Getty Research Institute

Located on the Getty Center campus in Brentwood, the Research Library at the Getty Research Institute focuses on the history of art, architecture, and archaeology from prehistory to the contemporary period. Presently, the collections are strongest in the history of western European art and culture in Europe and North America; however, in recent years, they have expanded to include other areas, such as Latin America, Eastern Europe, and selected regions of Asia. The library's foundation lies in its special collections of original documents and objects. Recent acquisitions and initiatives have documented developments during the postwar years in Southern California. The special collections include contemporary artists' photographers' by Los Angeles artists; archives and manuscripts of Southern California artists, writers, and curators such as Sam Francis, Robert Irwin, and Henry Hopkins; archives of art publications such as High Performance magazine; prints, drawings, and multiples, including a complete set of those produced by Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions; rare photographs and photographers’ archives, such as Charles Brittin's; architectural drawings and comprehensive archives such as John Parkinson's drawings for Union Station, the Walt Disney Concert Hall documentation, the Pierre Koenig and John Lautner archives, and the Julius Shulman Photography Archive highlighting Los Angeles architecture. Documenting the advanced art that put Los Angeles and Southern California on the map of the international art world, Long Beach Museum of Art Video Archive, now part of the Research Library's collections, contains close to 5000 tapes and supporting files.