J. Paul Getty
Written when he believed his collecting days were over, Getty recounts personal anecdotes, discusses his philosophy of collecting, dispenses advice, recalls his major triumphs, and encourages everyone to collect art.
J. Paul Getty (1892–1976) was an American businessman and art collector, who viewed art as a civilizing influence in society.
In 1965, a decade after founding his namesake museum in Malibu, California, J. Paul Getty penned a brief reminiscence discussing what he had become his lifelong vocation. He wanted to convey “the romance and zest—the excitement, suspense, thrills, and triumphs—that make art collecting one of the most exhilarating and satisfying of all human endeavors.”
This book offers a fascinating portrait of an idiosyncratic and highly personal passion for art, which began in the 1930s and continued for more than four decades. The text, adorned with revealing anecdotes, covers paintings, Greek and Roman antiquities, and decorative arts and furniture, with conversational asides discussing Getty’s philosophy of collecting, as well as advice.
J. Paul Getty made his fortune in the oil business and was named the richest living American by Forbes magazine in 1957. He is the author of How To Be Rich (Playboy Press, 1965), The Golden Age (Trident Press, 1968), and As I See It: The Autobiography of J. Paul Getty (Getty Publications, 2003).
80 pages
5 3/8 x 8 1/2 inches
15 b/w illustrations
ISBN 978-1-60606-087-2
paperback
Getty Publications
Imprint: J. Paul Getty Museum
2011
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