The Thrill of the Chase

Samuel J. Wagstaff Jr. was an influential art curator, patron and collector. In 1973, with the assistance of Robert Mapplethorpe, Wagstaff came to believe that art photography was significantly undervalued. Over the next decade, he assembled one of the most important private collections of photographs in the world, which helped raise the profile of the medium and the price of photographic works. When he sold his collection to the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1984, it became the cornerstone of the Museum’s newly formed Department of Photographs. This exhibition presents a selection of Wagstaff’s collection that spans the history of photography, from neglected French photographers of the 1850s to modernists Man Ray and Edward Weston to late 20th-century photographers Larry Clark, Joel-Peter Witkin, and Peter Hujar.

The Getty Center, in Los Angeles is a campus of the Getty Museum and other programs of the Getty Trust. The $1.3 billion Center opened to the public on December 16, 1997 and is well known for its architecture, gardens, and views overlooking Los Angeles. The Center sits atop a hill connected to a visitors' parking garage at the bottom of the hill by a three-car, cable-pulled hovertrain funicular. Located in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, the Center is one of two locations of the J. Paul Getty Museum and draws 1.3 million visitors annually. The Center branch of the Museum features pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts; and 19th and 20th century American, Asian, and European photographs. In addition, the Museum’s collection at the Center includes outdoor sculpture displayed on terraces and in gardens and the large Central Garden designed by Robert Irwin. Among the artworks on display is the Vincent Van Gogh painting Irises. Designed by architect Richard Meier, the campus also houses the Getty Research Institute (GRI), the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Foundation, and the J. Paul Getty Trust. 

Admission to the Getty Center is always FREE.
Parking is $15 per car; $10 after 5:00 p.m.

Gallery and Garden Hours

Tuesday–Friday and Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Closed Mondays May 29–August 28, 2015 open Fridays to 9:00 p.m.
Holiday closures: January 1, Thanksgiving, and December 25 (Christmas Day)

The Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 9004