Breaking News // Turning the Lens on Mass Media
Alice
December 20, 2016–April 30, 2017Getty Center
Over the past 50 years, artists have increasingly turned to newspapers, magazines, and televised news programs as rich sources of inspiration. This exhibition explores how artists have looked at and commented on news images, from the Vietnam War in the 1960s to the so-called “War on Terror” in the 2000s. Much of the work is political; all of it is personal. Through photographs and videos, these artists have juxtaposed, mimicked, and appropriated media elements to transform ephemeral news into lasting works of art.
Breaking news is everywhere, 24 hours a day. And now, it’s made its way into an art gallery as well — in an exhibit called “Breaking News: Turning the Lens on Mass Media.” In Los Angeles, a Getty Museum show examines artists’ reactions to mass media in decades past. The exhibit includes more than 200 photos and videos, from 17 different artists. They’re not photojournalists — these artists take the work of photojournalists, and turn it into something else.
