James Cuno is president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust. Before a talk on why museums matter today, he sat down in the green room to talk about moving back to L.A.-where he last lived in the 1980s-from Chicago, what makes him laugh, Pearl Jam, and what it’s like to participate in controversial debates as the head of a major cultural organization.
Q. What’s it like to move from a few of the coldest places in America to Los Angeles?
A. Magical.
Q. When and why did you last laugh?
A. Maybe more of a giggle than a laugh. Listening to NPR, a commentator was talking about Paula Deen, who has announced that she’s got diabetes. She’s got both big fat food sponsors, and [the commentator] delivered the lines in a very funny way.
Q. What’s your museum “holy spot”-anywhere in the universe?
A. One spot, huh? The Peacock Room in the Freer Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Q. What’s changed about L.A. since you last lived here?
A. The congestion crossing the 405.
Q. What can’t you resist?
A. It depends on the time of day. [In the morning?] Coffee. And reading the obituaries. I read them every morning. [At night?] Scotch.
Q. What artist, living or dead, would you most like to meet?
A. Edgar Degas.
Q. What’s your favorite word?
A. Poetry.
Q. How do you order your eggs?
A. Over easy.
Q. Many leaders in a role such as yours try to offend no one; do you ever hesitate to enter into a charged debate as a representative of the Getty?
A. I’m aware that even though I believe I’m speaking for myself, I can be seen as speaking for my institution, so I try to make it very clear that I’m not. That said, I value public debate, and thus want to be a part of it.
Q. What’s your hidden talent?
A. Body surfing.
Q. What music do you listen to?
A. Most recently it’s Pearl Jam, live. I’m a big Eddie Vedder fan. [I listen to] everything-I’m very catholic and eclectic. Jazz-John Coltrane and Miles Davis are my two favorites. And of course Bob Dylan.
*Photo by Aaron Salcido.