View of a building at the Getty Center, from the Central Garden.

The Getty Center, in Los Angeles, California, is the current home of the J. Paul Getty Museum as well as a research institute, conservation institute, grant program, and leadership institute.

The Getty Center, designed by architect Richard Meier, is the flagship museum of the J. Paul Getty Trust. It has a seven-story deep underground parking garage with over 2,000 parking spaces. It is located on a hill in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California overlooking the 405 Freeway, and is open to the public for free (although there is a charge for parking). The Getty Center is high enough that on a clear day, it is possible to see the snow at Big Bear as well as the entire Los Angeles basin.

The museum collects and exhibits classical sculpture and art, European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture, decorative arts and photographs. In respect to Getty's collecting intentions, the museum does not generally collect 20th or 21st century art (with the exception of photography).

In 1974, J. Paul Getty opened his first museum in a re-creation of an ancient Roman country house on his property in Malibu, California. In 1997 the museum moved to its current location in Los Angeles, and the original Malibu museum, renamed the Getty Villa, was closed for renovation.

External link

• J. Paul Getty Trust Official Website (http://www.getty.edu/)