When the J. Paul Getty Museum plunged into the field of photography 25 years ago 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 recently 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 Korean artists. Many other Asian acquisitions are in the pipeline.
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 of the Getty acquisitions, "I Am Chairman Mao's Red Guard," 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.
The Chinese pictures and many others are spread out on large tables in a study room where Judith Keller, acting senior curator of photographs, lifts protective coverings on recent acquisitions. There are pictures of people in Korean streets and subways by Soon Tae Hong, scenes of modern Tokyo by Shigeichi Nagano, shots of Japanese couples in a park by Masato Seto and sendups of the Peking Opera by Liu Zheng.
Built-in audience
"Building our Asian collection is something that I have been very much in favor of," Keller says. "I think that because we are on the Pacific Rim and we have a huge audience of people of Asian heritage, it's something we should be doing.
"It did not really become a priority until last year," she says. "But ever since Michael Brand, who has a background in Indian art, became director of the museum, he and David Bomford, the associate director for collections, have encouraged me to follow this path. We have not been collecting exclusively Asian material. It's just one vein. But it's important."
