J.Paul Getty Trust Announces J.Paul Getty Medal to go to Lorna Simpson, Mary Beard and Ed Ruscha

Image: Lorna Simpson, Photo: James Wang

The J. Paul Getty Trust announced today it will present the annual J. Paul Getty Medal, its highest honor, to renowned Classicist Professor Mary Beard and artists Lorna Simpson and Ed Ruscha.

Established in 2013 by the trustees of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the J. Paul Getty Medal has been awarded to 11 distinguished individuals to honor their extraordinary contributions to the practice, understanding and support of the arts.

Lorna Simpson, Photo: James Wang

“We award the Getty Medal to recognize outstanding achievement in the fields in which we work,” said Maria Hummer-Tuttle, chair, J. Paul Getty Board of Trustees. “We are honored to present the medal this year to three leaders who have helped transform and deepen our understanding and appreciation of the visual arts and the humanities.”

James Cuno, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, said of artist Lorna Simpson, “She is at once a photographer and multimedia artist whose work is both trenchant in its critique of race, gender, and identity, and exquisite in its formal beauty and technical execution.”

“I am humbled by this honor,” said Ms. Simpson. “I am so thrilled to receive the Getty Medal.”