Each time I recall my recent visit to Southern California, the hours I spent at the Getty Villa near Malibu stand out most. As a lover of the California coast, art, and being outdoors, the gorgeous art museum couldn’t have been a more perfect way to spend a day in Los Angeles.
Built in the early 1970s in the style of a first century Roman house–complete with an open courtyard and graceful columns–the Getty Villa sits perched on the 64-acre Getty Pacific Palisades estate overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It doesn’t feel at all out of place in the surrounding landscape; in fact, it feels perfectly at home in So Cal’s Mediterranean climate. I suppose that’s what Mr. Getty intended all along.
The Getty Villa: A Brief History
Oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, once the richest man in the world, was an avid collector of art and antiquities. When his personal collection began to outgrow his home, Getty commissioned the construction of a museum to house it. The J. Paul Getty Museum opened to the public in 1974. As time passed, its holdings continued to increase, so in 1996, a second building was constructed to house the collection–the Getty Center, roughly 10 miles away in Los Angeles’ Brentwood area. Only the Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities remained at the original museum, which was subsequently renamed the Getty Villa. It houses one of the most notable collections of ancient art and artifacts in the world.
The best part? Experiencing The Getty Villa is free.
Even though J. Paul Getty was rumored to be a notorious spendthrift–famously refusing to pay the ransom for his kidnapped grandson–he was also a philanthropist. His will provisioned that his estate, which would eventually become the J. Paul Getty Trust, should make art more accessible.
Discovering a Southern California Treasure
If you’re traveling to the Los Angeles area, visiting the Getty Villa is a must-do. Whether you’re interested in art, an aficionado of beautiful gardens and architecture, or looking for bit of solitude and a place to take a deep breath, the museum offers opportunities for all this and more.
Once I entered the building and saw the stunning architecture and elegant statues in the outer courtyard, I felt transported to another time and place. My visit started with nearly a quarter of an hour listening to the water falling from the fountains of the East Garden, followed by an extended rest on a bench in the gardens of the Outer Peristyle. Next, a walk in the colorful Herb Garden among fragrant plants, flowering shrubs, and fruit-bearing trees set beneath towering palms was just what my travel-weary body needed. Bliss.
And then, there was the art.
If you’re as fascinated by the art and culture of ancient civilizations as I am, you’d agree the Getty’s holdings are a pure feast for the eyes, mind, and senses. I felt dwarfed by the tremendous scope of the museum as I walked among some of the world’s most well-known pieces of ancient Roman, Greek, and Etruscan art, including the nearly 2,000-year-old Landsdowne Heracles. Here in the 21st century, rare and priceless finds from ancient Greece and Italy were an arm’s length away. If there’s one thing that defines the Getty Villa experience, it’s that the art feels so accessible. Instead of the echoing space of a large, impersonal museum building, viewing the antiquities in the Getty Villa felt as though I were merely visiting the home of a dear friend with very deep pockets and great taste in art.
Perhaps my favorite memory was the perfume-making workshop hosted by the museum in which visitors could learn to make scents using methods and materials that might have been used hundreds or even thousands of years ago. I took home my very own handcrafted vial of perfume, scented with frankincense, cardamom, rose, bergamot, and cyclamen. Every once in a while, I take a little whiff to remind me about this memorable Southern California experience.
Visiting the Getty Villa
Getting there
The Getty Villa can be accessed via Pacific Coast Highway; the road leading to its entrance begins a few hundred feet away from the nearest beach. You can spend your morning engrossed in art and your afternoon with your toes in the sand. While there’s no admission fee to enter the museum, you’ll pay for parking if you choose to drive. However, the parking fee is also good for same-day parking at the Getty Center.
Admission
While admission to the Getty Villa is free, be sure to reserve your timed admission ticket before arrival.
Food and drink
You can enjoy a picnic lunch in the designated area just north of the museum building, but food and beverages aren’t allowed in the galleries. The onsite cafe also serves a variety of Mediterranean-inspired dishes.
Event calendar
The perfume-making workshop I attended was just one of many interesting events you might experience during a visit to the Getty Villa. Themed and seasonal tours and activities as well as live performances in the outdoor theater are also an option.
