Perhaps not everyone knows that Southern California, known for its beaches, theme parks, the cinema, and glamour, and rightfully so, also has a special interest in art and it shows its appreciation for art very well. We recently went to Pasadena and visited its many galleries and the following destination on our trip was the J. P. Getty Center (1200 Getty Center Dr) in Los Angeles.
The complex was the brainchild of Jean Paul Getty (1892-1976), an American industrialist and founder of the Getty Oil Company. His passion for art and antiques pushed him to realize a very ambitious project. The amount of zeal he had for this project was equaled by his passion for searching for the pieces, which for him was more exciting than actually possessing the items. The result is an exceptional collection and today thousands of visitors from all over the world can enjoy it.
The name Getty was also made famous by the news story that filled the pages of newspapers and media screens in 1973 when Jean Paul Getty III, the 16-year-old grandson of the tycoon, was kidnapped by a criminal organization in Rome. His grandfather’s negotiations for the amount to be paid as ransom were long and complex. It seems, in fact, that despite his enormous wealth, Mr. J.P. Getty was a very frugal man, even on that occasion. The kidnappers concretely demonstrated their disappointment and impatience with a “strong” token delivered to the boy’s relatives, after which the story had a decisive turn and a happy ending.
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Getty Museum: Location and Directions
The Getty Center Tram, accessible by elevator from the parking lot, travels from street level to the top of the hill where the museum complex is located. From there you can enjoy a beautiful view of Los Angeles. Those who prefer to walk can reach the top of the moderately steep hill by taking a 15-20 minute walk along a sidewalk.
Those who do not have a car (or rental car) can take one of the many buses that leave from different areas of Los Angeles: Buses 20 and 234 from Wilshire-Wester Station, Buses 4 and 234 from Santa Monica Boulevard, Bus 234 from Greenfield Avenue, and also Bus 234 from Expo-Sepulveda Station. Of course, it is also possible to take a taxi.
Hours of Operation and Tickets
Here’s some useful information. The Getty Center is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm and Saturday from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm. It is closed on Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and on New Year’s Day.
Admission to the museum is free but parking costs $15. If you intend to visit the Getty Villa on the same day you will need to present a pass at the information desk in the Entrance Hall, so you only have to pay once for parking.
From Getty Villa to Getty Center
The residence in Malibu, called Getty Villa, was the first museum but soon the need for a larger and more suitable location for the project became apparent. In 1997, the Getty Center was inaugurated, now home to the Getty Museum and other parts of the complex.
Regarding the first location of the museum, the Getty Villa (17985 Pacific Coast Hwy) in Pacific Palisades/Malibu, we suggest you visit it because it is a completely different reality. The building is inspired by the Villa Dei Papiri in Herculaneum and the architectural details are inspired by ancient architecture. Besides being a museum of Etruscan, Roman, and Greek culture, it is also an educational center dedicated to the study of the arts.
How to Visit Getty Museum
Located in a beautiful natural setting, the Getty Center houses paintings, sculptures, furniture, decorative arts, drawings, manuscripts, and photographs. The works transport visitors on a temporal and geographical journey from Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art to the 21st century with a substantial section dating back to the period from the Renaissance to Post-Impressionism.
The museum continues to expand its collection through purchases and donations; it also temporarily exhibits works found in other important museums and when it is the first time that these masterpieces, it is a source of great pride for the Getty Center.
Central Gardens
It is also possible to benefit from the knowledge of expert guides who take visitors on tours that include the beautiful gardens. When we visited the Getty Center, we decided to tour it independently. It was a beautiful sunny day, which made it ideal to start with the Central Gardens, immersed in about 3 acres of land, created by American artist Robert Irwin, who was famous for his three-dimensional effect works.
To walk among tree-lined paths, fountains, a stream, and a waterfall was a pleasant experience. In the gardens, we discovered more than 500 varieties of plants of a thousand colors; we were surrounded by cacti, lavender, sage, verbena, roses, bougainvillea, azaleas, ornamental oregano, even daisies from the Canary Islands and golden-leaved irises from New Zealand that we didn’t even know existed. In this natural paradise adorned with flowers and with delightful scents, it is possible to see a magnificent view in the distance of the Santa Monica Mountains, the Pacific Ocean, and Los Angeles.
The Central Gardens are also referred to as “a sculpture with the shape of a garden”. The name is fitting due to the attention to aesthetics and because among the plants, there are modern and contemporary sculptures. There are more sculptures located at various points of the complex. In fact, we were able to confirm, because as we headed towards the entrance, we were welcomed by some statues and works of art along the staircase.
The Getty Center Complex
The time came to get to the heart of our visit and to look at the works exhibited. The large Getty Center complex consists of several modern buildings. Often modernity is synonymous with architectural coldness, but not in this case. Our impression of the Getty Center was that it was harmonious and inviting whose light color makes it bright. Architect Richard Meier designed the architectural elements in such a way that they benefit as much as possible from natural light. The light illuminating the interior from the exterior windows is a clear example of this. The structure of the complex is curvy and is made of travertine stone to enhance the solidity of the Getty Center and to give an impression of brightness, simplicity, warmth, and craftsmanship.
Since Getty’s death, the foundation that manages the museum continues to make important purchases to increase and raise the level of the collections. The arrangement of the works is not permanent not only for the sake of exhibition and aesthetics but also for safety reasons. At the time of our visit, the exhibits were divided between the North Pavilion (paintings until 1600, manuscripts, as well as medieval and Renaissance sculptures and decorative arts), the East Pavilion (paintings and Baroque art mainly from the 17th century), the South Pavilion (paintings from the 18th century, and most of the European decorative art collection until 1800), and the West Pavilion (sculptures and decorative arts from 1700 to 1900, 19th-century paintings, Neoclassical and Romanesque sculptures, and decorative arts).
We are not great art connoisseurs, but we agree with the philosophical principle of Henry D. Thoreau, who said, “it’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see”. That’s why we wanted to let the works speak to us and to convey emotions to us.
The information desk is in the spacious Entrance Hall overlooking a central courtyard and two-story pavilions. Visitors are free to choose in which order to visit the sections of the Getty Center according to their interests, especially if they have limited time. Generally speaking, the paintings in the West Pavilion command greater admiration. This was what we experienced as well, but this does not necessarily apply to everyone and we do not want to take away the element of surprise that we consider fundamental. In the Entrance Hall, we noticed the unmissable Museum Store. Here you can buy souvenirs, such as stationery, clothing, jewelry, books, games, and even home decor. You can also shop at this store online.
Main Paintings and Works on Display
We started in the Entrance Hall and after we had familiarized ourselves with the structure, ready with a map in our hand, we began the visit. We saw sculptures and works of art of ancient Rome and Greece and then we stopped to appreciate the Attic Panathenaic Amphora dating back to the Hellenic period. On the front of this terracotta amphora, there is a depiction of Athena, the goddess of war and the protectress of Athens. As for the name of the amphora, it derives from the Panathenaia, the religious festival in honor of the goddess that took place every four years that had athletic and music competitions. To reward the winners, the amphorae were filled with olive oil from the trees that were sacred to the goddess.
Among the paintings on display, we greatly appreciated the masterpieces by great Impressionists. Of the series of thirty paintings by Monet depicting Rouen Cathedral (perhaps 31, it is not certain) publicly and privately owned in Europe, USA and Japan, here at the Getty we find the version called The Portal of Rouen Cathedral in Morning Light, oil on canvas from 1894, which uses color and soft light to create a special effect.
We dwelled on the skillful reproduction of objects of everyday life in Cezanne‘s Still Life with Blue Pot, from the beginning of the 20th century, while Rembrandt ‘s The Abduction of Europa, one of the few works by the artist with a mythological subject, shows the Phoenician goddess being kidnapped by Zeus in the guise of a white bull. Later we recognized Van Gogh ‘s work called Iris that has shades of blue and green stand out. It dates back to 1889 and what is unusual about this oil on canvas is that Van Gogh was in an asylum in France when he painted it.
The presence of works by Italian artists such as Andrea Mantegna‘s The Adoration of the Magi, a splendid painting on canvas from the late 15th century, is also noteworthy. We were enchanted by a delightful 18th-century desk made by the German cabinetmaker David Roentgen. Although we were not familiar with this name, we admired him for having created something really special. The desk, built in the Neoclassical style, was made using different types of wood, such as pine, oak, fir, mahogany, and maple as well as metals such as bronze and steel. It is not a simple desk; rather, it is a masterpiece with the addition of complicated mechanical devices.
Another work that caught our attention was The Astronomer, a tapestry made in France with silk, cotton, and wool in which we can see a Chinese emperor, a winged dragon, a globe, a peacock, and the protagonist, the astronomer with the telescope. It is part of the beautiful collection of French furniture and decorative art objects, the first love of the founder of this museum.
We were also captivated by the statue of Venus, a reproduction of the Hellenic work of the goddess of love dating back to the 2nd century B.C., and those of Juno and Minerva, made with great skill by Joseph Nollekens who immortalized respectively the Roman goddess of marriage and the Roman goddess of war and wisdom. Just like in the myths, the beauty of the two goddesses is comparable.
The Events at the Getty Center
As we continue with our visit we learn about the projects that the center promotes and develops to educate about art and to preserve its cultural heritage. It is also the reason why the Getty Center offers scholarships and programs that encourage students’ interest in the subject. In the fifth pavilion, called Exhibition Pavilion, there are public events that invite the public to visit temporary exhibits hosted there to promote understanding and to arouse greater interest in art.
Within this dynamic complex, there is the Getty Research Institute (GRI), an institute dedicated to the knowledge, development and progress of the visual arts. The Research Library houses collections of rare materials and uses digital resources that are invaluable in carrying out research. There is also a large auditorium where conferences are held.
In 2013, the J. P. Getty Medal was instituted to annually award those who have made an important contribution to the practice, understanding, and support of the arts.
We keep in mind that the love and interest for the preservation, study, and development of art never ends for those who work here at Getty. They even created a project called Getty Around The World composed at the moment by nine other locations scattered around the world (Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Morocco, Italy, Ireland, Germany, India, and China) that collaborate closely with the Getty Center in Los Angeles.
Where to Eat
If you are hungry during your visit, there are four options at the Getty Center. The Restaurant is located in an elegant setting from which you can admire the Santa Monica Mountains. The Café, on the other hand, is a self-service restaurant where you can eat both inside and outside that offers a selection of quick tasty dishes such as sandwiches, soups, vegetables, pizza, and some Mexican dishes. At the Garden Terrace Café, coffee, snacks, and lunch are served in an outdoor setting. In addition, at different locations of the Getty Center, there are Coffee Carts, where you can conveniently buy drinks, sweets, cookies, and fruit.
And when we visit art museums, we keep in mind the statement of the German painter Klee, which also rings true at the Getty Center: “Art does not reproduce what is visible, it makes things visible“.
Where to Stay in the Area
The Getty Center is located very close to Bel Air, a wealthy neighborhood of L.A. that is world-renowned for having some of the most beautiful villas in the city. As you can imagine, there are mostly luxury hotels in this area, but if you look hard enough, you can also find some cheaper options. You can read our recommendations for the best places to stay in Bel Air.
If you want to have a more general idea of Los Angeles’ neighborhoods and all the accommodations the city has to offer, you can have a look at our Los Angeles Trip Planner and, more specifically, at the article entirely dedicated to where to stay in Los Angeles.
