By Emily Waldorf

Jim Dine's installation at the Getty Villa

Jori Finkel wrote a fascinating article in The New York Times on the American artist, Jim Dine’s, current installation at the Getty Villa: Jim Dine: Poet Singing (The Flowering Sheets).  She explains that although we may know Dine as a famous painter, sculptor, and printmaker, one of his lesser known passions is poetry, which is a central theme of the site-specific installation.

The show is being billed as the first ever contemporary art show at the Getty Villa.  It includes a large self-portrait surrounded by four female figures based on Greek terra cotta sculptures in the museum’s permanent collection.  Dine’s poetry is written on the walls and played on a loop so that visitors can fully capture it’s essence vis à vis the sculptures.

Dine explains how his poetry is essential to his artwork:  “Writing is a lot like drawing…I find my calligraphy expressive…A lot of times people are not comfortable with poetry. And they’re going to say, ‘What’s this got to do with the artwork?’ I’m going to say, ‘Everything.’ ”