The Getty Gets New Blood

With regard to the acquisition of antiquities, what new rules govern acquisitions? Are the recent changes—requiring clear documentary proof that all artifacts brought into the United States after 1970 were imported legally—acceptable to you?

The new rules have already been put in place. The Getty has announced its new acquisition policy, using the UNESCO date of 1970. It’s is certainly one of the strictest acquisition guidelines there is. I think it’s appropriate for us to do that, and that’s done. They have given it a lot of thought, though of course I wasn’t involved. But it’s in everyone’s best interests for us to continue to collect and collect aggressively. But obviously, only in the context of the guidelines.

Speaking more broadly about acquisitions, I’m told the pace of the Getty’s acquisitions has slowed in recent years. Do you expect to pick up the pace? If so, what areas do you expect to concentrate on?

It’s a fair question. I can’t give you a detailed answer. I can say that for any institution, particularly a young institution like the Getty, acquisition is the life’s blood. It’s a real priority. One of the advantages of a place like the Getty is that they can choose where they want to focus, where their means would make the greatest contribution to the collections. The trick for me is not numbers, but the level of quality.

Aside from the museum itself, where do you expect to have to focus at the trust?

Well, when you have a foundation to fund major scholarship, this is quite a different demand. Most museums aren’t in a position to give money to others. This is a wonderful reversal—although I’m learning quickly that begging is difficult, but giving isn’t so easy, either. The demand is to do it right, and that’s a challenge. It’s a good moment to step back and re-evaluate the entire organization.