J. Paul Getty Museum, Art museum in Los Angeles, United States.
The J. Paul Getty Museum presents European paintings, sculptures, decorative objects, and photographs at two separate sites: the Getty Center on a hilltop above Los Angeles and the Getty Villa by the sea in Malibu. The Center displays works up to the early 20th century, while the Villa houses ancient Greek, Roman, and Etruscan objects in a recreated Roman country house.
Oil magnate J. Paul Getty opened the museum in 1974 at his Malibu villa. After his death in 1976, he left much of his fortune to the museum, which later enabled the construction of the Getty Center, opened in 1997.
The museum collection contains pre-20th-century European art, including paintings, drawings, manuscripts, and an extensive collection of ancient Mediterranean artifacts.
The museum opens Tuesday through Sunday and requires free advance reservations for both locations. Admission is free, but visitors should allow time for parking and arrival, as the Getty Center is reached by a tram from the parking area.
The white travertine cladding of the Getty Center comes from the same Italian quarries that supplied ancient Rome. Architect Richard Meier cut the blocks into two different surface finishes to create a shifting appearance depending on the light.
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