The Getty

One of our objectives when we went to L.A. was to visit the Getty Museum.  It was built with proceeds from the estate of J. Paul Getty, who struck his first productive well near Haskell, Oklahoma.  The museum consists of two parts: The Getty Villa in Malibu, and the Getty Center in Brentwood.

The tram ride up from the parking garage offered fantastic views.  This set the stage for the spectacular entrance to the Getty Center.  In addition to containing the major part of the Getty Collection, it also houses the Getty Research and Conservation institutes.  The parking garage below costs $15.00, but there is no admission fee for the museum.

Even the statuary in the entrance is interesting.  Note the two guys sketching the view from the entrance above.



This is what they were looking at.

This is the view from the plaza.  Just behind me here is a fabulous restaurant.  We, however, chose to eat in the cafeteria below in to spend more time in the various exhibits.

The architecture is spectacular.  Many special architectural concessions were made to protect the priceless treasures inside from earthquakes.

In addition to the spectacular architecture, there are a number of interesting gardens.  This is one of the better xeric gardens Ted had ever seen.

The featured exhibit was a series of photographs revolving around Queen Victoria.  The first Daguerreotypes began to appear in 1939, two years into her reign.  This exhibit was a fascinating study of not only the early evolution of photography, but also the evolution of Queen Victoria's use of the technology. 

After Prince Albert's death, the Queen never had a photo taken without some kind of image of the Royal Consort.  Sometimes it was like this, a photo in her lap, others, a pendant that she wore, and yet others, a photo on the wall behind her.

While photos of many of the exhibits were not allowed, they were allowed in others.  In this medieval text, a patron is shown supporting an abbey, literally. 

Not all of the exhibits were paintings and sculptures.  It is hard to view this desk, clock, and figures as anything but art.

The same for the ornate bed.  Penny worried about how the boas at the top of each corner post could be kept free of dust, even in a museum setting.

Whole rooms from early 18th century France were reconstructed with furniture from the Getty Collection.

 

The art, artisanship, and architecture here were nothing short of spectacular.  We barely touched the surface of the many things exhibited here.  We will be back.