LOS ANGELES, CA.- Dr. Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, announced today the appointment of Dr. Thomas Kren to the position of Associate Director of Collections for the Getty Museum. In conjunction with this announcement, Dr. Potts also announced the selection of Dr. Elizabeth Morrison to succeed Dr. Kren as Senior Curator of Manuscripts.

“In their interim capacities, both Thom and Beth have very ably demonstrated their ability to lead their respective areas, and I am delighted to announce their promotions to permanent positions in these roles,” said Dr. Potts. “The growth of the collection is a key priority for the Getty Museum and I look forward to working more closely with Thom and all the curators on the expansion of our permanent collection and in exploring innovative ways to make it accessible to audiences internationally.”

Dr. Kren, who joined the Getty Museum in 1980, has been serving as Acting Associate Director for Collections since January 2010. Prior to assuming that position, he was Senior Curator of Manuscripts since the department’s founding in 1984, playing an integral role in the Getty’s purchase of the collection of more than 100 medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts from Peter and Irene Ludwig in 1983 and overseeing the subsequent growth of the manuscript department and collection. Prior to 1984, he was Associate Curator of Paintings at the Getty.

With Scot McKendrick of The British Library, Dr. Kren co-organized the exhibition Illuminating the Renaissance: the Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe, which was held at the Getty and at the Royal Academy, London in 2003–2004. The exhibition was recognized as Exhibition of the Year for 2004 by Apollo magazine, while Kren and McKendrick shared the Eric Mitchell Prize for best exhibition catalogue in the English language for 2003–2004. In addition to his position at the Getty, Dr. Kren is Adjunct Professor of Art History at the University of California at Santa Barbara and the University of Southern California. He is a graduate of Oberlin College (B.A.) and Yale University (M.A. and Ph.D.).

Since January 2012, Dr. Morrison has served as Acting Senior Curator of Manuscripts at the Getty. She joined the department in 1996, beginning as a curatorial assistant and rising through the curatorial ranks to associate curator and curator before being named acting head of the department. Over the course of her career at the Getty, she curated such exhibitions as The Family in the Middle Ages; Gothic Grandeur; and Images of Violence in the Medieval World. She also co-curated the 2010 exhibition Imagining the Past in France, 1250-1500, and was co-author and co-editor of the catalogue, which was a finalist for the College Arts Association award for outstanding exhibition catalogue. She has published articles on both Flemish and French illumination, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Center of Medieval Art. She received her Ph.D. in the History of Art from Cornell University.

“Beth is one of the outstanding art museum curators of her generation,” says Dr. Kren. “Her broad vision for the Getty’s manuscripts department, her scholarship and creativity, and her experience, including her knowledge of the art market, make her an ideal choice to lead this important and growing collection. It has been a pleasure working alongside her these 16 years and I look forward to continuing to work with her in this new capacity.”