GETTY CENTER

Description

Essential about the Getty Center in brief

Like a modern acropolis of art, the Getty Center towers high above Los Angeles. The impressive museum complex in the mountains of West Los Angelesis one of the most popular museums in the U.S. and, with its collection of over 50,000 exhibits of various art styles, an absolute must for all art lovers. Those who care less about art will definitely be captivated by the imposing architecture of the Getty Center and can enjoy a spectacular view over the seemingly endless expanse of LA from the terraces and the magnificent gardens of the museum complex.

The facilities at Getty Center

First and foremost, the Getty Center is known for its art collection in the J. Paul Getty Museum. In addition, the Getty Center is home to several other important academic institutions, such as the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute, which works in the field of art restoration, and the Getty Leadership Institute, which trains and develops leaders for museums around the world.

The Getty Center Museum

The highlight of a visit to the Getty Center is the collections of the Getty Center Museum, the core of which consists of about 50,000 works of art of European painting, drawings, sculptures, manuscripts and decorative arts of the 20th century. In addition, the museum owns a collection of 19th- and 20th-century American, Asian, and European photographs. Sculptures from the museum are also displayed in the Getty Center’s open spaces and gardens. Outsourced is the antiquities collection, which can be seen in the Getty Villa further west on the Pacific Coast.

Some 1,200 exhibits from the Getty Center’s collection are displayed in the museum’s four pavilions. Since the objects on display are changed out at regular intervals and rearranged around specific themes, a visit to the Getty Center Museum is always worthwhile.

The North Pavilion is dedicated to art before the year 1600. Paintings as well as sculptures from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance are presented here. The East Pavilion houses 17th-century Baroque art with paintings by Flemish, French, Dutch and Spanish masters, as well as sculpture and Italian decorative art from 1600 to 1800. The South Pavilion houses 18th-century paintings and a collection of European decorative art. And the West Pavilion houses sculptures and Italian decorative art from the 17th century to the 20th century, as well as paintings from the 19th century.

The history of the Getty Center

The Getty Center goes back to the oil billionaire J. Paul Getty. In 1954, he began displaying exhibits from his art collection in his home in Pacific Palisades, for which he even added a separate museum wing. Due to his ever-growing collection, he eventually built a separate exhibition building. The so-called “Getty Villa” is a replica of the historic Roman villa complex Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum.

After Getty’s death in 1976, his property was transferred to a foundation for museum purposes. In 1983, land was purchased in the Santa Monica mountains to build the Getty Center on a 110-acre site. The building complex was designed by the renowned American architect Richard Meier. Equipped with a generous budget of one billion US dollars, Meier undoubtedly created one of the most beautiful and impressive museum complexes in the world. For fans of modern architecture, the Getty Center is certainly one of the most interesting buildings in the USA. Most unusual is the cladding of the buildings with travertine from Bagni di Tivoli near Rome (from where, incidentally, the stones for the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and the colonnades in St. Peter’s Square in Rome also come). After six years of construction, the Getty Center was opened to the public in 1997.

The gardens of the Getty Center

In addition to the buildings, the gardens, especially the Central Garden, are a special highlight of the Getty Center. The Central Garden, which covers more than 130,000 square meters, was designed by artist Robert Irwin in the form of a sculpture. Water plays a special role in the garden. It flows down a slope into a beautiful azalea pool, where a floating labyrinth of azaleas has been created. Boulders have been positioned in the stream so that the flowing water creates certain sounds.

By the way, from the gardens and terraces of the Getty Center you can enjoy one of the best views over Los Angeles. Since the center is located about 270 meters above sea level, visitors can enjoy a magnificent view of the LA skyline, the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains, and even Santa Catalina Island in the Pacific Ocean.