The Getty Center opened on December 1997, and it is well-known of its architecture, gardens, and view overlooking Los Angeles. Besides the museum, the Center's buildings house the Getty Research Institue, the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Foundation, and the J. Paul Getty Trust which owns and operates the Center.
The museum's permanent collection includes "pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts; and 19th- and 20th-century American and European photographs".
The Getty Center sits in the Santa Monica Mountains above Interstate 405. On a clear day (without LA smogs...), it is possible to see not only the Los Angeles skyline but also the San Bernardino Mountains to teh east as well as the Pacific Ocen to the west.
The architecture of the Getty Center is spectacular. Richard Meier was the architect of the Center, and with many construction delays, the planned completion date moved from 1988 to 1995 (which finally opened in 1997). The total cost was estimated to be $350 million, but it was later estimated to be $1.3 billion. Wow...
The Central Garden at the Getty Center is the work of artist Robert Irwin. More than 500 varieties of plant material are used for the Central Garden, but the selection is always changing "never twice the same". It is really beautiful, and you'll find people hanging around the garden enjoying the scenery.
Location
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, California 90049
web site: http://www.getty.edu/
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