Art-chitecture

The Getty Center, a marvel of modern architecture and flowing gardens, is home to some of today's most important art

By KHRISTINE MIRANDA
Staff Writer

In a City of Angels, where can an ordinary mortal rest in a virtual Garden of Eden? Where can one float on a cushion of air while looking down at all those unhappy faces stuck in the congested smog of Los Angeles and take comfort in the knowledge that one is going to a better place? Does this sound too good for this lifetime?
Well, it's not completely out of reach.
People don't need a voice from the sky to tell them that the Getty Center is a little piece of heaven.
J. Paul Getty, an enterprising, extravagant oil tycoon who made his first million at age 23, first started collecting art in the 1930s. Since then, his collection has grown substantially. While most people are happy with a few posters and a potted plant, Getty was busy devoting large amounts of his fortune to collecting the most rare and beautiful works of art available. Money was no object.
In 1953, he turned his Malibu ranch into a museum and later developed a museum to resemble a Roman country house. When he died, Getty left $700 million to the museum.
However, after his death, his Trustees took it upon themselves to expand Getty's vision - and not just any building would do. Travertine stone, often confused for marble, was quarried 15 miles outside of Rome and shipped to the site. Much of the museum is built with this white stone that seems to produce a glowing halo in the sunlight.
It took more than 13 years to complete the project. But judging by visitors' faces, it was well worth the wait. In the its inaugural year, the Getty Center attracted more than 1.9 million visitors. Even more than two years after its opening, people still flock in massive numbers to admire the Center's majestic beauty and the treasures that lie within its walls.
Visitors enter the Getty Center through the main gate and proceed to a tram station. From there they ride a tram that literally floats on a cushion of air along a winding route that boasts views of Century City and downtown Los Angeles' skyline.
Stepping off the tram, the first thing one is most likely to notice is the Getty Center's peaceful ambiance. It possesses a clean ethereal quality - a far cry from the thick, smoggy traffic on the city's beloved 405 freeway just a few feet below. One would do well to stop a moment and really appreciate the clear, crisp mountain air, cheerful greeters and beautifully illuminated scenery.
A visitor might even go so far as to forget that he ever has to return to the world below again. As if that were not enough to make a person want to stay forever, the Getty also has five water fountains, including a waterfall, a 120-foot rectangular pool and long, narrow basin beautifully lit up at night.
The Getty Center's art collection is composed of the some of the best and most rare works in seven areas: paintings, antiquities, decorative arts, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, drawings and photographs.
Many people in this time-strapped nether region of the country don't have much time to spare to traverse as massive a lay-out as the Getty. Brilliantly, however, the museum offers the guide "If You Only Have an Hour," a brochure that quickly guides you through the museum's must-see and new exhibits. Among the works mentioned are the Getty's famous Photographs Collection, Bernini's "Neptune and Dolphin" and Van Gogh's "Irises." Another handy tool is the Audioguide, a hand-held CD-ROM player with headphones that allows visitors to design their own tours while listening to summaries of exhibits, interviews with artists and historical commentaries.
For a more comprehensive view of the Getty Center's collections, Art Access workstations are located in each of the four main pavilions and in the Family Room. Art Access is the Getty's interactive multimedia resource for visitors interested in viewing all of the Museum's collections at once. Each work of art is presented with descriptions, information, images, multiple views, x-rays and video footage.
The Getty Center's exhibitions for January include "The Body Beautiful: Artists Draw the Nude," which runs through February 27. The collection displays how European artists idealized, desired and observed the human body for over 400 years. Peter Paul Rubens' "Anatomical Studies" is among the works featured.
Famous for his paintings of London life and for making free copies of well-known paintings, Leon Kossoff will have his Poussin Landscapes on display through April 16.
Upcoming exhibitions also include "Carleton Watkins: From Where the View Looked Best," featuring photographs that define the Western landscape's beauty. Starting next month, the Getty will also feature "The Psalms and Their Illustration," including 20 illuminated manuscripts and leaves from the Museum's permanent collection dating from the 12th to the 15th centuries. Opening on February 29 will be "Departures: 11 Artists at the Getty," a major exhibition of contemporary art from L.A.-area artists.
The Getty Center is also home to The Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities. The Institute houses over 800,000 volumes, along with rare archived materials and photos.
The Getty Center is famous for its sophisticated system of manipulating natural light to illuminate paintings in a way that mimics the conditions under which the artist painted, using indirect daylight to bring out subtleties of color. But the Getty is also a great place to visit at night. Every Thursday and Friday, it is open until 9 p.m. During these evenings, the Getty comes alive with concerts, artist talks and guest lectures.
The Center recently announced a new "no reservations required" policy for college students with current school identification. Parking is $5 per car and admission is always free. For the general public, parking reservations are required. The Getty Center is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday and Friday; and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call (310) 440-7300.

Copyright 2000 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 139, No. 13 (Monday, January 31, 2000), beginning on page 7 and ending on page 9.