From ancient pottery to 19th-century trailblazers: April exhibitions at the Getty

A look at the four art exhibitions the Getty Museum presents in April 2024.

Source: Getty Museum · Image: Hippolyte Bayard (French, 1801 – 1887), “Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel”, 1847. Getty Museum.

Camille Claudel. April 2, 2024–July 21, 2024, Getty Center

Celebrated for her brilliance during a time when women sculptors were rare, Camille Claudel was among the most daring and visionary artists of the late 19th century. Although remembered today for her dramatic life story—her passionate relationship with artist Auguste Rodin and her 30-year internment in a psychiatric institution—her art remains little known outside of France. Including about 60 artworks, this major exhibition seeks to re-evaluate Claudel’s work and affirm her legacy within a more complex genealogy of Modernism.

Nineteenth-Century Photography Now. April 9, 2024–July 7, 2024, Getty Center

Given the ubiquity of photography in our lives today, the small, sepia-toned images made in the 19th century may appear remote and unconnected to the present. Yet, many of the conventions established when photographic technology was new and cutting-edge are still in use and relevant today. This exhibition provides fresh perspectives on Getty’s collection of 19th‐century photography via the work of contemporary artists who respond directly to its historical themes and subject matter.

A Persistent Pioneer: Hippolyte Bayard. April 9, 2024–July 7, 2024, Getty Center

Hippolyte Bayard—Parisian bureaucrat by day and persistent inventor and artist after hours—is one of the lesser-known pioneers of photography. This exhibition presents an extraordinarily rare opportunity to view some of Bayard’s highly fragile photographs dating from the 1840s—the first decade of the new medium—and to explore his early processes, subjects, and strategies to achieve recognition. It highlights one of Getty’s most treasured photographic holdings—Bayard’s album of over 150 prints, one of the first photographic albums ever created.

Picture Worlds: Greek, Maya, Moche Pottery. April 10, 2024–July 29, 2024, Getty Villa

Mighty deities, brave heroes, and fantastic beings adorn the ancient terracotta vessels of the Greeks, the Moche of northern Peru, and the Maya in Central America. This exhibition juxtaposes these three distinct ceramic traditions and explores the ways in which painted pottery served as a dynamic means of storytelling and social engagement.