-- --

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The Getty Villa, in Malibu, California

Getty Villa promenade
Photo by myself at the Getty Villa, in Malibu, California.

This stunning museum re-opened in 2006 after extensive renovations. The Boston architectural firm Machado Silvetti added modern courtyards and connecting elements to the existing villa.

Admission is free. You only have to pay for parking. Click here for more information.

--

I finally found time to go through my photos from California.

Most of the photos show the Getty Villa, a magnificent, colorful museum off the Pacific Coast Highway, in Malibu. The historic villa was built over many years and completed in the 1970s. Modeled after an actual Pompeian building, the villa houses John Paul Getty's collections of antiquities.

Getty Villa colonnade

Getty Villa capital

Getty Villa courtyard

Getty Villa fountain bw

Getty Villa exterior

The courtyards and gardens were lovely. So were the rooms filled with bronze sculptures, glass bowls and stone relics. There was even a mummy! Such a building with winding exterior spaces could only be built in a temperate climate like LA or the Mediterranean.

If you haven't been there, the outdoor light in California is incredible, with a quality of its own. It is golden and casts dramatic shadows. New York has a little of the same effect late in the afternoon, but only for a short time.

Getty Villa Overhead
A modern courtyard connected stairways to the elevator and entrance.

Related posts: California Dreamin', Tell Me About the Rabbits and More Notes from the Left Coast.

5 comments:

Olivier said...

tres beau

Susu Paris Chic said...

Hi Kitty!

I came over to marvel your wonderful pics! And just wanted to leave you a note. The holiday season preparations must be something to live in the hustle of the Big Apple.

Washington said...

Fantastic place in a very sunny day!

Ken Mac said...

fantastic balance of dark and light in photo one

Kitty said...

thanks Olivier!

Hi Susu!
Good seeing you. The same must be said of Paris. I can't imagine spending the holiday there. It must be beautiful.

Yes, Washington, 'tis. And almost every day is sunny.

Thanks Ken. Yah that one is my favorite of the bunch!