Sitting above the Santa Monica Mountains in the Brentwood district of Los Angeles, the Getty Center is one of the city’s most popular visitor destination. The Getty Center is only one half of the J. Getty Museum, renowned all over for its extensive collection of pre-20th century European artworks and 19th-20th century photographs from America and Europe. Apart from its impressive collection, the Center is also known for architecture and location which overlooks the entire Los Angeles area. Aside from the museum, various other Getty organizations are located within the Center.
Construction for the Getty Center was originally commissioned in August 1989 and lasted until 1997 due to several construction delays. The architectural design of the Center, spearheaded by renowned architect Richard Meier, is popular for incorporating the natural surroundings with the final design of the building, especially evident in the Central Garden designed by artist Robert Irwin.
A monorail designated to transport guests greets visitors once they alight from the parking lot. Once they reach the top, visitors can make their way through the various buildings in the area. There are five museum buildings, dubbed as pavilions, which house the various art collections acquired by the museum. The North, South, East, and West Pavilions contain the museum’s permanent collections, while the Exhibits Pavilion is mostly where the traveling art collections are put on display. There are also child-friendly activities in the Center’s Family Room such as the Art Detective game, storytelling, sculpture building, and many more.
Some of the masterpieces you will find in the Center include Paul Gaugain’s “Arii Matamoe”, “Irises” by Vincent Van Gogh, “Portrait of Halberdier” by Pontormo, and a couple of “Portrait of Louis XIV” by Hyacinthe Rigaud.
Art buffs should not forget to make a stop at the Getty Center to get a taste of world culture and art.