Here's how it ran in the NY Times...

Citing Conflicts, Getty Museum Director Quits

October 20, 2004
  By CAROL VOGEL

Deborah Gribbon has resigned as director of the J. Paul
Getty Museum in Los Angeles, citing "critical differences''
with her boss, Barry Munitz, the president and chief
executive of the J. Paul Getty Trust.

"It's a whole range of real differences, and they're
important ones,'' Ms. Gribbon, who has held the post for
four years, said yesterday by telephone.

Her resignation, submitted Monday, came as no surprise to
the museum world. It has been well known among directors
and curators that Ms. Gribbon and Dr. Munitz never got
along. Still, Dr. Munitz said: "I was surprised this
happened. I'm not sure I know why.''

The resignation was reported yesterday in The Los Angeles
Times.

With its $4.4 billion endowment, the Getty Trust, of which
the museum is a part, is the largest and wealthiest arts
and humanities organization in the United States. But in
the museum world as elsewhere, deep pockets do not always
bring happiness. Morale at the Getty Museum has been low in
the past several years, with staff turmoil and
resignations.

Dr. Munitz acknowledged that "there have been morale
problems'' and said he was trying to figure out why.

Unlike directors of most other major museums, the Getty's
director reports to a chief executive rather than directly
to the board, adding a layer of management that makes it
more difficult for the director to call the shots. As a
museum director, Ms. Gribbon had increasing the collection
as her primary concern, whereas Dr. Munitz's priorities
extended to investing more of the trust's resources in
grant-making programs, conservation, scholarship and other
philanthropic endeavors.

William Griswold, the museum's associate director for
collections, has been named acting director and chief
curator, the museum said. Mr. Griswold came to the museum
from the Morgan Library in Manhattan three years ago.

Asked if he planned to seek the director's post, Mr.
Griswold said yesterday that he was considering it.

Former employees who spoke on condition of anonymity said
that Ms. Gribbon had become frustrated that she was unable
to make decisions without Dr. Munitz's approval. She became
so unhappy, they said, that she tried to persuade board
members not to renew Dr. Munitz's contract when it was up
for renewal in December 2003.

Dr. Munitz signed a new five-year contract in January.
Having failed in her efforts, Ms. Gribbon saw her life at
the museum become uncomfortable, former employees said.

But Dr. Munitz said, "I never heard she went to the
board.''

The Getty Museum, part of a seven-year-old $1 billion
campus designed by Richard Meier which sits on a hilltop in
the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, is the world's
richest museum. Last year 1.3 million people visited it.

Ms. Gribbon, 56, joined the museum as assistant director
for curatorial affairs in 1984. In 2000, she rose to the
director's post. During her tenure Ms. Gribbon acquired
more than 500 works of art, including paintings by Titian,
Degas and Monet.

Mr. Griswold called reports of the museum's low morale
"exaggerated'' and said one of his priorities was to meet
individually with all of the curators.

"We will move forward,'' he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/20/national/
20getty.html?ex=1099457161&ei=1&en=b10b188bf984b779



On Friday, October 22, 2004, at 12:08 AM, Automatic digest processor
wrote:

> Date:    Thu, 21 Oct 2004 05:56:02 -0700
> From:    Adrienne DeAngelis <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Recommended Reading Regarding the Getty
>
> Please print a synopsis. bugmenot.com/ doesn't work.
>
> Adrienne DeAngelis
> [log in to unmask]
>
>> I just sent this to
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MuseNews-Art, but I do
>> believe it's worthy enough read for the group to
>> examine it and provide feedback.  If you're not
>> familiar, the Director of the Getty resigned
>> yesterday, and it's causing a bit of a stir here on
>> the LA side.
>>
>> http://www.calendarlive.com/cl-et-getty20oct20,1,4782520.story
>>
>> You'll have to register for the LA Times to read it.
>> However, if you're averse to registration, you may
>> wish to check out http://www.bugmenot.com/
>>
>> =====
>> Indigo Nights

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