Renaissance Splendors in L.A.
Danielle Trynoski takes in the new Renaissance Splendors of the Northern Italian Courts exhibit at the Getty Center in Lost Angeles
In April, I made a very special journey up a hill on the north side of Los Angeles; a journey akin to a pilgrimage for many art enthusiasts. I was fortunate to have a talk and tour with Bryan C. Keene at the Getty Center, co-curator of the exhibit “Renaissance Splendors of the Northern Italian Courts.”
Our discussion started at the beginning, with a question about the source of the idea for the exhibit focus. The development of the concept was a collaborative effort amongst graduate interns and Getty staff including curators, conservators, and research scientists. Exhibit focus and the development of its supporting themes are based on multiple factors including past and upcoming exhibits involving Italian and illuminated manuscripts, recent acquisitions and research at the Getty, and potential and/or future loans. Exhibit selections draw from difference sources including the Getty’s manuscript collection, the Getty Research Institute, and private collections. The curatorial team works with conservators to determine which pieces or pages are available for inclusion, after considering recent time spent on display, condition, and gallery placement.
Significant time was spent evaluating the story flow. Discussions with the curatorial team, installation team, and design staff affected layout and concept, e.g., which gallery entrance received more usage/higher volume historically. Past studies of visitor flow showed that the majority of visitors entered the gallery through an interior gallery entrance rather than the more direct entrance off of the Getty Center’s main courtyard. This finding affected the final layout of objects, such as arranging the entry sightline to feature the smallest physical object (a book) framed by the largest physical object (a notation page from a choral volume). A stand-alone case shows the method and materials involved in the production and illumination of manuscripts. island as remote from the civilized world and the home of barbarians.
Ireland’s Minister for Tourism, Transport and Sport, Paschal Donohoe, explained in a statement, “Recent growth in visitor numbers has confirmed Ireland is a popular destination. However, the market research tells us that there is potentially a lot more growth out there if we pitch our best assets to those segments with the most potential. Indeed, when I recently launched our new national tourism policy, ‘People Places and Policy’, I emphasised that we would need to continue developing projects that were both big enough and attractive to help us cut through to compete in international markets.
Renaissance Splendors exhibit at The Getty – photos by Danielle Trynoski