Getty Villa

The Getty Villa in Los Angeles is the branch and exhibition venue of the J. Paul Getty Museum focused on ancient art and antiquities.

Building and site

The Getty Villa was built in 1974 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
As the name suggests, the architecture of the museum is inspired by that of an ancient Roman villa, and specifically by the Villa of the Papyri in the ancient town of Herculaneum (Italian: Ercolano), near Naples.
The building is decorated with Roman-style frescoes and mosaics; the site includes four gardens with Mediterranean plants and an open-air Greek-style theater.

From 1997 to 2006, the Getty Villa campus underwent major expansion and renovation works after a design by Argentinian-born American architects Rodolpho Machado and Jorge Silvetti.

What to see at the Villa

While the Getty Center in Brentwood is dedicated to art from the Middle Ages onward, the Getty Villa showcases artworks from the 44,000-piece collection of Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities of the J. Paul Getty Museum, divided into thematic sections.

The collection covers a period of some 7,000 years, from the Bronze Age to the end of the Roman Empire and includes bronze and marble sculptures – including the famous (and controversial) Getty Kouros, frescoes, mosaics, vessels, architectural elements, glass objects, silverware, coins, and jewels.

About 1,200 selected pieces from the museum’s collection are displayed into 23 permanent exhibition galleries, while five additional galleries are available for special exhibitions.

Additional services and activities

The program of events and activities of the museum features temporary exhibitions, guided tours, educational courses, activities for children and families, and special events.
The Getty Villa includes a reference library, two cafes, a book and gift shop, and a picnic area.

Images

Getty Villa, inner peristyle; photo Ellen M. Rosenbery © 2009 J. Paul Getty Trust 

Views of the Getty Villa gardens; photos: Matt Evans (up), and courtesy of The Getty (down)

Portrait of a Bearded Man, Greek, about 150 B.C., marble; photo: Ryan Smith

One of the Getty Villa galleries; photo courtesy of The Getty

Getty Villa, the “Kouros”, about 530 B.C. or modern forgery; photo: Panegyrics of Granovetter

Terracotta objects from the Apulia region, South Italy, 4th century B.C.; photo: SupportPDX

Fragment of a Roman fresco, 50 – 79 A.D; photo: My Lil’ Rotten

Glass cup, Roman, 1st century B.C.; photo: Carolyn Whitson

Cover image: Getty Villa, Los Angeles, the porticoed courtyard or peristyle; photo courtesy of The Getty