DRESDEN, GERMANY.-The past few days have seen a flurry of articles and commentaries appear in the German press on current events at the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles. These discussions are mainly concerned with speculations on the legality of the acquisition of antiques by the Trust in the 1980s and 1990s, President Barry Munitz’s allegedly autocratic style of leadership, and doubts as to whether his aims are compatible with those of a non-profit organisation. These events in what is probably the richest museum in the world are being followed with undisguised interest.

Despite or even because of this ‘crisis,’ the Dresden State Art Collections would like to reaffirm that the aim of this cultural foundation in its activities around the world has always been to support the work of museums everywhere, and selflessly contribute to the preservation of our cultural heritage. Under the leadership of Barry Munitz, and as a result of the enormous efforts he has put into not only J. Paul Getty Museum, but also the Getty Conservation Institute, the scholarship program and the Getty Research Institute, the Dresden State Art Collections alone have received very significant support in the following ventures:

- The J. Paul Getty Trust has made very significant contributions to acquisitions for the Mathemat-ics and Physics Salon since 1998, including Thomas Pregel’s Zwickau astrolabium dating from 1621, the Collections’ most important acquisition in recent years.

- Since 1998 support for research and analysis work at the Getty Conservation Institute in the Dresden Royal Palace (Residenzschloss), without which it would not have been possible to refur-bish the Green Vault (Grüne Gewölbe).

- In 2001, the J. Paul Getty Trust funded the 3-month study visit of Dipl. Rest. Christoph Schölzel, a Dresden State Art Collections qualified painting restorer, to the Getty Museum to restore the paint-ing "The Holy Family" by Andrea Mantegna. The painting was then exhibited in the Getty Museum for a period of 6 months.

- Funding the restoration of 18 life-size portraits of the electoral princes from the holdings of the Armoury for the refurbishment of the Dresden Royal Palace. The restoration work was carried out by freelance restorers. (Getty Grant Program, start 2002).

- Within the first few days of the flood in 2002, colleagues from the Getty Conservation Institute arrived in Prague and Dresden to plan aid efforts. The new security concept for the Dresden State Art Collections was developed with the help of the Getty Institute.

A delegation from the Saxony State Ministry of Science and the Arts, the Saxon State Enterprise for Property and Construction Management and the Dresden State Art Collections were invited to Los Angeles for training.

- The Getty Grant Program is generously funding a 7-part research project with Russian museums over several years, a project which includes the reconstruction of centuries of exchange between the Dresden and Russian collections. The years following 1945 are naturally included in the inves-tigation.

- The Getty Trust is currently supporting the creation of a complete directory for the Gemälde-galerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery).

- Further restoration, conservation and research projects are being planned for the coming years.

In brief: Without the help of the various competence centres of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the Dresden State Art Collections would not be able to provide the public with the facilities it is so cherished for and which attract so many visitors. We need only mention the Green Vault, where the support of the Getty Trust enabled us to provide a standard that cuts in state funding would otherwise have made impossible. However, the Dresden State Art Collections is only one of many museums de-pendent on the support of this global patron of the arts; many arts institutes, excavations, research institutes and bursaries are equally indebted to the Trust and the work of our colleagues there.