Getty Center, “Fantasy of the Middle Ages”, and more!

The Getty Center on the hillside overlooking the 405 freeway is a collection of fine art free to the public with reservations!  After parking and security check, there is a tram that takes you up the museum. Steps next to a flowing fountain leads to the main building.  It is some beautiful grounds worth the trip alone.  What drew me there was the “Fantasy of the Middle Ages” exhibit.  The exhibit opened on June 21st and closes on September 11th, there's a few days left!  This is at the North Building to the left outside of the main building.  I was impressed by the Heroes display with a book and colorful illustration of Saint George and the Dragon dated to about 1450-55.  Another book had The Order of Chivalry, black and white frontispiece by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris (1892). 

Fantasy of the Middle Ages at the Getty Center, photo by the author. 

Another incredible book and illustration was by Arthur Rackham, “The Waiting Maid Sprang Down First and Maid Maleen Followed” (1917) for the Brothers Grimm book.  A colorful dragon with a lion head, multi-colored bird wing and reptile tail was in a book worn by water in a French book dated to about 1270.  A King Arthur display had The Lady of the Lake Telleth Arthur of the Sword Excalibur” (1893-94) by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley for Le morte d’Arthur.   For the Camelot in the Victorian Age, there was “The Beguiling of Merlin” (1890) by Adolph Lalauze after Edward Burne-Jones.  Also, “The Parting of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere” (1875), a black and white photograph by Julia Margaret Cameron for her friend’s book of Arthurian poems, Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Idylls of the King.  

“The Parting of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere” by Julia Margaret Cameron, author’s photo. 

Outside of the room in a hallway was a display of collections by the museum staff.  I saw Dungeons & Dragons books, Magic: The Gathering cards, a hardback copy of Chivalry by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran, the Cursed book, some Camelot 3000 comic books, a DVDs of First Knight (1995) and Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), plus a banner from Medieval Times.  The other room had pages of Combat with Sword and Combat with Sword, Staff, and Lance by Fiore Furlan dei Liberi de Premariacco dated about 1410.  “Costumes for Stage and Screen”, costume sketches like “Virginia May as Lady Edith” for King Richard and the Crusaders.  Also Kay Nielsen’s sudies for Sleeping Beauty (1959).  I also saw the Sword in the Stone prop book used at the beginning of the1963 Disney animated movie based on the T.H. White story.  The rest of the museum had paintings of some of my favorite artists; Pierre-Auguste Renoir, “La Promenade” (1870), Claude Monet, “Sunrise” (1873), and Vincent van Gogh’s “Irises” (1889).  The Getty Center has beautiful collections, I’m thinking of being away from works of art the words of Frank Herbert in Dune (1965), “Without change something sleeps inside of us, and seldom awakens.”  

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