hunt, the J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has named Timothy Potts as director. Like his predecessor, Michael Brand, he hails from Australia. He was also rumoured to be on the headhunters list for directorship of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which has gone to Brand.

Google Goggles at work at the Getty Museum

At the J Paul Getty Museum you can use the Google Goggles app on your android phone to take a photo of any of the paintings in the Getty's permanent collection and instantly access information about the work from both the Getty's mobile-optimised webpage about the painting and from around the web. Instead of being limited to the amount of information that fits on a wall text next to the painting, Getty museum staff can now share a fuller story that all visitors can enjoy on line. Read more...