LOS ANGELES, CA.- The Getty Research Institute has announced the incoming scholars in residence for the 2017/2018 Scholar Year, including Tian Wei and James Coleman, who will both be artists in residence.

More than 40 scholars will come to the Getty Center to work on a range of topics on the theme “Iconoclasm and Vandalism.” Research projects will include the visual culture of Paris in the aftermath of the French Revolution, the desecration of sacred sites and objects in colonial Mexico, spectacles of iconoclasm in Putin’s Russia, and many more. At the Getty Villa, scholars will work on projects under the theme “Classical World in Context: Persia,” and will research such topics as multilingual centers in the Persian empire, lost Hellenistic sculptures in Mesopotamia and Iran, and the impact of global connections and the formation of the Roman Empire, to name a few.

"The topic of study this year is very timely. Although our visiting scholars will be working on different periods in many different cultures, their collaboration here at the Getty will no doubt be very productive and revealing,” says Thomas W. Gaehtgens, director of the GRI. “Monuments can be irreplaceable cultural and historical documents, and historians can give them a voice in the present. I look forward to the many lively discussions and new ideas from our new scholars who are a vital part of the GRI’s intellectual community.”

The theme “Iconoclasm and Vandalism” raises contentious questions. It can be understood as destruction or as a means of repression, all of which fundamentally put culture at risk. However, iconoclasm can also be a form of protest or a vehicle for creative expression. Applicants were encouraged to adopt a broad approach to the theme by addressing topics such as religious and political iconoclasm, protection of cultural heritage, street art, graffiti, performance art, or activism.

“As in past years, the Scholars Program was very competitive. Once again, we had a greater number of applicants than ever before with more than 400 scholars applying for fewer than 40 spots,” said Alexa Sekyra, head of the Scholars Program. “The result is an outstanding group of scholars with intriguing research topics that will no doubt intersect with the work that their fellow visiting scholars and Getty colleagues are doing.”

The Getty Research Institute is currently accepting applications for the 2018/2019 scholar year. The 2018/2019 research theme at the Getty Center is Monumentality, and the Villa Scholars will once again be addressing Persia in their work.