More than 300 guests celebrated the presentation of the J. Paul Getty Medal to artists Ed Ruscha and Lorna Simpson and historian Mary Beard at a dinner at the Getty Center on September 16, 2019.

The Getty Medal is the Getty’s highest honor, given annually to recognize extraordinary achievement in the fields of museology, art historical research, conservation science, and philanthropy, the founding interests of the J. Paul Getty Trust.            

Guests from the worlds of art and philanthropy attended the dinner, including Hammer Museum director Ann Philbin, Studio Museum of Harlem director Thelma Golden, and former British Museum director Neil MacGregor, who introduced the Getty Medalists. Mayor Eric Garcetti also made remarks.            

Other guests included David Adjaye, Doug Aitken, Onye Anyanwu, Charles Arnoldi, Peter Asher, Ambassador Nicole Avant, Edythe Broad, Peter and Megan Chernin, Michael Chow, Ambassador James Costos, Kahlil J. Davis, Karon Davis, Tacita Dean, Thomas Demand, Balthazar and Rosetta Getty, Zoe and Olivier de Givenchy, Lauren Halsey, Thomas Houseago, Alex Israel, Bettina Korek, Glenn Ligon, Bryan Lourd, Ricky Martin, Mike and Irena Medavoy, Tamara Mellon, Michael Ovitz, Norman Pearlstine, Wolfgang and Gelila Puck, Van Dyke Parks, Linda Johnson Rice, Alison Saar, Betye Saar, Michael Smith, Shinique Smith, Jwan Yosef, and Ben Vereen.

Since it was established in 2013 by the trustees of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the medal has been awarded to 14 individuals to honor their extraordinary contributions to the practice, understanding and support of the arts.        

Past recipients of the Getty Medal are Nancy Englander, Frank Gehry, Thelma Golden, Agnes Gund, Ellsworth Kelly, Anselm Kiefer, Mario Vargas Llosa, Yo-Yo Ma, Jacob Rothschild, Richard Serra, and Harold Williams.