Perched in the hills above West Los Angeles, the Getty Center‘s singular architecture is a work of art in itself. This “little Italian village in the hills”, as its creator Meier calls it, skilfully blends nature and culture. It houses a world-famous art collection, including European paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, contemporary photography, decorative arts and no fewer than 800,000 art books.
Jean-Paul Getty, oil magnate and art lover, believed that art had a civilizing influence on society and sought to make it far more accessible to the public. Throughout his life, he collected numerous antiquities, and on his death in 1976, his foundation inherited a large part of his fortune and undertook the construction, in Los Angeles, of the Getty Center.
After visiting the museum’s various exhibition rooms, virtually all lit by natural light, a stroll through the complex’s magnificent gardens, tended with geometric meticulousness, is a must. The 1.2 hectares of floral and natural creations are a thing of beauty, composed of 500 plant varieties that blend gracefully into the setting.
The Getty Center was visited on March 28, 2023.
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