Getty Center

California (Los Angeles Area)

Getty Center

Opened at the end of 1997, the Getty Center near the Sepulveda Pass north of Wilshire Boulevard (Tues–Wed 11am–7pm, Thurs–Fri 11am–9pm, Sat–Sun 10am–6pm; free) towers over the surrounding area.

Designed by Richard Meier at a cost of $1 billion, the museum is LA’s most recent, and most obvious, attempt to make a mark on the international art scene. Drivers must reserve parking space in advance and pay a $5 parking fee; otherwise, take MTA bus #561, which stops on Sepulveda Boulevard.

Two years after the original Malibu museum opened in 1974, oil magnate John Paul Getty died, leaving it $1.3 billion. Obliged to spend a set percentage of its now $3 billion endowment every year, it can outbid anyone to get what it wants. Hence the inflation in international art prices – and allegations of shady behavior among the museum’s suppliers.

The quality of the exhibits is extraordinary, including a feast of ornate French furniture and decorative arts from the reign of Louis XIV, with clocks, chandeliers, tapestries and gilt-edged commodes, which fills several overwhelmingly opulent rooms.

Although Getty himself was much less interested in painting, a large collection has been amassed since his death, featuring all the major names from the thirteenth century to the present, including Vincent Van Gogh’s Irises and several Rembrandt portraits. Photography is represented by the works of Man Ray, Moholy-Nagy and others.