Los Angeles is about to glow a little brighter. From November 24, 2026 through March 14, 2027, the Getty Center presents A Light in the Dark: Joseph Wright of Derby, a luminous celebration of the 18th-century British painter celebrated for his astonishing ability to capture the magic of light piercing the dark.
In 1760s London, Wright exhibited a series of remarkable candlelit pictures that catapulted the provincial artist to national fame. This exhibition reunites several of those beloved works, including the Getty’s recently rediscovered Two Boys with a Bladder from 1767, and explores the technical innovations and artistic ambitions behind some of the most enthralling paintings of the century.
Visitors will gather, in paint, around glowing experiments and quiet moments of wonder: a philosopher lecturing on a model of the solar system lit by a single lamp, three viewers admiring a classical statue by candlelight, and two girls dressing a kitten in the warm glow of a flame. Science, curiosity and pure delight meet on every canvas.
The exhibition is presented in English and Spanish, and admission to the Getty Center is always free, making this a perfect cultural outing above the city. Come for the golden light, and stay for the hilltop views, gardens and galleries.
Photo: Derby Museums, via the Getty Museum
