Friday, July 8, 2011

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!

4 comments:

24 Corners said...

One of my most favorite places in all the world...both inside and out. It's been a joy to revisit it through your wonderful images.
xo J~

Thomas Hogglestock said...

I think that Meier's hilltown is a little so-so from a distance. But up close I think the building really sings. The materials really make this building and I don't think that comes through from the highway. And the gardens are lovely. I was there in 2001, it would be nice to see in person how they have matured over the last decade.

Ms. Rawat said...

i love this place ... it's my favorite one

Architects in Delhi

Janet said...

I am a huge, huge fan of Laurie Olin, so can't wait to see the Getty space myself!