Getty Center In Los Angeles

History of Getty Center

Started by J. Paul Getty, the Getty Center Museum was located in Pacific Palisades. After his death, the whole property was handed over to the Getty trust for museum purposes but soon with additions being made to the collection, it outgrew the site and the management started looking for a new location to house the collection. They decided to build the new Getty Center at a place that was easier to access for Los Angeles City and finally settled upon its current location in 1983. Though earlier estimated to cost only $350 million by the time the Getty center was completed total project cost for the Getty Center Museum had gone up to a whopping $1.3 billion.

Attractions of Getty Center

The attractions at the Getty Center, LA are broadly divided into three parts: The Art, The Architecture and The Gardens.

Reaching across both European and American histories the Getty Center art consists of a permanent collection, changing exhibitions and outdoor art pieces. Sculptures, paintings and other decorative arts are house in the four pavilions of the Getty Center Museum as well as throughout the grounds.

Richard Meier, the architectural wizard behind the Getty Center, has designed an architectural marvel that highlights both, nature and culture. The most abundant element here at the Getty Center is the highly textured travertine stone - 1.2 million square feet of it - while the most important element is the natural light which is caught perfectly by the stone.

And finally, the Getty Center gardens are a marvel in themselves. With the ever changing Central Garden, Cactus garden, and three different sculpture gardens, The Getty Center never fails to enchant the visitors. Another interesting attraction here is a driverless tram that runs between the parking and the highest level of the Center.