“Pan Amicus,” a 16 mm color film by Tacita Dean, is being presented at the Getty Museum. (photo courtesy of Tacita Dean)

The J. Paul Getty Museum will present the West Coast debut of two new works by acclaimed artist Tacita Dean; a 16mm film inspired by the grounds of the Getty Center and a portfolio that mines the rich and varied holdings of the Getty Research Institute. The two works exemplify a long-standing creative relationship between the artist and the Getty.

Dean has long been an outspoken champion of 16mm analog film, which became popular among doc­umentary filmmakers during the second half of the 20th century. Combining the deeply saturated col­ors yielded by the medium’s photo­chemical emulsion with long takes and tight framing, she creates con­templative films that have become one of her signature forms of expression.

“My year spent at the Getty Research Institute introduced me to Los Angeles, where I have chosen to continue to live part-time. My memories of first driving up to the center was my surprise at seeing deer grazing beneath olive trees. ‘Pan Amicus’ pays homage to this feeling of ‘elsewhere’ that the land­scaping that surrounds the building creates in its visitors,” Dean said. “‘Monet Hates Me’ is the result of many pleasurable hours spent in the Research Institute’s extraordinary and seemingly bottomless collec­tion. I allowed chance to be my guide, and it took me to places I did­n’t know to even look for.”

The film “Pan Amicus” (2021) was commissioned in celebration of the Getty Center’s 20th anniversary and will be exhibited to coincide with its 25th anniversary this year.

Inspired in part by J. Paul Getty’s interest in the classical world, Dean filmed views of the flora, fauna and terrain that surround the Richard Meier-designed campus, deliberate­ly avoiding signs of contemporary life, including the distinctive archi­tecture. The presence of sculptural fragments, drawn from the Museum’s antiquities collection and placed in the landscape, helps to conjure the mythologized land of Arcadia, a pastoral realm the ancient Greeks believed to be Pan’s domain as the god of wilderness.

“It is moving to see the Getty and its collections through Tacita’s sin­gular lens, which poetically con­nects aspects of history and mythol­ogy. These two works, while very different in form and presentation, highlight the complex and inven­tive processes by which an artist like Tacita draws inspiration. With a dynamic visual language equally based in research and chance, she brings to life stories from Getty’s collection and its unique site,” said Arpad Kovacs, assistant curator in the Department of Photographs, J. Paul Getty Museum.

The exhibition of Dean’s work runs through Aug. 27. For informa­tion about the Getty Center or to make free reservations to the muse­um visit getty.edu. The Getty Museum is located at 1200 Genty Center Dr.