What Is Getty and What Does getty.edu Offer?

Updated

Getty is a Los Angeles–based institution for visual art and cultural heritage. Its website, getty.edu, is the public entry point to two museums, an art and research library, collections spanning ancient to modern times, conservation and research programs, and free research tools. It is useful if you want to visit in person, study art and archival material, apply for funding, or teach with museum resources. The site describes its research tools as free; it does not publish pricing for visits or programs on the pages summarized here, so check individual pages before planning.

What Getty does

The site organizes its work into four public-facing areas:

  • Our Locations — two distinct sites: the Getty Villa Museum and the Getty Center, each with art, architecture, and gardens.
  • Art & Archives — art and research collections that span ancient to modern times.
  • Research & Conservation — research and conservation of visual art and cultural heritage, conducted in Los Angeles and worldwide.
  • Funding and initiatives — grant programs and collaborative projects such as Connecting Art Histories, which supports intellectual exchange among scholars studying the visual arts.

What you can do on the site

Plan a museum visit

The Locations section introduces the Getty Villa Museum and the Getty Center as separate destinations with their own art, architecture, and gardens. Use it to decide which site fits your interests before checking hours, tickets, or directions on the individual museum pages.

Explore exhibitions

Current exhibitions are featured on the homepage. One example is Reggie Burrows Hodges: A Theater of Passions, described as the artist's first solo museum presentation in his hometown of Los Angeles, highlighting drama and theatricality behind 17th-century Italian paintings from Getty's collection. Exhibition pages are the place to confirm dates and viewing details.

Use collections and research resources

The Resources section gathers tools and support for work and study in visual art and cultural heritage, including:

  • Art and research collections
  • K–12 teaching materials
  • Research databases
  • Software and APIs
  • Internships and grants

If you are a teacher, the K–12 materials are the most direct starting point. If you are a developer or researcher, the software and APIs and research databases are the relevant entries.

Read news and stories

News & Stories collects articles on Getty's work and staff. Recent examples include a piece on staff members' holiday recipes, an article on the secrets of a 16th-century painting, and a profile of Accra Shepp's process for printing photographs on plant leaves. These are useful for following projects and behind-the-scenes conservation and curatorial work.

Find funding or a job

The funding pages describe grant opportunities and initiatives. The Work with Us section lists jobs and volunteer opportunities, and Stay Connected offers e-newsletter signup.

How to choose your entry point

Your goal Start here
Visit a museum Our Locations → Getty Villa Museum or Getty Center
See a current show Featured exhibition on the homepage
Teach with art Resources → K–12 Teaching
Research or build with data Resources → Research Databases, Software and APIs
Apply for support Funding / Internships and Grants
Follow projects News & Stories, All Projects & Initiatives

Practical notes

The site is in English and functions as a hub that routes you to more specific pages; details such as opening hours, ticketing, and application deadlines live on those subpages rather than the homepage. The homepage excerpt confirms free research tools but does not state whether museum admission or other services are free, so verify before you go. For questions or feedback, the Contact Us link provides a direct channel.