Getty Foundation Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026–2027
- Omran Aburayya
- Aug 11
- 4 min read
If you are an emerging scholar in art history, the Getty Foundation Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025–2026 are now open for applications!
This prestigious opportunity invites early-career researchers to complete dissertations, expand their work for publication, and contribute original scholarship—all while in residence at the Getty Center or Getty Villa. Read on for details.
🎓 Fellowship Summary
Location: Los Angeles, USA (Getty Research Institute—Center or Getty Villa)
Level:
Pre-doctoral Fellowship — for PhD candidates who have advanced to candidacy.
Postdoctoral Fellowship — for scholars who received PhDs within the past 5 years.
Target Group: Early-career art history researchers globally, including a dedicated stream focusing on African American art (AAAHI)
Fields of Focus: Projects must align with the annual theme. For 2026–2027, the theme is Provenance—addressing ownership, art markets, collecting history, restitution, and ethics
Value & Coverage:
Predoctoral: US $30,000 stipend
Postdoctoral: US $35,000 stipend
Includes workstation, relocation travel stipend, housing, and healthcare options
Duration: 9 months, late September to late June
Application Deadline: October 1, 2025
Start Date: Late September 2026 (for the 2026–2027 cycle; for 2025–2026, residency runs late 2025 to mid-2026)
Eligible To:
Predoctoral candidates (advanced to candidacy by deadline)
Postdocs (PhD after September 1, 2021)
Scholars with degrees before September 1, 2021 should apply in the Scholar Grants category
✨ Fellowship Overview
Annual Theme: Provenance
In recent years the study of provenance has expanded in urgency and scope, in line with the art historical turn toward the lives of objects, and also in response to evolving debates regarding the ownership of art. Relevant to all periods and areas of art production, provenance research brings to light fundamental questions about who may lay claim to art and how objects transform as they change hands, collections, and exhibition venues. Increasingly available information on broken chains of ownership caused by theft, illicit trade, and historical looting have fueled restitution debates and ignited questions about the ethics of collecting in climates of conflict or asymmetries of power. Digitization and databases have also opened up the interdisciplinary possibilities of provenance research and laid the ground for art restitution efforts and other forms of reparation.
For the 2026–2027 year, the Getty Scholars Program invites innovative proposals for projects that explore provenance and adjacent research areas, including but not limited to the history of collecting, the study of the art market, and broader explorations around the ownership of art objects. The scholar cohort will be invited to examine and critique the arena of provenance studies while also envisioning its future, situated between the practices and demands of source communities, art historians, museums, and the market. Applicants are invited to propose projects, either individual or collaborative, that reflect upon the ownership, transfer, and movement of art objects from all world regions and time periods.
For this year, the Getty Scholars Program aims to link scholars with Getty resources and researchers and foster a lively community around the study of provenance—an increasingly significant domain of art historical and curatorial practice that centers the histories of both objects and people. While in residence, scholars will have the opportunity to delve into the Getty Research Institute’s vast collections of rare materials that support provenance research and explore the newly remodeled Getty Provenance Index, which lays the ground for cutting-edge computational approaches to the field.
🎁 Benefits
Generous living stipends (US $30K or $35K depending on level)
Full residency: housing in Getty scholar apartments, workspace, and healthcare coverage
Access to GRI collections, the Getty Provenance Index (2026–2027), and regular intellectual programming
Participation in a dynamic, collaborative scholarly environment
Dedicated support for African American art history projects through AAAHI
✅ Eligibility Criteria
Predoctoral: Must have advanced to candidacy in PhD program and expect to finish during fellowship
Postdoctoral: PhD conferred within 5 years (after Sep 1, 2021)
AAAHI Track: Must focus on African American art and align with annual theme
Previous recipients can reapply after 6 years
📝 Application Procedure
Submit via the Getty Foundation Grant Portal (use Chrome, Firefox, or Safari; IE is not supported) . Required materials:
Project Proposal – max 5 pages, double-spaced; must address theme, scholarly value, research plan, and benefits of Getty resources; AAAHI applicants must also detail how their project advances African American art history
Selected Bibliography – max 2 pages, single-spaced
Doctoral Dissertation Abstract / Plan – max 2 pages, single-spaced, including images/citations
CV – education, honors, publications, etc.
Writing Sample – up to 25 double-spaced pages, ideally representing methodology
Confirmation Letter –
Predocs: from institution confirming candidacy
Postdocs: confirming PhD awarded
Letters of Recommendation – two confidential letters submitted via the portal (or via Interfolio forwarding)
👩🏻⚖️ Review Process: Applications are evaluated on: relevance to theme, originality, scholarly significance, and applicant accomplishments
Decision Notification: Around six months after the October 1 deadline .
🤓 Extra Insights & Tips
If interested in provenance, look ahead to the 2026–2027 cycle and tailor your research to ownership, restitution, and collecting .
Use the Getty Provenance Index for innovative, computational research—especially relevant for the upcoming theme
Ensure each component of your application is polished: a strong methodology, clear contribution to your field, and thoughtful engagement with Getty’s resources will make your proposal stand out.
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