The exhibition Beginnings: The Story of Creation in the Middle Ages includes medieval artworks that visualize the Biblical creation of Earth, accompanied by recent paintings by Harmonia Rosales, a nationally renowned Afro-Cuban American artist based in Los Angeles. Rosales explores the universal themes of life, death, and rebirth through a compelling and often unexpected recasting of historic iconography, including the addition of Black figures and West African spirituality. In this conversation, Getty curators Larisa Grollemond and Beth Morrison talk with Rosales about the influence of medieval imagery on her work, and how her process leads to paintings that challenge, complicate, and reframe the historic works.

A book signing with Rosales follows this talk. Her book, Chronicles of Ori: An African Epic (2025), will be available for purchase both before and after the program.