Getty Center reopens after devastating fires; Getty Villa remains closed

The Getty Center Museum is large -- like its benefactor's appetite for art and beauty. The multi-building
complex is the legacy of industrialist and philanthropist J. Paul Getty, a $1.3 billion endeavor which opened to the public with great fanfare in 1997. It is well known for its architecture, gardens, its free admission, tram to the complex and splendid views overlooking Los Angeles. It's gardens welcome many bird species.

Sculpture is artfully placed throughout the museum complex,
making the grounds as interesting as the indoor exhibits.

GETTY CENTER REOPENS; FIRE RESISTANT ARCHITECTURE  MARKS GETTY BUILDINGS   

FIRE UPDATES WILL APPEAR AS REBUILDING BEGINS, PLANS UNFOLD

BEAUTIFUL GETTY VILLA REMAINS CLOSED INDEFINITELY  AS A RESULT OF THE FIRES; WE'LL FEATURE IT WHEN IT REOPENS

Editor's Note: We took the photos accompanying this story Jan. 6, the day before devastating fires closed both Getty museums.  We are relieved that the fires are at bay and the fire-resistant Getty Center Museum is reopened.  The Getty Villa, although saved, is closed indefinitely. Staffers stayed overnight early in the fire to protect it and while Villa grounds experienced damage, the buildings and priceless collections are safe thanks to steel and metal architecture, grounds irrigation and careful prior clearing of brush near the building's parameter.  We nod to the splendid Villa Museum in this article, and will present a full feature when it reopens in months, even a year.  Pacific Palisades must rebuild it roads, infrastructure and museum access, all damaged in the fires.  Both museums are free with only a parking charge.

 

A subtle, elegant effect from a display
of prisms caught Cookie's eye.

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

OIL TYCOON J. Paul Getty was a man of immense appetites, achievements and artistic acumen. He was also a man of vision, who would surely approve of the Getty Center's architecture, "a marvel of anti-fire engineering," as one critic called it. Both indoors and outdoors, its materials, design, construction, operations, and controls are purpose-built for safety. 

Getty made his fortune with savvy investments in the oil trade. This enabled him to collect paintings and sculpture in both the U.S. and the Mediterranean, where he kept a villa in Italy for many years.

Minnesota born, he enjoyed the warmer climate and landscape of southern California, noticing its similarities to the Mediterranean area he loved.  He was drawn to the lost civilizations of Herculaneum and Pompeii.  One villa, mostly buried by the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius, caught the collector's eye and would eventually lead to his legacy, two world class facilities: Getty Center Museum and Getty Villa Museum.

A docent leads a group of tourists in
one of the museum wings, explaining
specific pieces, here a classical sculpture.

THE CENTER Museum is much larger than the Villa. It is in Brentwood, about 11 miles or a half hour's drive from the Pacific Palisades Villa. The Center reopened Jan. 28 after the fires closed it for nearly three weeks. It houses a stunning collection of art from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and modern times. But the architecture and gardens of the buildings are the real stars of this complex, set amid gorgeous gardens with impressive city views. Museum staff thought of everything to enhance a visit: cafes, shady walkways, gorgeous gardens. Interesting gallery tours, changing exhibits and tasteful gift shops await. On warm days, one can borrow a parasol to keep the sun's glare away. 

The museum is user friendly. Amazingly, it is free with only a parking charge.

The gardens at Getty Center Museum are elegant and not
to be missed.  This is one of several, the Central Garden.

LONGTIME residents of the area know the history of the pair of Getty museums began with the opening of the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1954 while Getty was still alive and able to supervise. He originally designed a small museum adjacent to his Pacific Palisades home.  When it quickly outgrew his growing collection, he decided to replicate the villa, creating a larger, permanent home for his treasures.  He died in England in 1976 and the terms of his trust laid out plans for the Getty Center Museum, built to house the massive larger collection of mixed media masterpieces.  Architects from around the world vied for the architectural post and in 1984, following an eighteen-month selection process, architect Richard Meier was chosen to design the Center which opened with fanfare in 1997.  (I was among invited press.)

GETTY ACQUIRED

Bruce Keller enjoys a moment of solitude,
reflecting on the beauty of sculpture, landscape
at Getty Center Museum above Brentwood.

a massive amount of sculpture, pottery, paintings and photographs, using his sharp eye and deep pockets to guide him. The Center and Villa accomplish his wish that his collection would live on and touch and enrich others' lives.
He wanted visitors to experience Greek and Roman art in a setting that would bring the objects to life. The Villa does that.  He also wanted his massive additional collection to stay intact, and be complemented in beautiful sculpture gardens, with landscaping incorporating both plants and water. The Center does that admirably, with drought resistant plants which have a better chance of surviving fire such as the recent one.

THE WORLD'S best architects adapted plans for both the Villa and the Center. 

No expense was spared in the Getty
Villa, a recreation of an ancient
Roman estate in Pompeii. 

For the Villa,  his team borrowed from other nearby villas since the one he admired was mostly destroyed by Vesuvius. Getty's team  designed a gorgeous complex that satisfied Getty's idea of "re-creation." Attention to detail was paramount to the collector. He insisted on accuracy in incorporating details from other ancient homes. A billionaire and once the richest man in the world, he spared no expense.

Christene "Cookie" Meyers
and Bruce Keller by an exhibit
of Van Gogh's famous "Irises."

Sculpture is an appealing part of Getty Center.

WHAT EMERGED is two very different, equally charming spaces. Like the Center, only much smaller, the Villa incorporates charming gardens, fountains, peaceful places for contemplation with plants from the Mediterranean -- fruit trees, flowering shrubs, herbs used by the Romans for cooking and medicine.  

Both facilities house beautifully designed gallery spaces showcasing Getty's stunning collections. The pair take the viewer from Egyptian, Greek and Roman statues to European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and photography from its beginnings to the present. We toured the two back-to-back in a long, delightful day.  Sadly, this pairing is not possible until the Villa reopens.  May that happen soon as Pacific Palisades "reinvents" itself and rebuilds. Meanwhile, consider a visit to the Center. 
And keep Pacific Palisades, its people and its treasures in your hearts.

More information:  Admission to Getty Center Museum is free but timed-entry reservations are necessary and you'll pay for parking.
getty.edu/visit/center; visitorservices@getty.edu
To follow Getty Villa's reopening plans: getty.edu/visit/villa

We're back on the whale trail, with a look at
magnificent gray whales passing by San Diego
in record numbers of over 20,000. Seeing a
fluke is one of our happiest moments at sea.

ON TAP:  It's a wonderful feeling to see a whale fluke as he dives down for food, or  "blows" as he comes up for air, expelling it through his blow hole.  Did you know that's the genesis of the term "Thar she blows"? from whaling days. Now we happily celebrate the return of the whale after near extinction.  We are thankful to photograph these beautiful, once endangered creatures and are thrilled to be back watching whales with favorite San Diego venues, San Diego's City Cruises under the Hornblower umbrella and San Diego Whale Watch.  Tourists from all over the world visit San Diego for the whales. So that's next week's feature.  Then more water adventures in Fort Lauderdale, a UK train odyssey, tips on bathroom protocol when abroad -- and, importantly, how to find one! Remember to explore, learn and live and catch us weekly for a fresh spin on travel, the arts, performance, nature and more: www.whereiscookie.com 

To book a whale watching cruise in San Diego:

https://www.cityexperiences.com/san-diego/city-cruises/san-diego-whale-dolphin-watch-adventure/