Contemporary Southern California couldn’t be much further in time and space from the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome and Etruria. However, at the Getty Villa Museum in Pacific Palisades, a stone’s throw from Malibu, these distinct cultures come together in a splendid showcase of classical art and architecture.
The lavish Getty Villa, a precise recreation of an ancient Roman country estate, is the centerpiece of a 64-acre hillside property overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The coastal landscape and climate are so reminiscent of the Mediterranean that visitors are drawn into a full sensory experience of the ancient world. This rarefied atmosphere complements displays of priceless antiquities spanning from the Neolithic period of around 3000 BCE to the late Roman Empire, circa 600 CE.
The museum’s statues, busts, coins, jewelry, vessels and even a genuine mummy represent some of the finest and rarest examples of western art in existence. Browsing it all under rows of classical columns and so much polished marble amplifies the visitor experience and makes the Getty Villa Museum one of the must-see museums in greater Los Angeles.
The Getty Villa, Gardens and Views
J. Paul Getty (1892-1976) first opened his personal collection of art and antiquities to the public in 1954. The oil tycoon’s visions for an art museum bigger than his own ranch home (still on site as an administrative building) led to the construction of the Getty Villa, modeled after the Villa dei Papiri of Herculaneum. This grand Roman country house on Italy’s Bay of Naples was buried by the explosion of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and partially excavated in the 18th century. Getty Villa architects duplicated the floor plan, scale and materials of the Villa dei Papiri. Details borrowed from similar ancient houses helped to complete the magnificent museum, which opened to the public in 1974.
The Getty Villa is the main museum building, with light-filled galleries set around the open-air Inner Peristyle with its fountains, statues and manicured greenery. Tall white columns and shaded walkways connect the indoor galleries and outdoor spaces, which also include four gardens. From the upper balcony of the villa, visitors take in sweeping views over the gardens and long reflecting pool, the mountains on both sides, and the Pacific Ocean on the horizon.
The Getty Villa Museum’s four gardens – the Outer Peristyle, Inner Peristyle, East Garden and Herb Garden – feature around 300 varieties of plants that reflect the landscape of the ancient Mediterranean. Californian species are represented as well. The largest garden, the Outer Peristyle, has as its centerpiece a long, dreamy reflecting pool flanked by colonnaded walkways, fountains and sculptures. The ocean views from this outdoor gathering place are unrivaled, and it’s a prime photo spot. The colorful and ornate mosaic fountain in the East Garden is another highlight and a stunning photo backdrop.
The Getty Villa’s Art Galleries
The Getty Villa’s architecture and gardens enhance its primary function as a world-class art museum. Over 1,300 items from a collection of some 44,000 antiquities are on display in 27 distinct galleries. The collection of Greek, Roman and Etruscan art is presented chronologically, mirroring the evolution of classical cultures from around 3,000 BCE to 600 CE, or the Neolithic era to the late Roman Empire. It spans all forms of art from the mundane to the sacred, featuring everyday items like coins, pendants and cups as well as many and varied depictions of figures from classical mythology such as Zeus, Athena, Venus and the Sirens.
Stroll the two floors of the Getty Villa and admire ancient art spanning around 4,000 years. Floor one presents galleries of Greek art including coins, gems and vases, which include some of the museum’s oldest and rarest items. Witness an evolution from the mysterious and spare sculptures of Neolithic and Bronze Age Greece through to the Hellenistic era’s naturalistic human figures – the first in western art.
Among the most celebrated artworks on display here are the Lansdowne Heracles, a Roman marble sculpture dated to around 125 CE. It depicts a youthful and naked Heracles holding a club and the skin of the mythological Nemean lion. Another is the Victorious Youth, also known as “the Getty Bronze,” a Greek bronze sculpture believed to represent an Olympic runner.
The Etruscan gallery, presenting art from the ancient civilization of central Italy, is also on the ground floor. So are galleries dedicated to the Villa dei Papiri, the Temple of Hercules, and to J. Paul Getty and his role as an art collector.
Floor two is home to multiple galleries of Roman art, plus special exhibition spaces. Roman sculpture dominates in its distinctive celebration of prime human and godly forms, from busts to full narrative scenes carved into friezes. An almost-intact Jupiter sculpture and the Sarcophagus with Scenes from the Life of Achilles are highlights. The collection of Greek and Roman glass is outstanding, at least in part due to the improbability of its survival.
A popular exhibit on the second floor of the Getty Villa is the Mummy of Herakleides, displayed in the Roman Egypt gallery. The genuine mummy is dated to 120-140 AD and represents the blending of Egyptian and Greek cultural traditions. A painted portrait, the written name “Herakleides” and decorative adornments depicting ancient Egyptian deities are remarkably intact. Watch the audiovisual presentations in the gallery and learn how a CAT scan revealed a mummified ibis entombed with the late Herakleides. Other mummy portraits and related artworks are on display nearby.
The Getty Villa Museum for Kids
If you’re visiting the Getty Villa Museum with kids, be sure to break up the gallery browsing with some time in the Family Forum, located on the ground floor of the villa. This is a space for hands-on activities including paper-rubbing to design vases with authentic colors and motifs, and markers to draw decorations directly onto replica vessels. There’s also a shadow-play area with foam props such as swords, shields, and Medusa’s head.
At the entry pavilion, ask for Art Detective cards for children, which encourage them to hunt for clues while exploring the museum. You can also access a kid-friendly demigods audio tour inspired by the Percy Jackson book series.
More to See and Do at the Getty Villa Museum
Theater: The Getty Villa Museum’s outdoor venue, the 500-seat Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater, hosts classic and classically inspired theater productions throughout fall.
Guided tours: Various guided tours are available at the Getty Villa Museum, including garden, architecture and exhibition tours.
Cafe: The museum offers both a coffee kiosk and sit-down cafe serving Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.
Villa Museum Store: The gift store specializes in books on antiquity and varied gift items inspired by ancient art.
The Getty Villa vs the Getty Center
It’s easy to confuse the Getty Villa Museum with its sister institution, the Getty Center. The two Los Angeles-area museums are owned by the J. Paul Getty Trust, “the world’s largest cultural and philanthropic organization dedicated to the visual arts.”
The Getty Center is on a hilltop in Brentwood, 13 miles east of the Getty Villa’s Pacific Palisades location. It has a larger campus than the villa and a broader scope, featuring art from the Middle Ages to today. As with the Getty Villa, the Getty Center’s architecture and gardens are spectacular and as much a draw as the galleries.
Details
Admission to the Getty Villa is free, but requires a timed-entry reservation.
Parking is not free (at the time of publishing, it costs $25 per car/motorcycle, or $15 after 3 pm) and there is no free parking nearby.
Metro bus 134 stops near the Getty Villa entrance. Riders should ask the bus driver to stamp their ticket to facilitate walk-in entry to the museum.
Hours: The Getty Villa Museum is closed on Tuesdays, and otherwise open daily from 10 am to 5 pm.
Address: 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Website: www.getty.edu/visit/villa/
