Getty Center

You all know we are museum people.  Well, we reached our ultimate experience at the Getty in LA.  We arrived about 10:30 and left at 7:30.  We took three tours, had both lunch and dinner, and walked over 10,000 steps.  Our expenses were $15 for parking and for our meals.  Yes, J. Paul Getty, at one time the world’s richest man, created one of the best museums and so endowed it that all visits are free.  His Getty Villa is a separate museum in Malibu.

From the parking lot a tram takes visitors to the top of the hill.  You arrive in the midst of the amazing architecture of Richard Meier and lovely gardens of Robert Irwin.  The two men did not get along but managed to create an outstanding and unique environment for the acclaimed art collections.

Our first tour was of the buildings and gardens.  Neighbors strongly opposed the idea of a museum blocking their view of the hills.  We think they stopped complaining.  The architect was careful to be sure the views remained and the buildings were a plus.

Meier used travertine blocks, 30 inches square, on the floors, walls, walkways, and windows.  Some of the blocks stick out to show fossils of leaves and shells imbedded within the rock.

Irwin’s garden includes a maze.

Our second tour was of the general collection, sampling each room.

Getty was partial to art of the ancients through the 1800s.

 He did not like modern art. Three Brush Strokes by Lichtenstein has recently been added to offer a pause from one gallery to the next.

We enjoyed lunch on the terrace basking in the sun.

Then we traveled back to ancient Egypt and the era of Ptolemy, a Greek who took on the role of king of Egypt and claimed descent from Egyptian gods.

This sarcophagus is a rare find because it is intact.

The hedgehog was a popular addition to tombs because its hibernation symbolized death and rebirth.

This hippo would have been in an Egyptian garden.

This mummy is unique because the picture of the deceased was found intact.

Our wanderings also included an early photographic exhibit and an exhibit of books created as art rather than to be read.

That dinner we mentioned was fabulous, the view of the area shared with gourmet dinning.  What a great way to end the day and the trip.