Getty Scholars Program Grants

Eligibility

Getty Scholars Program Grants, with an application deadline in October, offers 20 awards of $65500 each.

Description

The Getty Scholars Program supports innovative research about art, conceived in the broadest terms, and its histories, by providing a locus for international scholars to forge collaborations across disciplines and professional practices, while also developing new audiences for their work. This year's theme is "Provenance." In recent years the study of provenance has expanded in urgency and scope, in line with the art historical turn toward the lives of objects, and also in response to evolving debates regarding the ownership of art. Relevant to all periods and areas of art production, provenance research brings to light fundamental questions about who may lay claim to art and how objects transform as they change hands, collections, and exhibition venues. Increasingly available information on broken chains of ownership caused by theft, illicit trade, and historical looting have fueled restitution debates and ignited questions about the ethics of collecting in climates of conflict or asymmetries of power. Digitization and databases have also opened up the interdisciplinary possibilities of provenance research and laid the ground for art restitution efforts and other forms of reparation. For the 2026-2027 year, the Getty Scholars Program invites innovative proposals for projects that explore provenance and adjacent research areas, including but not limited to the history of collecting, the study of the art market, and broader explorations around the ownership of art objects. The scholar cohort will be invited to examine and critique the arena of provenance studies while also envisioning its future, situated between the practices and demands of source communities, art historians, museums, and the market. Applicants are invited to propose projects, either individual or collaborative, that reflect upon the ownership, transfer, and movement of art objects from all world regions and time periods. A mix of senior scholars and junior fellows are selected for the Scholars Program cohort. Scholar Grant applicants should have received a PhD before September 1, 2022. Applicants from associated fields who do not hold a PhD but have commensurate professional experience will also be considered. Applicants must submit a project proposal that should include the project description; how the project addresses the annual theme; how the project meaningfully contributes to the applicant's field of scholarship; the proposed plan for study and research; and benefits to the project from the resources at the Getty (if applicable). For AAAHI Grants: also include how the project will generate new knowledge in the field of African American art history. It is optional but applicants are welcome to submit a single writing sample in support of their proposal. Please visit the award's website for more information.