LOS ANGELES.- In conjunction with Italian Language Week, the J. Paul Getty Museum is offering a special one-hour overview of the Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture exhibition en italiano.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) is widely acknowledged as the greatest Baroque sculptor and his unparalleled talent as a portrait sculptor transformed the practice and earned him the patronage of the Catholic Church and nobility in 17th- century Rome.

Co-organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa , Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture is the first major exhibition of Bernini's work in North America and the first ever comprehensive exhibition of the artist's portrait busts. On view at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center, through October 26, 2008 , the special exhibition also includes Bernini's portrait drawings, as well as portrait busts by other important sculptors in 17th-century Rome such as Francesco Mochi, François Duquesnoy, Giuliano Finelli, and Alessandro Algardi.

What: Tour of the exhibition Bernini & the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture in Italian

When: Tuesday, October 21, 12:30 p.m Thursday, October 23, 12:30 p.m Sunday, October 26, 12:30 p.m.

Where: Meet at the Museum Information Desk

Admission: Free; no reservations required


Related Programming:

Lectures

Bernini's Beloved: A Portrait of Costanza

Bernini's portrait bust of his mistress Costanza Bonarelli is often cited as a pivotal sculptural work. Until recently, little was known about the sitter's identity. Sarah McPhee, professor of art history at Emory University , shares some surprising discoveries about Bonarelli based on new archival research, unearthing a fuller identity for the artist's mistress.

Sunday, October 5, 4:00 p.m.

Harold M. Williams Auditorium

Gallery Course

Facing the Ages: Portraiture in Europe from Antiquity to the Baroque

Educators and curators address the question, What is a portrait in the tradition of western European art? Examining painted and sculpted portraits from antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance and Baroque periods, this three-part course explores the Museum's collection and complements the exhibitions Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture and Faces of Power and Piety: Medieval Portraiture. Course fee $35; $25 students. Open to 40 participants.

Part 1: Friday, September 19, 12:00-2:00 p.m., Getty Villa meeting rooms and Museum galleries

Part 2: Friday, September 26, 12:00-2:00 p.m., Getty Research Institute Lecture Hall and Museum galleries

Part 3: Friday, October 3, 12:00-2:00 p.m., Getty Research Institute Lecture Hall and Museum galleries

Studio Course

Portraiture in Three Dimensions

Sculpt a portrait head in this three-session workshop with artist Jonathan Bickhart. Working in oil-based clay from a model, participants study basic anatomy and proportion as well as how to capture expression to create a "speaking likeness." Course fee $115; $85 students. Open to 25 participants.

Repeats Tuesdays, September 9, September 16, and September 23, and Sundays, October 9, October 12, and October 19, 1:00-5:00 p.m.

Museum Studios and galleries

Artist-at-Work Demonstrations

Marble Carving

Drop by as sculptor Robert Cunningham demonstrates the materials and techniques used in carving a portrait in marble.

Sundays, August 10-October 12, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Outdoor Classroom, Plaza Level

CURATOR'S GALLERY TALKS

Catherine Hess, associate curator, Department of Decorative Arts and Sculpture, the J. Paul Getty Museum, leads a gallery talk on the exhibition. Meet under the stairs in the Museum Entrance Hall.

Thursdays, September 11 and 25, and October 9 and 23, 1:30 p.m.

Museum galleries

Performances

Enzo Avitabile and the Sacro Sud Project

In his critically acclaimed album Sacro Sud, Neapolitan musician Enzo Avitabile plays sacred songs from southern Italy . Featuring master musicians on launeddas, hurdy-gurdy, and other unique and seldom-heard instruments, this stirring program, part of the 2008 World Festival of Sacred Music, is a journey into the heart of creativity, spirituality, and wonder. Tickets $20; $15 students/seniors.

Saturday, September 27, 7:30 p.m.

Harold M. Williams Auditorium

Gordon Getty Concert: Italian Cantantas and Opera from the Time of Bernini

During Bernini's lifetime, Italy 's great maestri di musica were developing the dramatic vocal style that found tis ful fruition in the opera, or rappresentazione in musica, the over time captivated the stages of Europe . Celebrated baroque music singers Ann Monoyios and Drew Minter, with the instrumental ensemble ARTEK, offer a program of dramatic cantantas by Giovanni Sances, Tarquinio Merula, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Domenica Mazzochi, and Francesco Cavalli. Tickets $20; $15 students/seniors.

Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008, 8:00 p.m.

Harold M. Williams Auditorium

LA Opera Performance

LA Opera presents a selection of operatic works from the Italian Baroque period. Paired with tours of the exhibition by Museum educators, the program complements the exhibition Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Performance at 1:00 p.m., Gallery Tours at 2:30 p.m.

Museum Lecture Hall