The Getty Center is a free art museum and research complex overlooking Los Angeles, built to house billionaire collector J. Paul Getty’s holdings of European art from the Middle Ages to the present, alongside a significant collection of European and American photography. The campus, designed by architect Richard Meier, opened in 1997 on a hilltop in the Brentwood neighborhood.
Beyond the galleries, the Getty is known for its architecture and grounds, including the sweeping Central Garden designed by artist Robert Irwin, multiple pavilions of rotating exhibitions, and outdoor sculpture terraces with panoramic city and ocean views. A tram from the parking structure carries visitors up the hill to the main campus.
Admission is free, though parking carries a fee. Visitors can move through the museum’s highlights in about two to three hours, but many spend four hours or more taking in the art, gardens, and architecture together. The Getty is closed Mondays and open with extended evening hours on Saturdays.
