Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the Getty Center is an unusual museum in that, while in most locations, visitors’ expectations remain unchallenged for the duration of the day, the Getty Center manages to shock before day’s end. Though associated with great wealth, its design is more inviting than other institutions associated with great wealth, and it provides an opportunity to enjoy art, architecture, gardens, views, food, and a study in a space conducive to prolonged visits.
At first, the Getty Center seems austere. Architect Richard Meier’s white structures, large and numerous spanning windows, clean lines, and winding staircases lack the theatrical dramatic quality of an ancient European empire. However, intentional restraint draws visitors to the galleries where the atmosphere is different. There, Renaissance paintings glow against richly colored walls. Grand frames polished, and floors create a sense of old-world ceremony, and numerous rooms reveal the depth of the collection.
The Getty far surpasses a collection of modern art or private patron display. Its collection spans from medieval, and Renaissance works, and Baroque painting to European decorative arts, sculpture, photography, and Impressionist masterpieces. Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt, Bernini, Van Dyke, Van Gogh, Manet, Monet, Renoir, and Degas are among a collection that surprises even seasoned patrons.
Galleries are organized by time period, as well as regional traditions and spread through several buildings. You can wander freely from Medieval and Baroque art, to pieces by the French, British, and Flemish, and then among the Impressionists. With so many individual rooms, this collection requires a visitor to approach it with some level of patience. To appreciate the museum’s considered layout, you can expect to spend at least a few hours.
The Getty’s guided tours are some of the museum’s greatest assets. With a knowledgeable guide, a familiar image can become an interactive discussion about how Monet treated light and color, why the brushwork in Impressionist painting seemed radical to prior audiences, or what a particular Baroque composition is asking the viewer to see. More importantly, her tours demystify art making it seem accessible rather than daunting. Strangers begin speaking to one another in front of a painting, sharing their thoughts, and testing their ideas. This interaction is one of the many indications that a museum is doing its job.
The experience begins below the hill. Visitors arrive by car and board the hillside tram to the museum. The trip up the hill is part of the experience. The Getty’s site juxtaposes green hills and distant neighborhoods, and an expanding Los Angeles cityscape, revealing the site’s remote connection to the city. While it may seem foolish to situate a major art center on expensive, elevated ground, the location illustrates an important principle in the care of art: it deserves ample space, adequate light, and a view beyond its confines.
It is important to appreciate the Getty Center's landscape design before entering the building. The terraces create a view of Los Angeles framed within the museum's landscape. With the inclusion of classical sculptures, landscaping, fountains, and reflective pools, the museum encourages a dialogue with the city. The white building interacts with the landscape and reconstitutes itself as a new image through light and reflection. The overall effect is a lasting one.
Unlike many of the other museums, visitors to the Getty Center Gardens can enjoy the experience of quiet and rest. The wonderfully designed garden and architecture allows a reflection of the museum's exhibits. The first level of the building is designed as a sculptural element to the landscape.
Available food and coffee encourages patrons to stay beyond the museum's normal hours and not treat it as merely a cultural stop. A meal on the terrace, coffee under an umbrella, and drinks in the central plaza become a part of the flow of a visit. As the day comes to a close, the museum transforms as the sun descends and the city and sky are illuminated.
Don’t miss the museum shop. In addition to postcards and souvenirs, there is a wide selection of books that looks serious. The Getty is a research institute and a public museum, and their shelves show that credibility. Visitors may purchase books on painting, sculpture, architecture, archaeology, photography, and niche areas of art history. For the wandering traveler, this is more than just a souvenir to take home. It is an invitation to continue looking and learning!
What truly sets The Getty Center apart is not just the size of the collection or the scale of the foundation that supports it. Many great museums can feel exhausting to visit, or be overly ceremonial, or stand in stark contrast to emotionally engaging the visitor. The Getty is the opposite. It is polished without being cold, important without being oppressive, and it is elegant without requiring reverence at every turn.
That is the true achievement of The Getty Center. The museum does not shout about its status, or wealth. It quietly sits on the hill and lets the art and the gardens and the open space speak for themselves. Visitors seek out the great masterpieces of the world, but what they take home is not just a book or a postcard, but along with a deeper knowledge of what a museum can be. A museum is not a temple that keeps people at a distance, but a place that is welcoming, and where people can enjoy living with great art.
The moment we step into a museum and accept the invitation to look, art justifies itself without elaborate reasoning.
