The exhibition includes artifacts from the Late Bronze Age in Mycenaean Greece. (photo courtesy of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture/Getty)

The J. Paul Getty Museum presents “The Kingdom of Pylos: Warrior-Princes of Ancient Greece,” an exhibition featuring more than 230 works of art and artifacts from Messenia, an epicenter of the Mycenaean civilization that flourished in Late Bronze Age Greece.

On view at the Getty Villa Museum from June 27-Jan. 12, 2026, “The Kingdom of Pylos” is the first major exhibition in North America devoted to the Mycenaeans, who were named after the legendary citadel of Mycenae.

During the Late Bronze Age (1700-1070 B.C.E.), Messenia was a hub of Mycenaean culture. Settlements and the tombs of extended families buried with their weapons and wealth have been found throughout the region. Thriving communities led by warrior-princes set the stage for the rise of the powerful kingdom of Pylos, which encompassed a territory of 800 square miles at its peak.

“We are delighted that the Getty Villa will be the first venue outside Europe to introduce audiences to the art and culture of the Mycenaeans, who represent the earliest known Greek-speaking culture of antiquity, and are responsible for some of the most spectacular tomb and palace monuments of the Late Bronze Age,” Getty Museum Director Timothy Potts said. “This exhibition would not have been possible without the many generous loans and close collaboration of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Messenia and the University of Cincinnati.”

Presented in four sections, visitors will encounter a sophisticated, literate culture that became the preeminent power in Greece and the eastern Aegean region. Beyond palatial and funerary architecture, the Myceneans developed advanced engineering, refined arts and crafts, and a system of written administrative records. Close connections with the Minoans on the island of Crete are reflected in several objects on view, which were made by Minoan artists but found in Mycenaean graves.

Related public programs include an opening lecture on June 28 by Pylos archaeologists Sharon Stocker and Jack Davis; a Bacchus Uncorked wine program on Aug. 9 and 10; a conversation on Aug. 14 between Dimitri Nakassis and Hana Sugioka about Mycenaean daily life revealed in Linear B clay tablets; and a presentation on Oct. 18 by Cynthia Shelmerdine and Michael Nordstrand on recreating a 3,000-year-old Pylos perfume.

Beginning June 27, the Getty Villa is open on a limited schedule of Friday through Monday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission to the Getty Villa is always free, but a reservation is required. Reservations can be made by visiting getty.edu/visit or by calling (310)440-7300. Parking is $25, and $15 after 3 p.m.

The Getty Villa is located at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway.