Getty goes for Asian photographs

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Twenty-five years ago, when the J. Paul Getty Museum plunged into the field of photography with a stunning purchase of 18,000 photographs, one of the least-remarked facts was that the bonanza of mostly European and American images included a few Japanese works.

The focus on Western art hasn’t changed much as the collection has grown more than fivefold, but the department of photographs has begun to look East. In the last three years, the Getty has quietly purchased and received donations of about 150 photographs by Japanese, Chinese and Koren artists. Many other Asian acquisitions are in process.

Among the latest arrivals are contemporary works by Chinese artists Wang Qingsong and Hai Bo, who explore social, political and cultural issues in a rapidly changing land. Wang, who includes himself in panoramic tableaux, re-creates traditional Chinese masterpieces as he reflects on current realities. Hai pairs old photographs of family members and friends with pictures of the people they have become.

In one Getty acquisition, ‘I Am Chairman Mao’s Red Guard’ (above), an image of a uniformed girl proudly holding Mao’s Little Red Book appears beside a portrait of her grown-up self. Long after the Cultural Revolution has ended, she is a heavy-set, middle-aged woman dressed in a simple flowered shift. In many ways, the face is the same, but youthful idealism has given way to an understanding of life as it is.

Read the full story and see more photos here or in Wednesday’s Calendar section.

-- Suzanne Muchnic