Opened in 1974 and reimagined from 1997-2006, the Getty Villa preceded the Getty Center as a museum space, serving as the original public collection of art owned by billionaire J. Paul Getty. Inspired by ancient Roman villas, this Pacific Palisades museum combines garden, amphitheatre, and exhibition spaces, and currently serves as “a center for the study of the arts and cultures of antiquities,” with a heavy focus on Greek and Roman antiquities – a major contrast with the modern design and more mixed collection/exhibition aims of the newer Getty Center.
If you have to choose only one to visit, make it the Center, but both are worth exploring as much for their impressive architecture as their collections. Gallery admission is free, but there’s a parking charge, which covers parking at both museums for a single day.
