Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture
through October 26
The Getty Center
See dazzling portraits in marble and bronze by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and other 17th-century Italian sculptors, who transformed the portrait bust into a groundbreaking art form. With dazzling virtuosity, these artists coaxed the living presence and personality of their sitters—creating a "speaking likeness"—from the intractable medium of stone.

"One of the outstanding displays of 17th-century European sculpture in the United States in recent decades," says The New York Times.

Learn more about this exhibition.

See all events related to this exhibition.

Banner image: Portrait of Costanza Bonarelli (detail), Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1636–38. Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence Courtesy of the Istituti museali della Soprintendenza Speciale per il Polo Museale Fiorentino. Photo: Arrigo Coppitz

Grecian Taste and Roman Spirit: The Society of Dilettanti
through October 27
The Getty Villa
Revelers and wits, scholars and collectors, the gentlemen of the Society of Dilettanti promoted classical art and architecture, sponsored archaeological expeditions, and assembled celebrated antiquities collections. See how these notable (and sometimes notorious) personalities mixed the antic and the antique, transforming the study of the classical past.

Learn more about this exhibition.

See all events related to this exhibition.

Faces of Power and Piety: Medieval Portraiture
through October 26
The Getty Center
In the Middle Ages, artists strove to transcend time, presenting people as they wished to be remembered through the ages. See portraits of Christ and the saints, artists and scholars, patrons and courtiers in this manuscripts exhibition that looks into the faces of the medieval world.

Learn more about this exhibition.

See all events related to this exhibition.

Agamemnon
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, September 4–27, 8:00 p.m.
The Getty Villa
Six years in the making, this powerful new production of Aeschylus's Agamemnon, directed by Stephen Wadsworth from a resonant new translation by Robert Fagles, features riveting performances by Delroy Lindo and Tyne Daly. A returning soldier bears witness to unthinkable carnage, a city questions the wisdom of a decade-long war, and a family turns the violence of war in on itself. Tickets $38; $32 students/seniors.

Learn more and get tickets.

Living with Aeschylus's Agamemnon
Saturday, September 27, 2:00 p.m.
The Getty Villa
In conjunction with his open-air staging of Agamemnon, director Stephen Wadsworth talks with art historian Mary Louise Hart about the creative process behind the production and discusses the continuing relevance of this 2,500-year-old drama. Free; a ticket is required.

Learn more and get tickets.

Friday Nights at the Getty: Fur Dixon & Steve Werner
Friday, September 19, 7:30 p.m.
The Getty Center
Friday Nights kicks off the 2008–09 season with a musical joyride from this wise-cracking, hard-riding duo of angel-voiced cowgirl and unrepentant folksinger. Free; reservations required. Reservations available beginning Thursday, August 21, at 9:00 a.m.

Learn more, make reservations, and see what else is coming up in Friday Nights at the Getty.

World Festival of Sacred Music: Chirgilchin, Enzo Avitabile & the Sacro Sud Project
Friday and Saturday, September 26 and 27, 7:30 p.m.
The Getty Center
The World Festival of Sacred Music comes to the Getty Center for two nights: Master Tuvan throat singers Chirgilchin play their vocal chords like instruments (Friday), and Enzo Avitabile & the Sacro Sud Project combine voice, saxophone, and launeddas (triplepipe) in a musical journey across time and space (Saturday). Tickets for Friday are $25, $20 students/seniors; tickets for Saturday are $20, $15 students/seniors.

Learn more, get tickets, and hear music samples from the performers.