Sunday 4 December 2011

The Getty Center

J. Paul Getty was an alumnus of Berkeley, a philanthropist, and an oil billionaire.  Comparisons with Hannah are inevitable, but whereas her current goal is to purchase a new set of professional saucepans Getty enjoyed acquiring art and antiques from all over the world.  Being the all-round good guy he was, he left them on display at a couple of locations in Los Angeles for us all to enjoy.  We'd already been invited to his villa, so today decided to drop in on his larger museum: The Getty Center.

The first thing you notice is the building, a $1 billion construction in white, perched on the LA hills with a panoramic view that stretches from Downtown to the Pacific Ocean.  The architect, Richard Meier, has put together a fantastically surreal collection of buildings that throw strange shadows everywhere but house all the priceless stuff very well.  Frankie certainly enjoyed running around.

Unfortunately the architecture rather outshone the art inside.  Although there's a nice Van Gogh in there, and the place is a world centre for restoration science, the photography galleries were particularly disappointing.  Oil billions might get you a lot but I guess they can't buy you good taste.  Luckily, Hannah has me (and Ikea).


What are you going to spend your first billion on, Frankie?


Hannah and some of the buildings.


If we start with an exploratory well here, we can expand production up and down the West Coast.


LA, as clear as you'll ever see it thanks to the Santa Ana winds blowing the smog away.


Looking back at the galleries.


In one of the gardens.


At the bottom of an interesting inverted fountain.


Help!