J. Paul Getty Museum. Director's Office

The J. Paul Getty Museum originally opened in 1954 with two rooms and relatively little publicity. By August 1955 the Museum had 6 gallery areas: I. the Courtyard containing Greek and Roman sculpture; II. The Hallway, containing antique sculpture including Greek, Roman, and Egyptian; III. the Roman Room, containing sculpture, a mosiac floor, and some glass and silver objects of Roman and Frankish origin; IV. the Theater Gallery, containing European painting from the16th to 18th centuries - especially Italian and Dutch works; V. the Louis XV gallery, containing French 18th century furniture and tapestries; and VI. the Louis XVI Room, also containing French 18th century furniture. In 1956 plans were begun to construct a new antiquities gallery which was completed and opened to the public in mid-December 1957. In September 1960 the galleries underwent a minor face lift. The numbers of visitors increased, and though Getty stopped most purchasing in and around 1958, the museum continued to slowly expand into other parts of the Ranch House until, in the late 1960's, Getty chose to build the Villa Museum.

Dr. W.R. Valentiner was Director and Curator of the J. Paul Getty Museum from 1953 to March 1, 1955, though he served on the Board of Trustees until 1958. Dr. Paul Wescher became the next Curator of the Museum in April/May 1954 and served until 1959. Wescher never used the title Director, only that of Curator, and it seems likely, though the record is not specific, that J. Paul Getty himself took on the title of Director. Following Wescher's resignation, Norris Bramlett (a Museum Trustee member and Getty Oil accountant who, from his offices in downtown Los Angeles and frequent visits to England, regularly acted as a moderator between J. Paul Getty and the Museum) suggested to Getty that the Museum did not need a full-time Curator and proposed simply hiring someone with an art history background who knew the collection, could answer questions, and intelligently discuss the collection and art in general. He proposed that the current Museum Secretary, Mrs. Marian Anne Jones to fulfill this role and suggested that Dr. Wescher or another former staff member could be asked for assistance whenever a new guidebook or bulletin was required [memo from NB to JPG, April 9, 1959]. Wescher, himself, also notes [in a letter on April 25, 1959] that the position of curator had been eliminated, leaving Jones in charge. In mid-May 1960, however, having recieved permission from Getty, she begins signing herself Acting Curator - after January 26, 1961 she signs herself Curator. Jones submited her resignation on February 6, 1965, effective May 31, 1965, and urged that Burton F. Fredericksen be appointed her successor. Fredericksen served as Museum Curator from 1965 to 1971 (prior to the hiring of Gillian Wilson as Curator of Decorative Arts), as Chief Museum Curator from 1972 to October 1973 (prior to the hiring of Stephen Garrett as Deputy Director in 1973), and as Curator of Paintings from October 1973 to1984.

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