Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum,
Ms. Ludwig XV 3, fol. 89v. Bestiary, France, ca. 1270.
ICMA at The Courtauld Lecture 2019
Series made possible through the generosity of William M. Voelkle
Wednesday 13 March 2019
5:30pm - 6:30 pm
The Courtauld Institute of Art, Vernon Square
Lecture Theatre 1, First Floor
Penton Rise, King’s Cross
London, WC1X 9EW
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Advance booking requried
Open to all, free admission
Lecture followed by a reception sponsored by Sam Fogg
A Beast of a Project:
Curating an Exhibition on Bestiaries at the Getty
Dr. Elizabeth Morrison
Senior Curator of Manuscripts, J, Paul Getty Museum
The prospect of curating a major international loan exhibition is equal parts thrilling and intimidating. After eight years of intense research, loan negotiation, design development, and thousands of emails, Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World will open at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles on May 14, 2019. This presentation will look at the behind-the-scenes planning necessary by the lead curator, from the intellectual origins of the concept to some of the major challenges faced along the way. It will explore the exhibition’s major themes, including how the vivid images of the bestiary created an influential visual language that endured for centuries and became so popular that the animals escaped from the pages of books into other types of art objects ranging from massive tapestries to diminutive ivories. The exhibition will feature 115 objects from 45 lenders across the United States and Europe, including one third of the world’s surviving Latin illuminated bestiaries.
Elizabeth Morrison is Senior Curator of Manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum. She received her PhD in the History of Art from Cornell University and began work at the Getty in 1996. During her tenure there, she has curated numerous exhibitions including the 2010 co-curated exhibition Imagining the Past in France, 1250-1500, which was a finalist for the College Arts Association award for outstanding exhibition catalogue. She has published on both Flemish and French illumination and has served on the boards of the International Center of Medieval Art and the Medieval Academy of America.
This lecture is presented by The Courtauld Institute of Art in association with the International Center of Medieval Art and with the support of The Courtauld Institute of Art's Research Forum.
The annual lecture is delivered at The Courtauld by a scholar based in North America, strengthening transatlantic contacts among medievalists from the university and museum worlds.
Organized by Professor Joanna Cannon, The Courtauld Institute of Art
A generous benefaction secured the continuation of the lecture series. Dr. William M. Voelkle, Curator Emeritus of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts at the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, supports the travel and accommodation costs of the speaker.