I only had one day in Los Angeles so I asked friends on Facebook to give me some ideas. My first thought was a Dodger's game, but they were on the road. Many suggested the beach or Santa Monica, but since I have been there before, I decided to try something different. On Saturday I went to the J. Paul Getty Museum.
J. Paul Getty was an American industrialist and founded the Getty Oil Company. In 1957 Fortune Magazine named him the richest living American. At his death, he was worth more than $2 billion. Despite his wealth, Getty was known for being a miser. He was an avid collector of art and antiquities; his collection formed the basis for this museum and over $661 million of his estate was left to the museum after his death.
The museum at the Getty Center contains western art from the middle ages to the present and with an estimated 1.3 million visitors annually, it's one of the most visited museums in the United States.
I was most interested in seeing an exhibit on Herb Ritts who was a Los Angeles-based photographer who established an international reputation for his distinctive photographs of fashion models, nudes, and celebrities. His retrospective was fabulous, well designed and included some of his music videos ("Cherish" by Madonna and "Love Will Never Do Without You" by Janet Jackson) along with his ads for Lancome and Levi Jeans.
The Getty Gardens, including the Robert Irwin Central Garden were unfortunately closed for spring maintenance. The 134,000-square-foot design features a natural ravine and tree-lined walkway that leads the visitor through an extraordinary experience of sights, sounds, and scents. I Did enjoy the cactus gardens and the incredible views of Los Angeles through the fog (smog).
With the gardens closed, it gave me the opportunity to check out the impressionist collection including two beautiful Monet's.
In the muted palette of the emerging dawn, Claude Monet portrayed the industrial port of Le Havre on the northern coast of France. The brilliant orange of the rising sun glimmers amid the damp air and dances on the gentle rippling water, lighting up its iridescent blues and greens. Barely discernible through a cool haze, pack boats on the left billow smoke from their stacks. Painted during the spring of 1873 as the country struggled to rebuild following the Franco-Prussian war, this Sunrise might also metaphorically suggest a new day dawning in France.
The highlight of my Getty trip was a beautiful lunch at the Getty Restaurant...what spectacular views and a wonderful creative menu. I opted for a truly amazing ($18) Chardonnay (it was Carnaros, after all) and the sea scallops on a bed of pea puree and risotto. I can honestly say, it was one of the top three meals of my life.
Did I mention that the journey was taken by city metro bus (90 minutes) to and from the museum? That's another blog post for another day!
It was a remarkable adventure in L.A.
P.S. Thank you to the wonderful couple who took the lead photo. You made my day with your kindness. I hope you enjoy your picture as much as I enjoy mine.
Enjoy!
Stacy
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