The Getty Museum, Los Angeles

I am chock full of opinions, on both. The one in Malibu, which I have long loved and has been long closed, is a place I am fond of, though I have only been there once or twice - it is (was) the kind of place you attach to.

A fellow who had some original involvement, a long time ago, in the malibu site came to my lecture on Tuscany about ten years ago. He very sweetly conversed with me, aged knowledgeable person and me, the infant middle aged enthusiast. He was an expert in old Roman gardens, old, like a dozen feet under present earth.

I have some family involvement on the building of the new getty, and I won't go on about that here, but, I did get to see it in the building process and have some cool pics.

I've further followed it because of the controversy about - first about lopping off the top of the mountain (grrrr) - Robert Irwin's central garden and Richard Meier's contretemps with him and with Thierry Dupont (or something like that) who did the Getty interiors.

At one point I had all these articles piled up and rambled on about it all a bit myself, don't get me started.

However, I do like some whole parts of it. Trouble is those parts don't mesh.

The Getty is in period of questioning about finances now, haven't followed that closely. I don't think it's too serious, but then again, I don't know.

I have been enthused about their research facilities as I understand them. I have friends who had big degrees who worked there for little recompense, pre and during the building of the new place, at other quarters. I'll take their gripes with a grain of salt but not too much salt, given the gigantic expenditures on the facility.

My land arch pals and I are still mad they didn't build it differently.

Thanks Osso! I didn't know about the lopping off of the mountain top. I could see how the parts don't mesh fluidly.

I have a sculptor friend, a woman I really admire, another story, who hasn't put her foot on the property because of the lopping mountain business.

I combine my anger about that with my anger about a pond with a mickeymouse shape filled with constantly renewed pots of azaleas... azaleas in this ecosystem?... and little sparks fly from my ears.

However, as I said, I like some of it, you know me.

Mmmm, and hauling over how ever many tons of marble from Italy kind of chaps me.

Travertine...

Yeah, that rock.

Thing was, to me it was wrong. Bright, near white, top of hill, blaring sun... glare on courtyard. Glare, you couldn't be there when I was sans sunglasses.

WTF did that have to do with LA, re hacienda architecture, or the hills, oh, be quiet, osso.

Big, glaring footprint....

So, are the contents cool, then? And the restoration operations - good?

Contents of the getty always cool.

restoration ops, you are talking of Malibu? there is some buzz about that, locally.

re research elsewhere on the planet, which they used to do, I don't know.

Osso
Osso, I love the old Getty Museum. It was a replica of an ancient roman house with a central garden filled with ancient statuary. I was only able to visit once many years ago. Drove from the Bay Area to Malibu with a friend. At that time, you had to book reservations to get into the museum because of very limited parking.

After I had been through all of the rooms and the gardens, I spent my remaining time rummaging through their print bins where, to my delight, I found a dusty rare copy of one of my favorite paintings: Peter Paul Rubens Four Negro Heads, which I purchased. Of course, you can now buy this print on the internet.

http://www.printfinders.com/product/artwork.exe?ArtworkID=2060&thumbs=1&productid=2064

BBB

The most common complaint is of the glaring white building. Still want to see it for the art inside.

Yeh, Villa Pietra, I understand.

Some of my more well to do than me by very far friends live close to there. I can't claim anything but liking it when I visited; oh, and meeting the older gentleman.

Glad, bbb, that you got your print...

The glare that Diane is speaking of - to clarify if anyone is confused, is with the new buildings for the new getty, with the travertine surfaces, and ground plane. Sunglass city. Well, the trees will grow, and have, since I saw them last, presumably.

The old getty, in Malibu, was nestled.
Last I saw it, that is.

Er. I realize I land here with a big plop at the new getty, and don't mean to shut off more positive takes from people without my own load of background.

Now that the place is there, I'd like it to succeed. Am interested in the good stuff..

Among the good things, at least at the time, was the state of the art 'natural' lighting system - I presume there are a lot of websites on that.

reviewing the thread, I see me needing attention, me, me, me. True, I've spent some time thinking about the place(s).
but thousands of others have too. Lots has been written about the new getty, and now, I assume, about the old.

But the places are more than the websites or buildings visitors walk into. The Getty is rich, as far as I know, not only in dollars and structure, but in depth of research/collection. And there lies my interest...

This little book for kids is by an author/illustrator pair I like. It's how I know anything about the Getty. Or how I first knew anything - I've since looked online.