A weeks ago I have the opportunity to visit one of the most interesting museums I have ever seen. The Getty. It was a gift from an oil magnate and passionate art collector, J.Paul Getty. In 1954 he decided to open the J. Paul Getty Museum, which was first located within his Malibu villa. When the collection became so large it could no longer fit in there, he added a second location, the Getty Center, launched in 1997.
I went to visit the second one, the Getty Center, and I was very lucky about the weather: it was a really sunny Sunday, so the views from the Getty Center were amazing!! As it is located on the top of a hill, you could see perfectly L.A. at the same time you were breathing fresh air, away from the traffic and pollution so popular in this city…
It was very interesting to me, so I am going to share with you some things I know about it:
The Getty Center is a complex of three buildings where everything was studied to the millimeter to be able to create this spectacular work, where everything fits, everything has connection and sense. But this connections is not only between the architecture; it’s also the relation with the art inside the buildings, the green lawns and the gardens.
The complex has been designed by architect Richard Meier (the same guy who at 49 years of age, became the youngest-ever architect to be awarded with the Pritzker Prize), who decided to combine his signature white smooth surfaces with more traditional materials, even travertine extracted from a cave near Rome.
The collection is huge: there are pieces of art from Europe and North America, from the Middle Ages until now.
I will not say anything more about that… I just say that if you go there, there is an architectural guide (free!!) who will explain to you a lot of interesting things about the design and construction process of the museum. It is really interesting and you will discover some small details that are the most important things to make this museum a great architectural and landscape work.
I hope to encourage you to go, and that you like it as much as I do!
