B Hartford J Strong, Architecture of the Getty museum, Los Angeles, California. Photo: ( Wikimedia)

APPOINTMENT: Getty Museum appoints two new curators to nurture the museum’s ambitious plans for the future

BY KAZAD

LOS ANGELES –The J. Paul Getty Museum has appointed two new senior curators for the Getty Museum. Dr. Davide Gasparotto, a respected scholar in the field of Renaissance through 18^th century Italian painting and sculpture will become Senior Curator of Paintings. It is expected that Gasparotto will revitalized the painting department that already has a distinguished history of acquisitions, exhibitions, scholarly research, and publications in this area. Dr. Jeffrey B. Spier, an experienced scholar, curator and connoisseur of classical art has been appointed to the position of Senior Curator of Antiquities. Spier who has a B.A. degree in Classical Archaeology at Harvard University and a D.Phil in classical Archaeology at Merton College, Oxford, is expected to play a critical role in Getty Museum’s ambitious plans for the future.

Speaking On his appointment, Gasparotto said “I am thrilled to become part of the staff of the Getty Museum.” To be part of the museum that is well-respected across the globe for its distinguish collection, Gasparotto notes, is a great opportunity. Gasparotto who has had a successful career within the Italian museum world explained that beyond the museums reputation as a major international arts institution, “the Getty has a unique collection of outstanding masterpieces, and its holdings in the fields of painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and drawings are of the highest rank,” he said.

Gasparotto will join the Getty Museum in late 2014 with an office at the Getty Center. He  is already looking forward to his days at the Getty Museum and the privilege of working with the celebrated staff. He said:

It will be a pleasure and privilege to work with the staff of such leading curators, conservators, and educators, all of whom are authorities in their areas of expertise. Over the years and under the guidance of my predecessors, the Getty has led the way with major acquisitions of paintings, successful exhibitions, and inspirational programming. I look forward to working with my new colleagues in the Department of Paintings on the Museum’s upcoming projects, sharing, as I do, the Getty’s belief in the fundamental role of museum research in presenting engaging offerings to the broad public and scholarly community alike.

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Like Gasparotto, Spier is excited to join the Getty museum. He notes: “I am delighted and very excited to be able to lead the antiquities department at the Getty Villa in its ambitious plans for new displays, special exhibitions, public lectures, and an expanded program for visiting scholars”. For him the relationship between him and Getty can considered as love at first sight: “A visit to the Villa, home to an exquisite collection of the finest Greek and Roman antiquities in America, is already a wonderful experience, but we plan to make it even better. We want visitors to be amazed and inspired.” Spier joins the Getty Museum in September and will have his office at the Getty Villa in Malibu .

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