Before the current Getty Center Museum opened a few years ago atop a mountain in Brentwood overlooking Los
Angeles, the collection had originally been held in an Italian villa just off Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
The villa, however, has been closed since 1997 while it underwent a $275 million renovation.
Yesterday, it finally reopened.
The museum now holds an impressive collection of ancient Greek, Roman and Etruscan artwork, statuary
and antiquities. With the largest museum endowment in the world, it’s no surprise that the Getty Foundation
inspires and delights with
their new Getty Villa venture where 1,200 pieces are spread across 48,000 square
feet of jaw-dropping villa-extravagancia. Indeed, even for those not interested in antiquities, the beautifully
restored complex with its marvelous gardens and ocean
view is still very much worth a trip on its own.
But don’t just show up in LA expecting to get right in. Admission is free, but reservations are
required. This is actually a problem; the museum is already fully booked until July 31. Museum officials
are so concerned that they will be
overrun by people without reservations they’ve bought full page ads in the LA Times reminding visitors to stay
away unless they already have reservations.
The opening comes at an awkward time, however, as the Getty is unfortunately dealing with accusations of smuggled and
stolen artwork. Get your reservations now before some of it is sent back to Italy.