Traversing the Globe through Illuminated Manuscripts, The J. Paul Getty Museum (Getty Center), January 26–June 26, 2016

In the premodern era, land and sea routes connected the remarkably mobile peoples of Europe, Africa, and Asia, many of whom were far more aware of the world beyond their doorsteps than one might realize. This exhibition features illuminated manuscripts and painted book arts from the 9th through the 17th century that bring to life in stunning ways the real and imagined places that one encounters on their pages. These highly prized objects allow us to glimpse, admire, and study a world gone by, as well as its peoples, different belief systems, and an interconnected global history of human thought and ideas about art.

The exhibition is drawn primarily from the Museum’s collection, augmented with several generous and important loans from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Norton Simon Museum, the Huntington Library, and the Charles E. Young Research Library at UCLA. This exhibition is presented in two parts. The pages of the manuscripts will be turned to reveal further treasures on April 12, 2016.