November 2007
Issue 08-07

The Getty Center

Los Angeles' White City on a Hill

Sponsored by Camlin North America, Manufacturers of

Art Materials
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The Getty Center - Los Angeles, California

The Getty Center is one of the premier art museums in Los Angeles. Operating from a grant originally bestowed by J Paul Getty and with art from his original collection, the Getty Foundation has continued to expand the collection from it's own funds. The Getty Foundation also sponsors art restoration and research the world over.

The museum's collection ranges from the renaissance through the early 20th century with a European focus. The galleries contain a variety of household goods from the renaissance including furniture and statuary as well as Christian devotional paintings and statues. The collection continues into modern time with Academic, Impressionist and post-impressionist works, again primary European. These include such must see items as Jean-Étienne Liotard's pastel "Maria Frederike van Reede-Athlone at Seven". Artists represented at the Getty Center include Monet, Van Gogh, Munch, Pissarro and well, so many others just go here for an idea: http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/

The Getty Center is the penultimate site for photography and for devotional manuscripts. The number of pieces in the permanent collection is remarkable for the breadth and depth. On any visit you are guaranteed to see remarkable pieces of photography as well as amazing manuscript art, and with a collection so vast that you can be certain of always viewing something new.

A Gallery of the photographs of Edward Weston

The Getty Center is in Los Angeles above Bel-Air right off the 405 (San Diego) freeway about mid-point between the 101 (Hollywood) freeway and the 10 (Santa Monica) freeway. Admittance is free, parking is $ 8.00 per car and typically one does not need a reservation. Arriving by bus or taxi there is no fee. From the entrance the visitor rides a tram up the hill to the museum complex, providing a sense of entering a special space. The museum complex is contracted of white travertine rock and on a sunny day sunglasses are recommended.
The Center is very child friendly with a family room full of activities and a drawing room where the Center provides instructors, materials and subjects to practice drawing and sketching.

A leaf fossil in the Travertine Stone

For a Quick Time video of the Garden, Family Room, Drawing Room and Tram: Click Here

Eating is easy, there is the Getty Center Cafe with a cafeteria atmosphere as well as a destination restaurant; The Getty Center Restaurant with table service and the opportunity to do some celebrity watching. Reservations are required for the Restaurant. There are also small food kiosks around the complex.

The Dining Room of the Getty Cafe

The physical beauty of the Getty Center is, by itself, sufficient reason to visit

The Pacific Ocean seen from the Getty Center

The Gardens at the Getty Center

Next time: The British Museum , London

The previous Profile: The Getty Villa, Malibu, California