The Getty Museum Celebrates the Gift of Giving With New Exhibition

THE ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

Alchandreus Presents His Work to a King (detail), from Book of the
Philosopher Alchandreus, Paris, Virgil Master, about 1405. The J. Paul Getty Museum

CALIFORNIA---In the Middle Ages, gift exchange helped people define their relationships to family and friends, to acquaintances and strangers, to God and to church. The Getty Center's new exhibition, "Give and Ye Shall Receive: Gift Giving in the Middle Ages" is drawn from the Museum's permanent collection. It  examines models for giving found in scripture and in the lives of the saints, and explores how gift giving functioned in medieval society, and highlights the special role of the medieval book as a gift.

Getty Center: "Give and Ye Shall Receive: Gift Giving in the Middle Ages" (December 16, 2014–March 15, 2015); 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA; (310) 440-7300; getty.edu