The Getty Museum

I realized that while I have been showcasing some of the decorative arts and period rooms of the Getty Center, I haven't been showing anything of the actual building's themselves.The morning we visited was characteristically foggy (June mornings in LA!) but the location and buildings could not be more beautiful.

Designed by Richard Meier and completed in 1997, the complex sits high on a hill overlooking LA and the distant Pacific Ocean. In fact, one enters the campus via a tram which takes you up a steep hillside.The buildings terrace down the hill, following the slope and allowing for magnificent views throughout the property.A shallow water feature is the center point of the main courtyard.Designed in Meier's trademark post-modern style of white metal panels with travertine floors and accent walls, the architecture is the perfect foil to the musem's collection of European decorative arts, in my opinion.The gardens, by Laurie Olin, also complement the modernist structure and soften its' hard edges.

If not for the collections, your next time in LA, be sure to visit the Getty Museum for the architecture at least!