"What is the nature of the relationship between artists and museums? How does the art of the past inform, challenge, and inspire the art of today? What might happen if contemporary artists were asked to respond to the collections of an institution popularly associated with art and objects from previous centuries?".

"The J. Paul Getty Museum decided to address these compelling questions by inviting eleven outstanding Los Angeles-area artists to explore the Getty Center in search of points of departure for their own work.".

"Their aesthetic impressions of and reactions to the Getty range from the eloquent to the wry, from warm embraces to satirical jabs, and are expressed using a wide variety of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, film, and video. All offer valuable insights into the Getty's collections." "In this exhibition catalogue, Guest Curator Lisa Lyons visits with each of the participants and chronicles the sometimes mysterious, always fascinating process of making art."--BOOK JACKET.