GCI General Information

GCI General Information Brochure, 2005 (4.8 MB) (requires Adobe Reader)

	Exterior view of the Getty Conservation Institute at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. Photo: Scott Frances/Esto.

The Getty Conservation Institute works internationally to advance conservation practice in the visual arts—broadly interpreted to include objects, collections, architecture, and sites. The Institute serves the conservation community through scientific research, education and training, model field projects, and the dissemination of the results of both its own work and the work of others in the field.

In all its endeavors, the GCI focuses on the creation and delivery of knowledge that will benefit the professionals and organizations responsible for the conservation of the world's
cultural heritage.

Advancing conservation practice is the organizing principle for all of the Institute's work—which includes identifying activities that improve the way conservation treatments are carried out, pursuing research that expands conservation knowledge, and increasing access to information on conservation subjects.

	Detail of Number 3, 1949: Tiger by Jackson Pollock. Many 20th-century artists have utilized modern synthetic paints, exploring and exploiting their distinct handling and optical properties. As part of a collaborative project to answer questions about the character of modern paint materials, the GCI analyzed samples from paintings by Pollock to identify binding media. Collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1972. © 2005 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

The Getty Conservation Institute, a part of the J. Paul Getty Trust, began operation in 1985. Since its inception, the Institute has engaged in a program of scientific research, educational activities, documentation, and the dissemination of information through publications, conferences, workshops, and public programs that include research opportunities for professionals and public lectures. In addition, the Institute has conducted international field projects in Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Europe.

The Institute's endeavors are designed to serve the needs of the conservation profession by undertaking work that tackles broad practical or theoretical questions of significance to the conservation field. The Institute develops and refines tools for conservation and shares its expertise with institutions and organizations worldwide so that its efforts have the greatest possible benefit to the practice of conservation.

	A project team at work in Cave 85—one of some 490 remaining cave temples at the Mogao grottoes, a major site of Buddhist art in northwest China. In collaboration with cultural authorities at the Mogao grottoes, the GCI is researching wall paintings deterioration at the grottoes and developing conservation methods that can be applied to similar Silk Road sites. Photo: Sun Hong Cai.

With this goal of service in mind—and building on years of experience—the GCI's activities continue to emphasize scientific research into the nature, decay, and treatment of materials; educational initiatives for the conservation professional; model field projects designed to advance conservation practice internationally; and the dissemination of information through both traditional publications and electronic means.

Over time, the staff of the GCI have developed expertise in a number of areas. These include:

• preventive conservation;
• monitoring and control of museum environments;
• methodologies for the analysis of materials and their deterioration;
• site management;
• archaeological conservation;
• earthen architecture and stone conservation;
• conservation of wall paintings and mosaics in situ; and
• the adaptation of technology for conservation purposes.

The work of the Institute is carried out through several groups: Science, Field Projects, Education, and Communications and Information Resources. The Institute is housed at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, along with other programs of the Getty Trust. Its facility at the Center includes scientific laboratories, programmatic and administrative offices, and a conservation information center. In addition, the Institute maintains facilities at the Getty Villa, also in Los Angeles, which is dedicated to the exhibition and study of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art.

In its activities, the GCI adheres to the principles that guide the work of the Getty Trust: service, philanthropy, teaching, and access.

Director: Timothy P. Whalen
Associate Director, Programs: Jeanne Marie Teutonico
Associate Director, Administration: Kathleen Gaines
Assistant Director, Communications and Information Resources: Jemima Rellie
Chief Scientist: Giacomo Chiari
Head of Education: Kathleen Dardes
Head of Field Projects: Susan Macdonald