When Was Getty Villa Built? LA’s Iconic Museum Gets Closed For Public Amid Palisades Wildfire

The Getty Villa, located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, has been threatened by the recent Palisades Fire. The wildfire, fueled by strong winds, has led to evacuations and property damage in the surrounding areas. As a precaution, the Getty Villa has been closed to the public and non-essential staff.

While some trees and vegetation on the Getty Villa grounds have burned, no structures have caught fire, and both the staff and the art collection remain safe.

When Was Getty Villa Built?

The Getty Villa, located in Pacific Palisades, California, was completed in 1974 as the first major home for the extensive art collection of J. Paul Getty, the American oil magnate and art collector. Its history reflects Getty’s passion for antiquities and his vision of creating an environment that mirrors the classical world.

The Getty Villa is modeled after the Villa of the Papyri, an ancient Roman country house in Herculaneum, Italy, buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. Getty was deeply influenced by his love for Greco-Roman art and architecture, and he envisioned a space that would both house his collection and offer visitors an immersive experience of classical antiquity.

Architects Robert E. Langdon Jr. and Ernest C. Wilson Jr. worked closely with Getty to design the villa. It features a rectangular layout with gardens, courtyards, and intricate mosaics, all evoking the grandeur of ancient Roman villas. The surrounding grounds include lush gardens inspired by classical styles, complete with fountains, reflecting pools, and statues.

Getty Villa’s Construction and Opening

Construction began in the late 1960s, and the villa officially opened to the public in 1974. At the time, the villa housed Getty’s personal collection of antiquities, including Greek, Roman, and Etruscan artifacts. Getty himself, who lived in England, rarely visited the villa but took an active interest in its design and function.

After J. Paul Getty’s death in 1976, his immense fortune was used to expand and manage his art collections. The Getty Villa operated as the Getty Museum until the mid-1990s when the new Getty Center, a larger museum complex in Los Angeles, was opened to house additional parts of the collection.

The Getty Villa underwent extensive renovations beginning in 1997 and reopened in 2006 as a dedicated center for the study and display of ancient art. It now serves as a museum specializing in art from the ancient Mediterranean world.

Today, the Getty Villa is a unique cultural institution that blends ancient art with modern scholarship. It features exhibitions, research programs, and educational activities. The villa’s design, inspired by antiquity, continues to make it a significant architectural and cultural landmark.