The Getty Center

The Getty Center stands on a hilltop in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles, above the Sepulveda Pass and the San Diego Freeway. It is run by the J. Paul Getty Trust, created from the fortune of the oil businessman J. Paul Getty, and it opened to the public in December 1997.

The campus was designed by the architect Richard Meier; construction began in 1989, and the opening came about 14 years after the site purchase was announced in 1983. Its buildings are clad in travertine and aluminium panels. Besides the J. Paul Getty Museum, the site houses the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute and the Getty Foundation. The trust's second site, the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, focuses on ancient Greek, Roman and Etruscan art.

The museum collection covers European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture and decorative arts from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century, along with photographs from around the world. Well-known works include Vincent van Gogh's Irises and paintings by Rembrandt, Titian and Monet. The Central Garden, designed by the artist Robert Irwin, has a stream, a maze of azaleas set in a pool, and changing plantings. Terraces give wide views over Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean on clear days.

Admission is free with a timed-entry reservation, and parking is charged. Visitors park at the base of the hill and ride a tram up to the museum, which is closed on Mondays. The Getty Center is scheduled to close on 15 March 2027 for about a year of renovation, with reopening planned for spring 2028.

Four pavilions and the free daily tours

Four main pavilions hold the permanent collection, arranged roughly by date, with paintings on the upper floors where natural light comes through skylights. Free gallery talks and architecture and garden tours run through the day; check the daily schedule at the information desk.