My Visit to "The Getty"
The museum founded by billionaire businessman and art collector J. Paul Getty.
I recently visited the two campuses of the J. Paul Getty Museum (“the Getty”) in Los Angeles: the Getty Center and the Getty Villa. The Getty is operated by the J. Paul Getty Trust, founded by billionaire businessman and art collector J. Paul Getty in 1953.
The Getty Museum first opened in 1954 in J. Paul Getty’s ranch house in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. In 1968, with his collection outgrowing the ranch house, he began construction on a larger museum on his ranch property modeled after an ancient Roman villa.
From the Getty map and guide:
J. Paul Getty wanted visitors to experience Greek and Roman art in a setting that would bring the objects to life. He decided to build a new museum on his property overlooking the Pacific, a site that closely resembles the ancient Mediterranean coast. The resulting Getty Villa was modeled on the Roman Villa dei Papiri, a grand country residence on the Bay of Naples in Italy that was buried by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in ad 79.
On January 16, 1974 Getty Villa opened to the public. Getty Villa describes itself as a “museum and educational center dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria.”
The Getty Villa has an “Outdoor Classical Theater” modeled after ancient Greek and Roman theaters. Each fall, a classical tragedy or comedy is performed in the theater.
The Getty Center opened to the public December 16, 1997.
From PBS SoCal:
When the private art collection of the late oil magnate J. Paul Getty began to outgrow the original 1974 Italian Villa-style Getty Museum, in the early 1980s, the Getty Trust sought a new, publicly-accessible home in a 24-acre campus to be built on a 110-acre plot of land in the Santa Monica Mountains above Brentwood near the 405 Freeway.
Architect Richard Meier was commissioned in 1984 to design a modernist facility on a hilltop with sweeping, panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean in the west to Catalina Island in the south to the San Gabriel Mountains in the east. His final product, which broke ground in 1989, features five main gallery pavilions, most of them clad in 1.2 million square feet of imported Italian travertine stone. Glass walls and skylights emphasize the use of natural light in the Getty Center buildings. A 134,000 square-foot central garden, designed by artist Robert Irwin, is one of the most popular outdoor spaces on the campus.
The Getty Center houses “European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and photography from its beginnings to the present, gathered internationally.”
One of the most popular pieces at the Getty Center is Irises by Vincent van Gogh. It is one of the most expensive paintings ever sold.
The day I was there, the Getty Center had an exhibition titled “Queer Lens: A History of Photography.” There was also a good sized crowd there for “Drag Story Time.”
In addition to the art, the Getty Center has beautiful gardens, and views of Los Angeles when the weather is clear. If I had to guess, I would say that as many people go to Getty Center for the beautiful outdoor spaces as they do for the art.
The view of the city on my recent visit to the Getty Center wasn’t very good. It was kind of cloudy and hazy. I’ve posted a photo below from a visit in April 2023 when the view was a lot better. I also took the photo from a slightly different location.
The photo below is looking south from the Getty Center. It was a pretty clear day, just a little bit hazy. That's the 405 freeway running through the center. The row of tall buildings east of the freeway is Wilshire Blvd. in Westwood. In the distance, on the right side of the photo, you can see SoFi Stadium, about 13 miles south in Inglewood.
If you are in the Los Angeles area, I recommend you check out the Getty Center and the Getty Villa. A timed-entry reservation is required for entry at both locations. Admission is free, but there is a $25 fee for parking. At the Getty Center a tram takes you from the parking lot to the center.
I visited both museums on the same day, mostly to take advantage of the reduced parking fee. If you visit them both on the same day, you only have to pay the parking fee once.
One final note, the Palisades fire in January 2025 got very close to the Getty Villa, and caused some damage on the grounds. The Villa survived the fire due to the construction of the museum, and the efforts of some dedicated staff members. Read the fascinating story here.
Wonderful post and pictures, Lorrie! I’ve been to the Getty Center before, but not the Villa. I remember the fire that came perilously close to the Villa and at the time I was praying it would be spared which, thankfully, it was.
Fantastic pictures. The next best thing to being there.