Exhibition on mosaics

Exhibition

Roman Mosaics across the Empire
J. Paul Getty Museum
Getty Villa
Los Angeles
March 30-September 12, 2016

Mosaics once decorated luxurious domestic and public buildings
across the broad expanse of the Roman Empire.  Scenes from
mythology, daily life, nature, and arena spectacles enlivened
interior spaces and reflected the cultural ambitions of wealthy
patrons.  Roman Mosaics across the Empire, on view March 30 -
September 12, 2016, at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa,
presents the artistry of mosaics as well as the contexts of their
discovery throughout the Mediterranean region, from the Empire's
center in Italy to the provinces in North Africa, southern Gaul, and
Syria.  Drawn primarily from the Getty Museum's collection, the
exhibition offers visitors a rare opportunity to experience these
splendid objects in all their visual and cultural magnificence.

The exhibition will examine the works in their original contexts,
including the locations for which they were made, whether private
villas, public baths, or churches and the decorative and narrative
functions of their subject matter.

The exhibition will also highlight a project at the archaeological
site of Bulla Regia in present-day Tunisia, North Africa, led by the
Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), in collaboration with the
Institut National du Patrimoine of Tunisia and World Monuments Fund,
which seeks to conserve and maintain mosaics at the site.  The
project has two main components: the complete conservation of the
House of the Hunt, one of the most significant private residences at
the site, and a conservation and maintenance plan for the nearly
four hundred mosaics excavated throughout the site over the past
century.  The plan calls for selected mosaics to be stabilized and
presented to the public, and for others to be reburied for their
protection.

The Bulla Regia project serves as a large-scale example of best
practice for in situ conservation, which can be adapted at similar
sites in Tunisia and other countries.  It is part of the MOSAIKON
Initiative, which aims to improve the conservation and management of
mosaics in the Mediterranean region, especially in North Africa and
the Middle East.  The MOSAIKON Initiative is a partnership of the
GCI, the Getty Foundation, the International Centre for the Study of
the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, and the
International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics.

Reflecting its commitment to open content, the Getty will publish an
online catalogue on the occasion of this exhibition called Roman
Mosaics in the J. Paul Getty Museum

    <URL:http://www.getty.edu/publications/romanmosaics>

The catalogue is a companion to the Getty's most recent open content
publication, Ancient Terracottas from South Italy and Sicily in the
J. Paul Getty Museum

    <URL:http://www.getty.edu/publications/terracottas

Both titles can be downloaded free of charge.

Roman Mosaics across the Empire is curated by Alexis Belis,
assistant curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Visiting the Getty Villa: The Getty Villa is open Wednesday through
Monday, 10 am - 5 pm.  It is closed Tuesday and most major holidays,
open on July 4, 2016.  Admission to the Getty Villa is always free,
but a ticket is required for admission.  Tickets can be ordered in
advance, or on the day of your visit, at

    <URL:http://www.getty.edu/visit>

or at 310-440-7300.  Parking is $15 per car, but reduced to $10
after 4 pm.  Groups of 15 or more must make reservations by phone.
For more information, call 310-440-7300 (English or Spanish);
310-440-7305 (TTY line for the deaf or hearing impaired).  The
Getty Villa is at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades,
California.

Additional information is available at

    <URL:http://www.getty.edu>


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