“Still Life with Blue Pot” is a watercolor over graphite art piece by Paul Cézanne which hangs in the Getty Museum. (photo courtesy of the Getty)

As the world shelters in place due the coronavirus pandemic, the Getty museums created a roundup of art books, online exhibitions, podcasts and videos online at Getty Iris to help keep artistic spirits up.

The Getty Center, Getty Villa and Getty Library are temporarily closed until further notice in accordance with orders given by state and local governments, to help protect community members from the spread of the disease COVID-19, which is caused by coronavirus.

However, the Getty museums offer many resources online for people at home to continue experiencing and exploring art. In an effort to narrow down the search, Getty staff compiled a blog post, “How to Explore Art While the Getty Galleries are Closed,” on Getty Iris to guide people at home.

People can experience three of the Getty’s most current and popular exhibits online such as “Michelangelo: Mind of the Master,” “Assyria: Palace Art of Ancient Iraq” and “Käthe Kollwitz: Prints, Process, Politics.”

Michelangelo’s exhibit highlights a selection of his preparatory drawings, from compositional sketches to detailed figure studies. People can browse an overview of his work and explore his drawings online with a free audio tour provided by the Getty.

In a blog post by Sara Cole, an exhibition curator for “Assyria: Palace Art of Ancient Iraq,” she informs readers about relief sculptures that depict warfare, rituals, mythology, hunting and court life. These sculptures decorated the palaces of Assyrian Kings in the ninth to seventh centuries BC.

She examines the different ways the sculptures were created which include some techniques described in comic books.

The last exhibit explores the life of graphic artist Käthe Kollwitz and explains her creative process.

It also presents her portrayals of the hardships of war, poverty and injustice during the 20th century. People can see highlights of the exhibition, delve into her printmaking techniques and explore how her images were used for social campaigns online through videos and photos.

The Getty included a section for art history and research. On Getty Iris, this section highlights “Bauhaus: Building the New Artist” and “The Legacy of Ancient Palmyra,” which discuss the German school Bauhaus’ impact on art and design, and the cosmopolitan ancient city of Palmyra, respectively.

People who are interested in reading art books or conducting research can access Getty Publications or the Getty Library too. Yet, people who would prefer to listen to content, The Getty produces two podcasts, “Arts + Ideas” and “Recording Artists: Radical Women.”

Jim Cuno, president of the J. Paul Getty Trust, hosts “Arts + Ideas” and speaks to artists, writers, curators and scholars about their work in the art industry. 

Helen Molesworth hosts “Recording Artists: Radical Women” which explores the lives of six women artists: Alice Neel, Lee Krasner, Betye Saar, Helen Frankenthaler, Yoko Ono and Eva Hesse.

Molesworth also interviews contemporary artists and art historians to understand what it meant and still means to be a woman and an artist.

In the following days and weeks to come, the Getty will continue to update its online content.

The Getty Museum is located at 1200 Getty Center Drive.

For information, visit blogs.getty.edu.